DCL-00-99, Standardized Order/Notice to Withhold Income for Child Support

DCL-00-99 SEP 20, 2000

TO ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

Dear Colleague:

As you know, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 requires all States to use the standardized Order/Notice to Withhold Income for Child Support (Order/Notice) to collect child support obligations from employers. The current form is due to expire at the end of December 2000.

In view of this, representatives of the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), State Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agencies, family courts, employers, and the American Payroll Association met several times since June to discuss and make recommendations for changes to the Order/Notice. I have enclosed a draft copy of the Order/Notice, dated 8-9-00, and the instructions for your review and comment. I suggest that the Order/Notice be shared with anyone who is involved in completing and processing income-withholding orders/notices.

Some of the recommended changes are as follows:

The State, county, court, and status of order information located at the top of the form was rearranged to provide space for a court stamp,

The Employer/Withholder’s Federal EIN Number was move under the employer’s mailing address,

The health insurance coverage enroll indicator was moved above the Order Information section,

Under Order Information, the sentences are reworded to provide specific controlling order information, and a line for past-due medical support was added,

Under Remittance Information, the paragraph was reworded to provide employers more information regarding principle place of employment, space is provided for CSE agencies to include their customer service number for EFT/EDI, and the remittance and authorization was reorganized,

At the bottom of the front page, a sentence was added to alert the custodial parent that the information on the Order/Notice may be shared with the noncustodial parent,

On the back page, paragraphs numbered 1,2,5,6,12, and 13 have been reworded and/or added information.

While reviewing the revised Order/Notice, please keep in mind that the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act of 1996 (UIFSA) gave custodial parents authority to complete and submit (with the proper authorized signatures) the Order/Notice to employers for collections. In other words, the Order/Notice must be adaptable to the IV-D and nonIV-D child support community.

If you would like to submit comments regarding the draft Order/Notice, please submit them in writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Information Services, 370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447, ATTN: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. In doing so, please identify the title of the form. If you have any questions regarding the Order/Notice, you may contact Dianne Offett, Interstate Liaison Officer, at 202-401-5425.

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

cc: CSE Program Managers
Regional Interstate Liaisons

Enclosure

Draft Copy of Order/Notice

Draft Instructions