TO ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

Postal Services Computer Match

NOV 19 1997 DC-97-82

Re: United States Postal Services Computer Match with the Office of Child Support Enforcement

Dear Colleague:

The purpose of this matching program was to fulfill one of the objectives of Executive Order 12953. In order to establish the Executive Branch of the Federal Government as a model employer in promoting and facilitating the establishment and enforcement of child support owed by its Civilian and Uniformed Services work force, periodic matches will be conducted to identify Postal Service personnel who may owe delinquent child support and to enforce child support by wage withholding or other enforcement actions. Those cases that matched will be forwarded to appropriate State Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agencies by OCSE to determine, in each instance, whether wage withholding or other enforcement actions should be commenced.

In accordance with Executive Order 12953, dated February 27, 1995 making the Federal Government a model employer OCSE conducted a cross match of tax offset cases with the postal services personnel files. Since the FPLS has not been conducting matches with the postal service for a few years, this should be new information. OCSE used the states' PY-98 caseload (4,064,804) to generate the requests for USPS, we processed the USPS response and found 18,134 matches .

This match was only with those States who submitted their cases for the September submittal time frame. A summary report by State is enclosed. The report shows the number of cases submitted, the number of cases matched and number of cases not matched. The actual file will be transmitted under separate cover and in the FPLS format.

For those 18 States' who submit their cases in December, OCSE will conduct an additional cross match with USPS in December. Results of this match will be forwarded under separate cover once the response file is received by OCSE.

It is expected that sharing such USPS match information with appropriate State CSE agencies will result in commencement of significant numbers of new wage withholding and other enforcement actions, and in substantial increases in child support collections. Only information concerning USPS personnel who are identified as possibly delinquent obligors will be given to State IV-D agencies to determine whether wage withholdings or otherappropriate enforcement action should be initiated. Based on the average arrearage of $7,405 this could eventually result in collections of over $133 million after withholdings have been fully executed.

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross

Deputy Director

Office of Child Support

Enforcement