Child Support Report

Vol. XXV, No. 12, Dec 2003

Child Support Report is a publication of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Division of Consumer Services. CSR is published for information purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, or individual by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Child Support Enforcement is intended or should be inferred.

From Chicago's Symposium to San Juan's Courtroom! HAPPY NEW YEAR FPLS Team Receives Government Computer News Award at Gala Ceremony Partners on a Winning Team Three States Report Large Lump Sum Payments for Passport Denial Program Guam Celebrates Child Support Awareness Month Special Improvement Project (SIP) Grants MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!!

From Chicago's Symposium to San Juan's Courtroom!

By: Jens Feck, ROII

OCSE's sponsorship of last May's 2nd National Symposium of Children, Courts and the Federal Child Support Enforcement Program in Chicago has blossomed into enhanced collaboration between Puerto Rico's Office of Court Administration and the Administration for Child Support (ASUME). Interaction at the Symposium inspired Aleida Varona, the IV-D Director, Mercedes Bauermeister, the Court Administrator, and the New York ACF Regional Office to sponsor a one-day comprehensive child support meeting for the benefit of family court judges, municipal judges and hearing officers. More than 55 judges and another 15 child support professionals attended the September 22, 2003, event.

Puerto Rico has operated a 100% administrative IV-D process since 1995, but the majority of new parents in need of support continue to seek out the court for the initial establishment of an order. Collaboration and partnership are therefore not just words, but instead, vital concepts that sustain Puerto Rico's efforts to ensure that all children receive the economic and emotional support they deserve.

The meeting strengthened this partnership by presenting the administrative process as a cost-efficient and positive development in the evolution of the order establishment process -- and an effective and potent mechanism available to enforce the judgment of a tribunal. The meeting likewise presented a unique opportunity for judges to identify and help resolve problem areas that tend to spring up whenever two entities are required to exchange hundreds of data elements on a regular basis. By day's end, the partnership reached a new plateau when the judiciary offered to voluntarily transfer certain routine functions normally performed by the courts to the administrative process (for example, determining the appropriateness of crediting court order accounts for direct payments made under extenuating circumstances).

The Honorable Tom Leeds from Nevada moderated the September meeting, and joined Aleida Varona and Jens Feck, ACF ROII Program Specialist, on a panel of presenters who introduced topics ranging from IV-D Mandates that Apply to Non-IV-D Cases to Successful Arrears Management. The agenda also served to introduce judges to two new ASUME initiatives: Project PROSPERA and Project IMPULSO.

PROSPERA is a unique, locally funded program that provides order establishment and enforcement services to the elderly who are in need of financial support from descendants. IMPULSO is a multi-service program providing employment and related services to obligors who are unemployed and who owe arrears. The meeting has already resulted in a significant increase of court-referrals for IMPULSO services.

The meeting attendants unanimously agreed that this was a successful and productive event that should be repeated at periodic intervals. Tom Leeds may have put it best when he equated success with the fact that the judges "were actually staying until well past 5:00 p.m.!" The meeting certainly illustrates that given the right format and agenda, any Court/IV-D discussion will tend to focus on common ground, will likely expose participants to new and valuable information, and will inevitably strengthen the partnership and corresponding mission to support children. Anyone with interest in planning a similar meeting in his or her home jurisdiction is encouraged to contact Aleida Varona (avarona@asume.gobierno.pr) or Jens Feck (jfeck@acf.hhs.gov) for more detailed information regarding the Puerto Rico agenda, training material, lessons learned and good ideas.

Puerto Rico's ASUME-Court partnership can be proud of the success already achieved. In Fiscal Year 2002, the Commonwealth distributed more support than 26 other IV-D jurisdictions, while it maintained the nation's 7th highest cost-effectiveness ratio. Distributed collections rose by more than 13% in Fiscal Year 2003. Forty-one percent of these collections were distributed via EBT card or direct deposit, and the percentage of undistributed collections is expected to continue at well below the national average. With OCSE's leadership in Chicago and Puerto Rico's position at the forefront of innovation and best practices ensure the future success of this initiative.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller, Ed.D.

May I extend to you and your family best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! As we pass another milestone and approach another year that beckons us with opportunities for service, let's pause a moment to reflect on our accomplishments during the last 12 months.

I look back with a mixture of pride, appreciation and hope. Thank you for your dedication, commitment and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable children and adults. In 2003, your work to locate non-custodial parents, establish paternity and child support obligations, secure timely child support payments, and help ensure visitation and access to children has strengthened the bond between parent and child and netted billions of dollars in increased child support payments.

Let us resolve to continue our efforts to build a more compassionate child support enforcement program that can enhance the quality of life for millions of children and families.

FPLS Team Receives Government Computer News Award at Gala Ceremony

OCSE's Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) Team received one of ten agency awards from Government Computer News in recognition of the Team's innovative accomplishments in information technology during a gala ceremony at the Washington, D.C. Hilton on October 29, 2003. Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller and Associate Commissioner Donna Bonar accepted the award on the Team's behalf.

