dcl.htm

June 26, 1997

DCL-97-35

TO: ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: Summary of Technical Assistance Activities and Action Plans

Dear Colleague:

In follow-up of our April 15, 1997, Dear Colleague letter (DCL-97-19), which enclosed a summary of technical assistance plans, the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) developed action plans highlighting key activities which address States' priority needs, as reflected in that summary.

The attached summary of technical assistance activities and key action items identifies activities underway and those being planned for the short term in which OCSE Central Office components are involved. This list is not to be considered exhaustive for OCSE. It provides only highlights of key national technical assistance efforts for the areas identified in the April 15th summary and does not include various technical assistance initiatives being provided by our Regional Offices.

As in the previous summary of State technical assistance needs, these activities and action plans are grouped into five broad areas: distribution and centralized collections; enforcement; interstate; paternity establishment and systems and management.

We have developed these action plans to generically address many of your identified needs including issuing policy guidance, developing publications, disseminating best practices, and conducting meetings and training. We hope that you will request State-specific technical assistance from OCSE and encourage you to contact your respective Regional Office so that we can assist you. We are attaching the request section of the Technical Assistance Report to facilitate your use of this process. We very much look forward to working with you in the near future.

If you have any questions regarding this summary of technical assistance activities and action plans, please contact your Regional Office or Susan Greenblatt, Technical Assistance Branch, 202-401-4849.

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross

Deputy Director

Office of Child Support Enforcement

SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES AND ACTION PLANS

In follow-up of our April 15 DCL-97-19, which enclosed the Summary of Technical Assistance (TA) Plans, OCSE has developed actions plans highlighting key activities which address States' priority needs, as reflected in that summary. The technical assistance activities underway and key action plans for the short term are grouped into the same broad subject areas: distribution and centralized collections; enforcement; interstate; paternity establishment and systems and management.

This summary of technical assistance activities and key action items is not to be considered exhaustive for OCSE. It provides only highlights of key national OCSE technical assistance efforts for the areas identified in the April 15th summary and doesn't include various technical assistance initiatives being provided by our Regional Offices.

A major priority need expressed across all these subject areas is for OCSE to identify and disseminate best practices and to establish a central clearinghouse/electronic resource center, utilizing the Internet, that would enable States to access and utilize relevant information easily and timely.

Clearinghouse/Electronic Resource Center and Best Practices:

OCSE developing plans to establish a central clearinghouse/electronic resource center to enable States to access model forms and legislation, best practices, publications, training curricula, etc., to expedite the exchange and networking of Federal and State information. This electronic resource center will include State informational resources; incorporate materials available through the National Reference Center, and will build on OCSE current networks such as the Web site.

OCSE is exploring the development of an Intranet site to provide timely information directed to State child support agencies. OCSE is also currently developing the capability to produce CD-ROMs and other electronic tools to disseminate information and plans to make current and future OCSE publications available on the Web site.

OCSE developed and recently disseminated a directory of experts. In addition, OCSE disseminated a compendium of best practices which will be updated annually. The next update is scheduled for September 1997.

Distribution:

TA Needs: Assistance requested includes policy guidance in the form of policy interpretation, case scenarios, diagrams and flow charts, and systems guidance in the form of systems standards, cost-benefit analysis and system development analysis.

TA Activities/Plans:

oPolicy Clarification: OCSE will issue policy guidance in the form of an Action Transmittal including policy clarification, Q&A's and case scenarios (summer 1997).

oOn-site assistance is being planned and the first trip will be made in July to Arizona, the first State to submit a Technical Assistance Request. The assistance will include staff training and address distribution related systems enhancement and development needs. The Arizona experience will be transferred through conferences to reach a larger audience.

oSystems Support: ACF contracted with BDM International on

May 28, 1997, to assist ACF in revising the OCSE Financial Distribution Test Deck to reflect PRWORA child support distribution scenarios over a quarter. They will also create a general systems design, and a detailed systems design for State child support financial management subsystems. The contract is for six months.

oBest Practices and Resource Materials: OCSE will identify best practices and collect resource materials (see Clearinghouse section above). Information to be distributed includes system development strategies and technologies, staff training materials, instructional guides to employers, informational materials to court clerks and legislators, and general program information to clients.

