dcl9512.htm

FEB 14, 1995 DC-95-12

TO: ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

ALL STATE IV-D SYSTEMS PROJECT DIRECTORS

RE:OCSE Access to Data in State Child Support Enforcement Systems

Dear Colleague:

The purpose of this letter is to encourage the enhancement of your statewide child support enforcement systems’ to support remote access capability. Over the last few years we have encouraged States to join with us in a Federal and State partnership. Through several initiatives we are working to improve child support programs by increasing the emphasis on performance measurement and focusing on results. Some recent initiatives include recently published revised audit standards, and the Government Performance Results Act. These initiatives entail mutually analyzing performance data against overall child support objectives and goals. The determination as to whether we are achieving the results of a more effective child support enforcement program is highly dependent on enhanced communication between partners. Consequently, we have been emphasizing our need to incorporate electronic communications technology so that program information is more accessible.

We believe that remote access capabilities will prove to be a highly efficient method of sharing data for analysis and will result in savings at both the State and Federal levels. States, in the development of their IV-D systems, have been required to incorporate methods of data access for child support audit staff. We have not, however, mandated specific methodologies to do this. Methodologies such as remote dial-up and read-only access to State IV-D systems are being used successfully today and are proving to be efficient and effective. To assist you in exploring the various options available, we are enclosing a discussion paper. This paper discusses alternative approaches which we believe are most feasible for attaining the desired level of data access and connectivity.

To accommodate variations in security requirements for States' IV-D systems, our needs are necessarily limited to read-only, dial-up access. We would like to work together with your staff to determine the most effective alternative for data access capability which does not compromise the necessary security of your systems. All of this must be accomplished at the lowest possible cost to all.

We believe that effective remote access to your systems will help both Federal and State organizations to better assess our ability to meet goals and objectives that we have mutually set for the child support enforcement program. We hope you will actively explore connectivity options for your system so that we can work together more effectively and efficiently in our Federal - State partnership. Further information on this issue can be obtained directly from our Federal Child Support Information Systems staff and from your respective Area Audit Office supervisor.

Sincerely,

Mark E. Ragan David Gray Ross

Acting Director Deputy Director

Office of Information Office of Child Support

Systems Management Enforcement

Enclosure

cc:Keith Bassett, Director, DA/OCSE

Robin Rushton, Director, DCSIS/OISM/ACF

ACF Regional Administrators, Regions I-X/ACF

CSE Regional Program Managers, Regions I-X/ACF

Area Audit Office Supervisors, OCSE

ALTERNATIVE ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS

DISCUSSION PAPER

Alternative access arrangements cover a broad spectrum of remote and on-site options. These options can include using a mixture of both on-line and off-line approaches to accessing the required data from your systems. As computer and tele-communications systems have become more sophisticated, several states have already worked with our area audit offices to help us establish remote connections to their systems for audit purposes. The primary method of remote communication has centered on dial-up access, but has also included multi-State network access with a direct line to our area audit office.

As communications technology has advanced, lowering costs while improving performance and security, several alternatives are now feasible. Higher speed modems, enhanced network capabilities and workstation software are opening up additional opportunities at lower cost that were not possible only a few years earlier.

Over the years, the Division of Audit has worked with States in accessing data by using traditional on-site review work. This approach has been costly in terms of travel and time spent on-site by both Federal and State staff. Recently, some States have worked out effective arrangements with our field offices for readily accessing data on-line by using State staff and computer terminals on-site in a read-only mode. This approach has benefitted everyone by making data easily retrievable on-line. However, significant travel costs for Federal staff not located close to the review site, as well as the cost of State staff remain areas where further reductions are possible.

Another alternative to the traditional on-site approach is to explore options for remote access to data without on-line access. This may involve arrangements for data transfer to remote locations eliminating the need for on-line access. As connectivity and data analysis technologies advance, these remote access alternatives should prove more feasible and cost effective. However, there are costs on both sides related to retrieving and filtering data needed to analyze, evaluate and measure performance. This is particularly true as systems change and data access needs evolve.

Currently, dial-up, on-line access from remote locations appears to be the most feasible, efficient and cost effective alternative for evaluating the child support enforcement program at all levels. We believe remote on-line access to your system is the preferable way to meet the requirement to make child support systems and data readily accessible for audit purposes and data sharing between partners. Those States that have already provided support for on-line access by remote dial-in have helped reduce the cost of our audit function significantly. These savings were realized in part by our field sites using existing personal computers, modems, and general purpose communications software to conduct reviews. Likewise, these States have seen measurable reductions in staff hours spent manually supporting the Federal audit function, particularly in the area of records research and management.

Recent advances in communications technology are enabling remote access to an ever-increasing number of computer hardware and software platforms. This enhanced connectivity is also coming with improved security features, thus allowing its use in a wider range of applications. There are also products other than remote access software worth considering as efficient, cost effective alternatives. We would like to explore any arrangement that is cost-beneficial and meets the security requirements for your system. We are confident that the right solution or mix of solutions can be employed by your State’s IV-D system development staff, central data processing organization, and our central and regional office staffs, to address our mutual data access and analysis needs for the child support program nationwide.

To that end, we would like to discuss with you how we might implement remote data access options in your IV-D system. We are open to any alternative based on existing or new communications options and the data access capabilities of your State's data processing environment. In addition to OCSE’s Area Audit Offices, the following list of Federal staff are available to discuss the issues of data communications and connectivity for audit purposes:

Joseph Bodmer

Deputy Director

Division of Child Support Information Systems, OISM/ACF

Phone: (202) 690-1234

Joseph Gloystein Sidney Houston

Auditor Auditor

Division of Audit, OCSE/ACF Division of Audit, OCSE/ACF

Phone: (202) 401-6741 Phone: (615) 736-5051