The FPLS Team was applauded for the collaborative partnerships it has forged with other Federal agencies to promote electronic government and reduce fraud and erroneous payments in government benefit programs.

Government Computer News cited the Team's efforts to unify and expedite data sharing between states and the federal government to locate non-custodial parents who owe child support.

State agencies had to beg other state agencies for help, sometimes enlisting the courts to force employers or financial institutions to comply with the law. Requests often were made over the phone or in writing. Finding a nonpaying parent could take months, sometimes years.

The three-year-old Federal Parent Locator Service network made critical discoveries in collecting child support in two high profile cases totaling $111,000.

Congratulations Team!

Partners on a Winning Team

By: Ruben Barbosa

State and federal partnerships have once again proved to be a winning team for Texas and the families served. The Texas Office of Attorney General (OAG) worked in tandem with the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and its partner, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) of the Department of Defense (DoD), to successfully implement the issuance of electronic wage withholding orders.

Representsatives in Texas worked closely with OCSE and DFAS to streamline the wage withholding process and increase automation. OAG coordinated with other employer initiatives to consolidate employer records. Now, wage withholding orders are created and exchanged electronically via the DFAS Kids 1st Application on the OCSE Network.

Phase 1 of the Kids 1st Application was successfully implemented on January 23, 2003. The benefits realized through August 2003 include:

• $9.9 million in new collections received from 5,400 initial FPLS changes, as well as the daily Administrative Income Withholdings (AIW).
• Savings of $8,150 in mailing costs of AIWs.
• Annual savings of $14,670 resulting from the elimination of an average of 1,000 Verification of Employment Letters (VOEL) issued monthly.
• More timely payments to custodial parents, since DFAS is now processing AIWs two to four weeks faster than the former manual method.
• Automatic generation of an AIW when the Quarterly Wage (QW) or National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) interface indicates that a noncustodial parent is employed by the military. As a result, the worker interaction formerly required to confirm employment and generate AIWs has been eliminated.

Phase 2 was successfully migrated on May 22, 2003. The benefits gained include:

• Users can quickly choose the correct military employer.
• Duplicates that have been entered in the past are now prevented.
• AIW Production reports are generated that detail each AIW issued to DFAS and the amount of obligation to be withheld.
• Collections Reports are generated monthly that specify collections received for each AIW issued to DFAS.
• These reports can be exported into Excel to allow for analysis or sorting by various criteria.

Now, wage withholding orders are created and exchanged electronically via the DFAS Kids 1st Application on the OCSE Network.

Based on the initial gains already realized, we anticipate that implementation of automated AIWs will help to continually increase child support collections from DFAS for years to come.

Three States Report Large Lump Sum Payments for Passport Denial Program

By: Rebecca Hamil

A few years ago, the Passport Denial Program was just a vision. Today it's an extraordinary success story!

In November, California collected for Michigan the largest reported lump sum payment on record at OCSE since the Passport Denial Program began -- $289,547! A self-employed obligor needing to travel overseas tried to negotiate a compromise on his arrearage amount with the Los Angeles County Child Support Interstate Unit in California when he was denied a passport. California insisted on payment in full, all of which went to the custodial parent.

In October, Virginia collected the second largest lump sum payment on record at OCSE -- $186,968! An obligor living in Europe won a contract which would send him to the Middle-East. When he tried to renew his passport, he was denied because of child support arrearages. He contacted the Fairfax, Virginia Child Support Enforcement agency to negotiate payment arrangements. Virginia reported that the obligor had made no payments to his two children since his case was opened. The CP had diligently pursued local remedies without success. No assets, employment information, or tax information were available, and all notices sent to the obligor's last known addresses had been returned. The obligor wanted the CP to make a deal, but she declined. Amanda Banks, the caseworker, informed the obligor that Virginia is a "zero tolerance" State and to receive his passport, he must pay off the balance on his case, which he did. All of the money was distributed to the family.

The third largest collection since the program began was reported by Wyoming -- $136,055! A non-custodial parent living in the Bahamas, who needed to renew his passport so he could travel, paid the arrears, interest and child support for his child until he turns 18 in April 2004.

There are more amazing stories to illustrate how overseas employment, personal trips, and vacation get-aways bring in the largest percentage of lump sum payments reported for the Passport Denial Program.

A $50,000 payment was received from an obligor who lives and works out of Thailand but was in jeopardy of being deported if he couldn't get his passport. Carolee St.Clair, Coordinator of the Passport Denial program for California, states, "The money all went to the family. Prior to this time, the custodial parent had only received $250 from the obligor. She has been on food stamps and MediCal and cleans houses for a living. She came to the office and burst into tears when she got the money."