Centralized Collections and Disbursement:

TA Needs: Assistance requested includes guidance on systems specifications, assessment of systems enhancement needs, utilization of automated procedures (e.g., EFT/EDI), and cost-benefit analysis.

TA Activities/Plans:

oPolicy Clarification: OCSE has established a workgroup which developed policy on the exemption process. An AT (AT-97-07) was issued May 15, 1997. The workgroup will meet June 30 - July 2, 1997 in Denver, Colorado to contribute to policy guidance that will be issued in the form of Q&As late this summer.

oA group technology transfer or mini conference is also beingplanned for this fall to bring together States having centralized collections experience with those States in the planning and development stages.

oBest Practices and Resource Materials: OCSE will identify best practices, collect resource materials and develop a matrix giving a profile of States' development efforts and status. This information will be shared with the child support community (see Clearinghouse Section above). Materials to be distributed include instructional guides to employers, informational materials to court clerks, and general program information to clients.

New Hire Directory and Case Registry:

TA Needs: Assistance requested includes systems requirements, implementation strategies, instructional guides, staff training, standardized forms and formats, utilization of technologies such as image scanning and electronic transfer, strategies for gaining assistance of local courts, and strategies for integration of local court systems. A comprehensive plan for delivering technical assistance would reach all stakeholders including Federal agencies, State child support agencies, State Employment Security Agencies, courts, employers, and payroll associations through regional and national conferences, forums, workgroup meetings and publications.

TA Activities/Plans:

oSystem Support: OCSE will provide guidance on system specifications and telecommunications protocols. On-site assistance will be provided to targeted States to determine their system modification needs and to assist with implementation.

oPublic Education: OCSE will develop a national strategy to inform and obtain cooperation from stakeholders; e.g., sharing videos, public service announcements, informational materials. A contractor will produce a Press Kit, an Informational Tool Kit and stand alone brochures that may be used by stakeholders. The OCSE Web site is being expanded to include a section on FPLS information and activities.

oFPLS Information Line: OCSE will implement an information line to provide FPLS stakeholders with a common point of contact from whom they may request information or assistance. The Information Line will immediately respond to inquiries, assist with problem diagnosis, and distribute information to the FPLS stakeholder community.

oOperational/Policy Guidance: OCSE issued Q and A's on New Hires (AT-97-04, dated March 12, 1997). Regulations on data requirements for reporting quarterly wage and claim information to the National Directory of New Hires and on reporting case information to the Federal Case Registry will be issued by the end of the year. OCSE will develop

operational manuals, implementation guides and has established subgroups to address the needs of various stakeholder audiences.

oTargeted Training and Stakeholder Support: OCSE will conduct multiple training workshops at State, regional, and national child support conferences and will present information at conferences hosted by employer groups and other stakeholders. For example, OCSE is providing TA to Federal agencies and State Employment Security Agencies to ensure the successful transmission of new hire and quarterly data.

o Support activities to CSE agencies have been initiated with an assessment of each State's technical assistance requirements. Examples of technical assistance to be provided include legislative support, system development expertise and the design of State specific informational material.

oA comprehensive plan is being developed to provide technical assistance to the Courts to assist them in submitting data to the State Case Registry.

oOCSE is producing a video to provide information and training to employer groups and State agencies and has developed and distributed two brochures to employers. A State forum on employer outreach is schedule for this summer.

Enforcement:

TA Needs: Priority areas are assistance with: establishing and imposing interstate liens, establishing expedited procedures and administrative subpoena authority, gaining access to records from State and local governments and private entities, and instituting financial institution matches.

Other enforcement areas identified include: initiating the changes required in the income withholding process, collecting child support from Federal employees, revoking and suspending licenses, developing work programs for delinquent non-custodial parents, and interfacing with credit bureaus.

