TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 | SECTION 3 SECTION 1: Executive Summary SECTION 2: ICR Extract File Technical Data Guide 2.1 Create Datasets 2.2 Contact OCSE 2.3 Identify Interstate Cases 2.4 Assign Technical Point of Contact 2.5 Develop the Extract Program 2.6 Transmit the Extract SECTION 3: ICR Guide To Reconciliation Matching Results APPENDICES

SECTION 2: ICR EXTRACT FILE TECHNICAL DATA GUIDE

The purpose of the national ICR Extract File Technical Data Guide is to define standards and guidelines for your state and other participating states in order to develop and submit extract files in support of the ICR project.

There are several steps states must take in order to submit the data needed for the ICR project, and this guide will walk the participating states through those steps.

The overall steps that states must perform to develop their extract files are:

1. Create datasets for both the state extract records and the reconciliation matching results records.
2. Contact the OCSE Data Transmission Team to set up the CONNECT: Direct process for transmitting the files to and from SSA.
3. Identify which cases constitute interstate cases for ICR purposes.
4. Designate a programming technical point of contact.
5. Develop a program to read the statewide child support system and extract interstate case information.
6. Create the extract file and transmit it to OCSE for processing.

Following sections are devoted to each of these steps.  The ICR State Extract File Record Format itself appears in Appendix A.

2.1 Create Datasets

The first step in the ICR process is to create two datasets on your system:

• A dataset to hold the extract file being produced by the state for transmission to OCSE, and
• A separate dataset to hold the file being transmitted back to your state with the reconciliation matching results.

The issue of keeping interstate cases synchronized after a national ICR has not yet been resolved. However, the current recommendation for keeping interstate cases synchronized would require the reconciliation process to be run again.  With this in mind, it is recommended that you use a Generation Data Group (GDG) for both the state extract dataset and the reconciliation matching results dataset. The attributes of both files are:

• Fixed block, and
• A record length of 550 bytes for both the state extract and reconciliation matching results datasets.

The naming conventions for these datasets are up to the states to determine.  Regardless of the format, however, you must provide the dataset names to OCSE for staff to set up the CONNECT:Direct process as discussed in the next section.

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2.2 Contact OCSE

The next step in the ICR process is to arrange for the CONNECT:Direct process to be set up at SSA, for both the state extract file to be transmitted and for the reconciliation matching results file to be received.

Your state representative must provide the names of the datasets created in the previous section in order to accomplish this task.  The OCSE Data Transmission Team's contact information for setting up the CONNECT:Direct process is:

Name	Telephone	E-Mail Address
Abe Klugman	(410) 965-5635	Abe.Klugman@acf.hhs.gov

Once OCSE has completed the CONNECT:Direct set up process, OCSE representatives will supply your state with a set of Job Control Language (JCL).  This JCL, when executed, will transmit the assigned state extract dataset to the SSA mainframe in Baltimore, Maryland for processing.

OCSE staff will suggest alternative secure transmission methods for any state unable to use CONNECT:Direct.

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2.3 Identify Interstate Cases

The next step in the ICR process is to identify which cases on your system constitute interstate cases.  The following is the "official" definition of an interstate case for use in the national ICR process.

Interstate Case for ICR Purposes The following definitional elements are to assist in determining which cases should be submitted as interstate cases for ICR purposes. Note that some states refer to interstate cases as ‘interstate actions’ or ‘interstate records’ on IV-D cases: A case requested by one state for another state to open and maintain for purposes of paternity or order establishment, and/or enforcement. The state requesting this action is the "initiating" state. The other state is the "responding" state. Both states maintain identical cases on their systems, and both states would submit the interstate case for ICR purposes. Both interstate open and closed cases are submitted for ICR purposes. Neither long-arm cases (which don't require service from the other state) nor limited services cases (where a case is not open in the other state) are submitted for ICR purposes Neither international cases nor tribal cases are submitted for ICR purposes. The provision of these definitional elements should help eliminate ambiguity in selecting cases for submittal in your interstate extract files. Standardization of terms will be stressed in all of the training materials.

In further determining which cases should be considered interstate cases for reconciliation purposes, you should consider the following criteria:

Any IV-D case for which another state has been asked to open and maintain a case on its system and provide payments to the case in your state should be an interstate case.

Any IV-D case for which another state has requested that your state open and maintain a case on your system and provide it with payments collected for this case should be an interstate case.