The Passport Denial Program denies the application or renewal of an obligor's passport if $5,000 or more is owed in arrears for child support. The program has collected over $27 million in lump sum payments since its inception in June 1998. This amount, which represents lump sum payments that states voluntarily report, doesn't include money collected from obligors who set up payment plans or wage withholdings as a result of the program! With over 3.2 million cases certified to the Department of State, more than 60 passports are denied each day for child support reasons.

Guam Celebrates Child Support Awareness Month

By: Franklin Honorario

Governor Felix P. Camacho declared September 2003 as Child Support Awareness month with a proclamation signing ceremony at the Governor's Office. The Attorney General's Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Division's IV-D Director and staff were present.

The campaign was developed to enhance public awareness and community outreach regarding the IV-D program. A billboard proclaiming the theme "Love Your Kids" was displayed along Paseo Loop, a major intersection in downtown Hagatna, Guam.

IV-D Director Barbara P. Cepeda, Attorney General Douglas B. Moylan, and other staff appeared on two local radio talk shows, "Positively Local" and "Travis Coffman's The Big Show," to explain the role of the child support program and respond to questions from listeners.

On September 19, the CSE Director and the Attorney General participated in an all-day awareness campaign at Micronesia Mall. Tri-fold boards outlined the services offered by CSED and the access and visitation and fatherhood programs, the functions performed by the State Disbursement Unit. Sister agencies that CSE Division has collaborated with were also invited. These included the Head Start Program, the Department of Public Health and Social Services, the Bureau of Economic Security (TANF) and the Crime Victims Response Unit from the Office of the Attorney General.

Employees distributed child support and access and visitation brochures, child support applications, child support guidelines, "Love your Kids" buttons, the Attorney General Office's logo bumper stickers, balloons, and other related CSE items. IV-D staff were available to respond to questions from the public.

To further promote public awareness and outreach, an all-day open house was held September 19th at CSE Division offices. Child support and access and visitation brochures, balloons and bumper stickers were provided to the public.

The CSE Division also sponsored a public awareness activity at the Guam Premier Outlets. Staff from the CSE Division and collaborative agencies set up table displays that highlighed their services distributed brochures, and bumper stickers to those attending the event. Attorney General Douglas Moylan and CSE Director Cepeda were present to provide information to participants.

Throughout the month, public service announcements were aired on ten different radio stations. Radio stations also played the "Love Your Kids" theme song, which included background music from the song "Put a Smile on Your Face." A Child Support Awareness Month video spotlighting "Love Your Kids" was televised on Guam's major channel several times throughout the month. Another channel ran clips and Micronesia Mall Theaters exhibited various visual slides to advertise Child Support Awareness Month.

The Pacific Daily News, a local newspaper, published a series of articles about the Child Support Enforcement Division as well as several child support awareness announcements. It also published, without charge, fillers called "AG's Tidbits." These were informational snippets about child support laws.

A finale to the month was held at the United Seaman's Service Club in Piti, Guam to thank all those who contributed to the success of the initiative.

Child Support Awareness Month for 2003 produced an enhanced awareness of child support issues. During September, the number of child support applications and the level of child support collections each rose by ten percent, and the number of paternity establishment cases that were filed increased by two percent. Customer child support case inquiries increased by 25 percent during the month. About 100 customers participated in open house activities, and 300 students from local high schools attended child support presentations.

Special Improvement Project (SIP) Grants

The Special Improvement Project (SIP) grant announcement was published in the Federal Register/Volume 68, No. 244, Friday, December 19, 2003. Applications are due March 3, 2004. You can find the full announcement and application kit forms on OCSE's web site at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/newann.htm. For FY 2004, OCSE is looking for innovative SIP projects to improve child support program performance and produce greater impacts on child support outcomes (e.g., increasing the establishment of child support orders and child support collections). Approximately $1.5 million is available for all priority areas. Below are the seven priority areas covered under this announcement:

• Improving the Judicial/Administrative Processing of Child Support Enforcement Case Activities
• Educating the public on parental responsibilities and promoting healthy marriage
• Encouraging more timely and appropriate order modifications
• Expanding customer service through agency-initiated contact
• Helping noncustodial parents meet their child support and family responsibilities
• Improving child support services for ethnic and culturally diverse populations
• Furthering the child support mission to ensure all children receive financial and medical support from their parents.

OCSE Contacts

For a paper copy of the announcement or forms, e-mail Jean Robinson, jrobinson@acf.hhs.gov; 202-401-5330.

For specific questions regarding the announcement contact SusanGreenblatt, sgreenblatt@acf.hhs.gov, at 202-401-4849.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!!

THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
IS PRESENTING ITS
14TH NATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
TRAINING CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 20-22, 2004
DOUBLETREE HOTEL
CRYSTAL CITY
300 ARMY NAVY DRIVE
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
22202-2891

(703)416-4100

Child Support Report is a publication of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Division of Consumer Services. CSR is published for information purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, or individual by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Child Support Enforcement is intended or should be inferred. Internet: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/ Permission to reprint articles is granted Acknowledging CSR is appreciated

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