TA Activities/Plans:

oOCSE sponsored a Retreat on Administrative Enforcement and Interstate Liens in Interstate Cases, April 14-16 at the Baltimore Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. A paper with recommendations will be published in June.

oAt the Eastern Regional Interstate Annual Training Conference May 4-8 in Buffalo, New York, some areas of child support enforcement were addressed, and OCSE staff provided training specifically on expedited procedures.

oUIFSA III and One-State Interstate II will likely be combined into one retreat this fall.

oA "How To" guide for IV-D agencies is being developed by NCSEA on setting up bank match programs. OCSE will supplement this publication with additional information.

oOCSE will meet with banking institutions to discuss financial institution data matches, produce additional appropriate literature and facilitate technology exchanges.

oOCSE will include as an element in the Interstate Referral Guide (IRG) State Profiles:

Administrative Subpoena

License Suspension

Liens

Grandparent Liability

oOCSE will produce informational materials on administrative enforcement, liens, income withholding, levies and seizures of property, within the next year.

oOCSE issued DCL-97-20 (4/16/97) to provide child support agencies with effective employment and training approaches for welfare recipients which may also be effective for serving noncustodial fathers.

oOCSE will identify and disseminate best practices on work requirements.

o OCSE will hold a Review and Adjustment Forum in the fall to discuss the use of the three procedures authorized by PRWORA.

Interstate:

TA Needs: These are improving the timeliness and quality of FPLS information, training on new UIFSA forms, and finalizing and training on the forms for interstate liens, subpoenas and withholding, accessing law enforcement networks, training on CSENet, standardizing (if possible) and training on mediation and enforcement remedies, developing information on locate resources and techniques, and establishing standards and accountability for interstate services.

In addition to interstate issues, a number of States identified concerns regarding Native American cases including best practices on Tribal wage withholding, categorization of Native American cases so States are not held as accountable for collection, model State/Tribal cooperative agreements and identification of Federal, State and Tribal resources to improve services to Native Americans.

TA Activities/Plans:

oTraining on UIFSA, both general and advanced is being planned for State and regional conferences, ERICSA, NCSEA and WICSGC. Training for Judicial Officers is ongoing under contract. An update to the Attorney/Judicial workbook is planned.

o A "Locate Handbook" is being developed for distribution and should be available this fall. It will be a detailed compilation of procedures, resources, ideas and phone numbers. It will include the latest on Expanded FPLS, skip tracing, new ideas and what is available from the Law Enforcement/Motor Vehicle networks.

oUIFSA forms, now approved for use by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and other interstate forms, now awaiting final OMB approval, will be widely distributed. A best practices compendium is being developed in cooperation with the UIFSA Workgroup which will be used to identify model programs. The workgroup will also be asked to come up with a consensus approach on accountability of responding States.

o The "One-State Interstate" Retreat members met in Providence, RI, April 1997. The results of that retreat will be used to develop uniform approaches on interstate administrative enforcement, liens, subpoenas, discovery and service of process procedures. The members will reconvene to make recommendations on case closure criteria.

o OCSE is determining the feasibility of creating (or using an existing) database to update the IRG to include such information as a responding State's criteria to enforce a case, who the contact is, etc. This information would be kept current by the State. It will also be a platform to exchange information and provide for the resolution of problems.

o The Native American Workgroup will be exploring issues related to State/Tribal cooperation as well as identification/dissemination of best practices.

oThe Child Support Enforcement Network (CSENet) has translated the UIFSA forms into CSENet transactions to permit States to electronically transmit UIFSA information to other States. CSENet users representing 40 States met in Salt Lake City, Utah and/or Hartford, CT to develop a new version of the CSENet that incorporates the UIFSA transactions. The functional requirements for CSENet UIFSA requirements have been finalized and will be mailed to all States. Acceptance testing will begin in mid-July with rollout to States in October 1997. A revised version of the CSENet Interface Guidance Document is also being developed as well as revised User's, Operations and Program Maintenance Manuals. CSENet user training is being developed and workshops planned to introduce the new CSENet software planned for the fall of 1997.

