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Administration for Children and Families US Department of Health and Human Services
The Office of Child Support Enforcement Giving Hope and Support to America's Children

What is FIDM? > Overview > State Implementation

Establish Freeze and Seize Policy and Procedures

  • Enact legislation to authorize the data match.
  • If process is judicial, enact legislation to move to administrative procedures. 
  • Identify policy and procedures based on State laws governing freeze and seize of financial institution accounts (e.g., freeze period, dollar thresholds).

Develop Instructions for Financial Institutions

  • Develop an agreement discussing responsibilities, processing timelines and fees, and an election form for the institution to choose a matching method, data transmission methods, and week within each quarter the institution would like to send or receive data.
  • Publish instructions providing background information, reporting requirements, and data specifications.

Identify Financial Institutions and Conduct Outreach

  • Identify financial institutions doing business within the State.
  • Meet with representatives of financial institutions and related associations, provide outreach materials and keep them updated regarding implementation of the data match.

Automate Data Exchange

  • Automate data specifications, generation of forms and letters, financial institution database, compliance tracking, and program and management reporting to track matches and collections.
  • Maintain a database that includes the name and address of financial institutions, name and phone number of the contact person (usually the Compliance Officer), and States in which they operate for the purpose of tracking forms and transmissions sent and received.
  • Develop and monitor security procedures.

Provide for Customer Service and Public Relations

  • Establish a hotline, e-mail address and website to answer financial institution questions.
  • Operate a direct phone line to answer questions from custodial and non-custodial parents.
  • Build a working relationship with the State trade associations and operations staff of the financial institutions.

States have three options for implementing various aspects of the data match.  These options include program development by: a) the State child support enforcement agency or other State agency (e.g., revenue) through an interagency agreement, b) a private vendor through an individual competitive procurement by the State, and c) a private vendor through a competitive procurement involving a multistate consortium.  Half of the States have elected to join a consortium (option c).  Of the remaining States, a majority have chosen implementation by the child support enforcement or other State agency (option a).

Last Updated: September 11, 2006