Sample Survey Questions to Explore Internal and External Environments (CSE)

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Case Initiation:

1. Does your CSE automated information system (AIS) effectively capture all required data to accept, maintain, and process information for case records (such as non-TANF services, referrals from the State's TANF Agency, referrals from Foster Care, referrals from Medicaid, interstate referrals, family violence information, and interface with the Federal Case Registry)?
2. Identify the other Agencies you depend upon to provide information for case initiation (such as the courts, county-based Governments, Attorney General, Other law enforcement officials, TANF, Foster Care, Medicaid).
3. Identify the IT equipment that other agencies depend upon to provide data for case initiation.
4. Is your case initiation function part of a centralized or decentralized automation system?
5. Is your case initiation process part of a program-specific automation system that electronically processes case information to other integrated, automated critical functions within that program (such as locate and paternity establishment)?    

Locate:

1. Does your CSE AIS have automated interfaces with Federal, State, interstate, and intrastate sources for obtaining and verifying case information? The following are examples of typical CSE interfaces:
   1. Federal Parent Locator System (FPLS)
   2. National Directory of New Hires (NDNH)
   3. Federal Case Registry (FCR)
   4. State Employment Security Administration
   5. Department of Motor Vehicles
   6. Department of Vital Statistics
   7. Department of Corrections
   8. Credit Bureaus
   9. Postal service
   10. State Tax Administration
   11. State Directory of New Hires
   12. State Disbursement Unit (SDU)
   13. Financial Institutions
   14. Electronic Benefit Transfer
2. Is your application manual in some locations and automated in others?
3. Does your AIS automatically resubmit cases to locate sources? 

Establishment:

1. Identify other Agencies/entities you depend upon to provide paternity establishment functions (such as birthing hospitals, other birthing centers, private vendors, and administrative procedures).
2. Does your system automatically accept, maintain, and process support order information?
3. Does your system automatically record, track, and monitor information on support obligations, including medical support?

Case Management:

1. Does your AIS automatically accept and process case updates from various sources (such as courts, county attorneys, and caseworkers) and provide information to other programs?
2. Does the system provide case status to caseworkers?
3. Does the system allow for case closure?
4. Does the system provide for management of interstate cases?

Enforcement:

1. Does the system monitor compliance with support orders?
2. Does the system support income withholding activity?
   1. Does the system support Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)/Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for transmittal of income withholdings?
   2. Does the system support Cash Concentration and Disbursement Plus (CCD+) and Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA) payment formats?
   3. Does the system support the Child Support Application Banking Convention?
   4. Does the system support Federal and State tax refund offset?
3. Does the system use Connect:Direct interface for transmitting case information?
4. Does the system support forwarding arrearage information to credit bureaus?
5. Does the system support data matching with financial institutions?

Reporting:

1. Does your CSE AIS collect the appropriate data in order to meet your Federal and State reporting requirements?
2. Identify the external agencies you depend upon to collect data to meet your reporting requirements.