oThe CSENet technical workgroup will work on issues related to expanding query transactions, edit and error standardization, and hardware/software upgrade needs.

oThe Child Support Enforcement Network (CSENet) users are also working with the Federal Case Registry and Quick Enforcement workgroups to determine the feasibility of designing CSENet transactions that don't transfer jurisdiction but request and provide information regarding child support cases between States.

oOCSE has contracted for development of a UIFSA Forms Generator prototype to assist States in generating the UIFSA forms from data residing in mainframe systems. The prototype is anticipated to be developed by September 1997.

Paternity Establishment:

TA Needs: These are improving national outreach efforts to the public, parents, child support, hospital and vital statistics staff; facilitating interagency collaboration among vital records, hospitals and child support agencies; improving interface between judicial/legal community and child support to expedite paternity establishment, introducing genetic test results; and improving collaboration among child support, welfare, foster care, medicaid and food stamp programs staff.

TA Activities/Plans:

oInteragency agreements. In early summer, the Technical Assistance Branch (TAB) will issue a paper describing model interagency agreements that State IV-D agencies have established with vital records agencies and hospitals. It will also clarify the kinds of activities, tasks, and staffing arrangements that qualify for FFP.

oOn April 14, 1997, OCSE issued IM-97-03, implementing the

PRWORA provision requiring the Secretary to designate accreditation bodies for genetic testing labs.

oOCSE will issue this summer an NPRM on new statutory requirements governing voluntary paternity establishment services and identifying the types of entities other than hospitals and birth record agencies that may be allowed to offer voluntary paternity establishment services.

oOCSE will issue an AT this summer in response to the statutory requirement that the Secretary specify the minimum requirements of an affidavit to be used for the voluntary acknowledgement of paternity. It will incorporate the Paternity Workgroup's recommendations.

oThis summer, OCSE's TAB and the Special Initiatives Branch (SIB) will jointly produce a listing of State-produced informational materials and videos on in-hospital establishment. Foreign language translations will be indicated. Negotiations are underway to support the production of a training video for hospital staff.

oInformation gathered from the Midwest Forum on Paternity Establishment held April 23-25 in Chicago will be used to produce a package of technical assistance materials to aid States improve their in-hospital paternity acknowledgment programs. Special focus will be on programs in big cities. Issuances will be on-going.

oA one-day paternity establishment forum was also held for Region IV States on June 17 in Atlanta. Technical assistance needs were identified and materials will be produced.

o TAB and SIB will collaborate on a tracking system for State operational implementation of the paternity provisions under OBRA '93 and PRWORA. State profiles will be produced and issued.

oOCSE will identify issues and gather State practices that assist States with judicial education in the area of simple civil process, and administrative and expedited procedures for paternity establishment. We will also focus on issues surrounding the acknowledgment's ripening into a conclusive determination of paternity unless timely challenged.

oModel laws and procedures, and model operational practices in administrative/expedited procedures for paternity establishment in interstate cases as well as practices for enhancing parental cooperation and establishing paternity

for children in existing State caseloads will be developed and issued on an on-going basis (see Clearinghouse Section above).

oTAB/SIB will work together with the Paternity Establishment Workgroup, regional offices, and national child support organizations, to plan a national technical conference on paternity establishment tentatively scheduled for November 1997.

Systems and Management:

TA Needs: These include automation, reporting procedures, quality assurance/audit, including criteria for State self-assessment, expedited procedures, review and adjustment, management information tools and customer service strategies.

