Department of Defense
How to determine whether a non-custodial (NCP) is receiving retirement benefits from any branch of the military.
The Federal Parent Locating Service (FPLS) plays an important role in determining whether a non-custodial parent (NCP) is receiving retirement benefits. Automatic matching by the FPLS for retired military is reported to the states through new hire and quarterly wage (QW) reporting.
QW reports on retired military (persons who were formerly active duty) and retired Coast Guard are now provided to the FPLS. These records are coded "P" (for pension).
An FPLS match should be accepted as a verification of employment and wages.
If your state receives a match or "hit" on a military person, additional verification of employment is unnecessary. The next step is to submit the income withholding order (IWO) to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Cleveland, OH to start deducting retirement pay:
DFAS Cleveland Center
DFAS- HGA/CL
P.O. Box 998002
Cleveland, OH 44199-8002
(888) 332-7411 for customer service (toll-free)
What Happens to the IWO When the Military Member Retires.
When a military member with an IWO for child support retires, the order does not automatically attach to the retirement pay (pension) of that member. However, DFAS has established a method through which an alert is received by the DFAS garnishment operation that the child support order should be attached to the retirement pay of the military member who is retiring. In addition, notification is sent to the relevant child support enforcement (CSE) agencies, alerting them of the member's retirement and notifying them that payments will resume within 60 days if funds are available.
Multiple QW reports for one NCP in the military could be received by a CSE agency because a person could be both a Department of Defense (DoD) civil service employee and a retired military service personnel. There are many people working for DoD in both capacities. When the CSE agency receives the first QW match, it should send the IWO to DFAS Cleveland for attachment of the income. The IWO will be applied to all pay available at that time.
External Locate Requests for Information on Retired Military and Retired Federal Government Civilian Employees.
If your CSE agency needs a current address for an active, reserve, or retired military service personnel for service of process (e.g., in order to establish paternity), submit an FPLS external locate request (through your state child support office) to the DoD's Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). DMDC returns these requests on a monthly basis. Include the military service person's name and Social Security number (SSN). FPLS will provide the following information to states:
| Population |
SSN Returned? |
Address Provided |
Annual Salary? |
| Active military |
Yes |
Unit/duty address |
Not provided |
| Reserve military |
Yes |
Unit/duty address |
Not provided |
| Retired military |
Yes |
Home address |
Yes |
| Retired civilian |
Yes |
Home address |
Yes |
Information on civilians working for DoD is not available through the FPLS external locate.
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Where to send an IWO to attach the Income of Retired Military Service Personnel.
IWOs for retired military personnel should be sent to DFAS Cleveland Center:
DFAS Cleveland Center
DFAS-HGA/CL
P.O. Box 998002
Cleveland , OH 44199-8002
The DFAS Income Withholding toll-free Customer Service Number for retired and annuity pay is (800) 321-1080.
The DFAS web site for income withholding information is http://www.dod.mil/dfas/militarypay/garnishment.html
The web site includes a questions-and-answers fact sheet on how to obtain payroll information on DoD military and civilian employees.
By automating the generation of IWOs, states can meet their two-day, turnaround requirement. States that have automated this process have benefited from substantial increases in collections.
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Where to send an IWO to attach the Income of a Retired Federal Civilian Employee.
An IWO to attach the pension of a retired, civilian employee of the Federal government should be sent to:
Office of Personnel Management
Court Ordered Benefits Branch
P.O. Box 17
Washington , DC 20044-0017
Phone (202) 606-0222
Fax (202) 606-7958
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Where to send the National Medical Support Notice (NMSN) for retired military.
No Need to Send the NMSN for Retired Military
It is not appropriate to send the NMSN to DoD for retired military as the military health care coverage, TRICARE, is already an automatic entitlement to military personnel and their dependents. DMDC cannot comply with the NMSN to enroll dependents. If the child's status in DEERS/TRICARE can be determined, this eliminates any need for IV-D agencies to send the NMSN to DMDC for a dependent of military personnel.
CSE agencies can determine whether a child is eligible to be enrolled in DEERS/TRICARE by:
- The appearance of an appropriate DoD Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) on the new hire report or the QW report for either the NCP or the custodial parent (CP), which indicates that either parent is retired military, or
- The DMDC/FCR match.
Department of Defense FEINs:
| • Army: |
Active Duty FEIN is 359990000 |
 |
| • Navy: |
Active Duty FEIN is 349990000 |
| • Marine Corps: |
Active Duty FEIN is 539990000 |
| • Air Force: |
Active Duty FEIN is 849990000 |
| • Coast Guard: |
Active Duty FEIN is 529980000 |
| • NOAA: |
Active Duty FEIN is 520821608 |
| • Retired Military Pay: |
Retired Military FEIN is 340727612 |
If a child is determined to be eligible for enrollment, as indicated by the DMDC/FCR match or by the FEIN from the new hire report or the QW report, the CSE agency should instruct the CP to contact the local RAPIDS ID Card Issuing Activity with the proper documentation to initiate enrollment of the dependent in DEERS/TRICARE. The CSE agency should indicate in the individual case record where it obtained the child's medical enrollment status and make appropriate case updates in the next quarterly DMDC/FCR match.
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Where to send a termination of the IWO for the attachment of retired military and retired civilian benefits.
Termination of the IWO should be sent to the applicable addresses listed above.
