Policy
OCSE proposes and implements national policy for the child support program. We provide guidance and training to help states and tribes develop and operate their individual programs according to federal law.
We issue guidance using several types of documents:
- Action Transmittal (AT) describes actions that programs must take to comply with new and amended federal laws.
- Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) conveys general information on program activities.
- Information Memorandum (IM) provides information on program practices that may be useful for program improvement.
- Policy Interpretation Question (PIQ) responds formally to policy inquiries.
Helpful links:
Related Pages
Featured Resources
State Plan System
October 24, 2012Partnering with other programs, including outreach, referral, and case management activities
December 7, 2012Cobell Trust Settlements
December 3, 2012
Third-Party Verification of Employment Providers and Fair Credit Reporting Act Requirements
September 19, 2012Requests for Locate Services, Referrals, and Electronic Interface
August 1, 2012Turner v. Rogers Guidance
June 18, 2012
Alternatives to Incarceration
June 18, 2012State Plan Page on Reporting to the State Directory of New Hires
December 6, 2011Final Rule: Safeguarding Child Support Information
December 29, 2010
Final Rule: Intergovernmental Child Support
July 2, 2010
Additional Resources for Policy RSS Feed
Partnering with other programs, including outreach, referral, and case management activities
December 7, 2012Clarifies allowable child support expenditures related to outreach, referral, and case management activitiesCobell Trust Settlements
December 3, 2012Provides information on the Cobell Trust Settlement finalized on November 24, 2012Revised Instructions - OCSE Intergovernmental Reference Guide
November 5, 2012Provides revised instructions to assist international partners in accessing information on the OCSE IRGFY 2011 Preliminary Data Report Announcement
October 31, 2012Data and information represent a preliminary assessment of the program’s progress towards goals and objectives.Submittal of the OCSE-75 - Child Support Enforcement Annual Data Report for FFY 2012
October 25, 2012Reminder to tribal agencies to submit the OCSE-75 data report for FFY 2012 to OCSE by December 29, 2012
Revised Income Withholding for Support (IWO) Form
May 16, 2011Provides the revised Income Withholding for Support (IWO) Form and instructions and highlights recent changesThird-Party Verification of Employment Providers and Fair Credit Reporting Act Requirements
September 19, 2012Clarifies Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements applicable to employment verification requests to third-party companiesEmployment Verification from the U.S. Postal Service
May 15, 2008Provides guidance on obtaining Employment Verification for a USPS employee/non-custodial parentInterstate Child Support Enforcement Case Processing and UIFSA
December 28, 1998PRWORA provisions related to interstate child support enforcement case processingFinancial Support for Children from Benefits Paid by Veterans Affairs
September 25, 1998Information on processes to obtain support from veterans’ benefits under certain circumstances