TA Activities/Plans:

o One of the major technical assistance needs requested by

States in the management and systems area (as well as expedited procedures; review and adjustment and customer satisfaction) was for OCSE to identify models and best practices and to facilitate the exchange of information (see Clearinghouse Section above). In addition, OCSE plans to help States provide more information, forms, and training electronically.

oIn the management area, a workgroup of Federal and State representatives has been created to develop a mechanism and methodology for States to use in fulfilling the PRWORA requirement for annual self-assessment and reporting to the Secretary. The workgroup has identified potential areas for analysis and reporting to determine 1) compliance with Federal regulatory requirements, 2) the relationship of compliance with performance and the goals of the strategic plan and 3) efforts in the arena of customer service. The workgroup has identified the criteria to address in the report and is exploring reporting methodologies.

The workgroup is also meeting with other States to explain the proposed approach for self-assessment and get their comments. Various technical assistance methods will be used to help States build the needed internal skills and capacities to design/review their State assessment process.

oOCSE plans to provide technical assistance to help States improve their case processing/case management efficiency.

oTo improve reporting and data integrity, the Definitions Workgroup met in June to begin to develop new reporting forms and standardized data definitions for use in all reporting under the IV-D program. The reporting forms will be finalized in October.

oIn the systems area, a top priority for FY 1997 is to assist States in getting systems certification. ACF systems staff will also be helping states regarding systems issues related to welfare reform provisions; e.g. distribution and case registry. For more details on systems related efforts, please see the specific topic areas in this summary.

oTechnical workshops on a variety of OCSE systems issues are planned for an ACF User's Group in Topeka, Kansas,

November 2-5, 1997.

DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN

AND FAMILIES

OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT

ENFORCEMENT

Division of State and Local Assistance

Technical Assistance Branch

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REPORT

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REQUEST

Region__________

State____________

County/Region___________

T/A # _______________

INSTRUCTIONS

The Technical Assistance Report (TAR) was designed by representatives of the Federal Central/Regional and state partners from the Technical Assistance Workgroup (TAW). It is the instrument by which technical assistance will be requested or proposed in conjunction with the protocols approved by the TAW. The TAR is available electronically and will be stored and filed electronically by the OCSE Central Office. For more information on the TAR, please contact your Regional Office.

According to the protocols, policy clarifications, specific case assistance and speaker requests are not considered technical assistance. Generally, technical assistance requests are those which primarily have an operational focus to help states and/or localities design, plan, implement, evaluate and improve program effectiveness.

The requests may be initiated in the following manner:

A. From state/locality to the Federal Regional Office.

B. In response to a formal needs assessment.

C. Initiated by the Federal Regional Office.

D. Initiated by the Technical Assistance Branch (TAB), OCSE.

For more information regarding the TAR or specific protocol details, please contact your Regional Office. In summary, State technical assistance requests should be submitted to the Regional Office which will determine whether the technical assistance request can be handled by its staff or whether it requires extensive expertise outside the regional office. Generally, if it requires extensive outside assistance, the Regional Office requests the OCSE's TechnicalAssistance Branch (TAB), in partnership, to coordinate, plan and possibly provide the technical assistance.

The following are the only forms agencies need to complete in order to submit a technical assistance request. Regional Office staff are available to assist you in completing these forms, if necessary.

EXPLANATION AND USE OF FORMS

The Request/Proposal Form - Page 4, provides information about the requesting agency along with the person to contact. The form is intended to be routed through the Regional Office, at which time it will make its recommendation for providing assistance.

The Needs Statement Form - Page 5, is designed to provide a brief description of what the requesting agency or person feels is needed. It should include background/situational issues, specific needs and requests, type of technical assistance and expected objectives and results.

REQUEST/PROPOSAL

Date:______________________

Requesting Agency

or Organization: __________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________(address)

__________________________________

__________________________________(phone)

__________________________________(fax)

__________________________________(E-mail)

Contact Person: __________________________________

NEEDS STATEMENT

Briefly describe the background issues or situation for which you are requesting technical assistance.

Please describe your technical assistance need. Include when, where, to what agency and any tentative deadlines. Please add what type of technical assistance you feel would be most beneficial for your need (site visit, technology transfer, resource information, training, application of another state's program, etc.).

List the desired outcomes of this request/proposal and include any other criteria that could be used for assessing the technical assistance provided.