Only IV-D cases should be selected.

For all cases deemed to be interstate for reconciliation purposes, one state extract record should be generated for each participant in the case.

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2.4 Assign Technical Point of Contact

The ICR Partner Agreement outlines state responsibilities associated with participation in the national ICR. Participating states have been asked to designate an ICR coordinator to serve as the primary point of contact between the ICR project team and the state.

The ICR coordinator should direct any program-related questions concerning the national ICR to the OCSE program contacts:

OCSE Program Contacts	Telephone	E-Mail Address
Pat Conrad	(701) 258-6426	Pat.Conrad@ngc.com
Tom Kriksciun	(703) 345-7997	Thomas.Kriksciun@ngc.com
Cindy Dean	(406) 443-8628	Cindy.Dean@ngc.com

The OCSE program contacts are also available to respond to any general inquiries that you may have regarding the ICR program.

In addition to designating the ICR coordinator, participating states should assign a programming technical point of contact for the ICR project. The name, title, telephone number and e-mail address for your programming technical point of contact should be sent to the OCSE ICR Technical Contact, Ken Nesbit. Any technical questions concerning the ICR project should be referred to Mr. Nesbit at the telephone number or e-mail address listed below.

ICR Technical Contact	Telephone	E-Mail Address
Ken Nesbit	(703) 345-8102	Kenny.Nesbit@ngc.com

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2.5 Develop the Extract Program

The next step in the ICR process is to develop the extract program that will read the state child support system and extract the information for all open and closed interstate cases (sometimes defined as open or closed interstate actions on a case) based on the criteria supplied in section 3 of this Guide. The information you provide must comply with the following requirements:

• All data must be in EBCDIC format,
• All alphabetic data must be in upper case,
• All alphabetic and alphanumeric data must be left justified,
• All dates must be in CCYYMMDD format, and
• All filler fields and unused space must be filled with spaces and not low-values.

The ICR State Extract File Record Format labels the following data elements as required:

• Case ID,
• FIPS (State and Local) Code,
• Case Status,
• First two bytes of Other State FIPS Code, and
• SSN, Name and Participant Type for at least one child or adult on the case.

These fields are the minimum fields required to fully execute the matching logic in the ICR Extract File Matching process. However, to provide comprehensive matching results, OCSE must receive as much of the data defined in the ICR Extract File as a state maintains for each participant on an interstate case. These requirements should not be interpreted to limit a state to providing information on only one child or adult in an interstate case.

Different data thresholds must be met in order for you to add an interstate case to your state's ICR extract file. The first two bytes of Other State FIPS Code must always be present, pointing the Extract File Matching process to the correct state file to search for a matching case.

When the Other State Case ID is present, you should add the case to your state's extract.

When the Other State Case ID is not present, then at least one child and adult participant on the case must be submitted with an SSN and Name in order for the Extract File Matching process to attempt to find a matching case.

If a case is submitted without the first two bytes of Other State FIPS Code or a case is submitted without the Other State Case ID and without an SSN for at least one child and adult on the case, then the Extract File Matching process will automatically return a Reason Code 01 – Could Not Find a Matching Case in the Other State response record for each participant on the case. This response record is returned because the Extract File Matching process could not attempt a match due to insufficient data.

You should be prepared to thoroughly test the content of the state extract file, as there will only be minimal validation of the file content performed at the federal level. OCSE will conduct extract testing for the states to ensure that their state extract files are properly formatted. However, the ICR project team cannot validate the accuracy of the extract contents from each state. This state task of extract content validation becomes very important so as not to transmit misinformation to other states, which would create a more confusing synchronization problem than might already exist.

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2.6 Transmit the Extract

As stated in the previous section, you must validate the content of your state's extract file prior to transmitting the extract. Once the state extract file has been validated, you should load this file into the state extract file dataset that was supplied to the OCSE representatives cited in section 2 of this Guide.

During OCSE's process of setting up CONNECT:Direct for the ICR, OCSE will provide your state with a set of JCL.  The execution of this JCL will begin the CONNECT:Direct process to transmit your state extract dataset to OCSE for inclusion in the national ICR process.  OCSE will suggest alternative secure transmission methods for any state unable to use CONNECT:Direct.

This constitutes the last step that states must take to supply their interstate case data to OCSE.  For information on processing the reconciliation matching results returned by OCSE to your state, please refer to section 3.0.