DCL-98-98, Summary of FY 1998 Technical Assistance and Training

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER DCL-98-98
DATE : September 23, 1998
TO : All State IV-D Directors
RE : Summary of FY 1998 Technical Assistance and Training

Dear Colleague:

Here is a list of Technical Assistance and Training (TA/T) in key areas identified through the national FY 1998 needs assessment. It includes materials and activities produced by OCSE central office. It does not capture the extensive TA/T delivered daily by regional staff; nor does it include TA/T in other areas given by regional and central offices.

The key areas are: distribution; centralized collections; systems; interstate; increasing collections; self-assessment; Tribal child support enforcement; new hire reporting; paternity establishment; fatherhood initiatives; and training and resources.

A considerable amount of these FY 1998 TA/T deliverables resulted from advice you gave through OCSE/state work groups and other efforts. We appreciate your assistance and value the partnership. If you have any questions about this summary of TA/T, please contact your regional office or Myles Schlank, Technical Assistance Branch, on 202-401-9329 or through e-mail: mkschlank@acf.hhs.gov

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

CC : ACF Hub Directors and Regional Administrators
CSE Regional Program Managers

Attachment

OCSE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS - FY 1998
TOP NEEDS-ASSESSED AREAS

This summary updates key FY 1998 Technical Assistance and Training (TA/T) materials and activities delivered by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. It also includes activities and materials in progress. TA/T was developed in areas identified through the FY 1998 national needs assessment.

This summary is not intended to include all TA/T delivered by our national office nor is it intended to include various TA/T provided for by our regional offices.

Systems

Issued "Alternative Penalty for States Which Fail to Implement Statewide Automated Systems by the Deadlines Stipulated in Section 454(24) of the Social Security Act," OCSE-AT-98-22, July 31, 1998.
Issued "Alternative System Configuration - To Implement Provisions of the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998, P.L. 105-200, Related to Child Support Enforcement Program Automation," OCSE-AT-98-23, July 31, 1998.
Conducted 18 reviews of State automated CSE systems and 21 technical assistance (TA) visits (October 1997-August 1998). This resulted in 18 States being certified as meeting Family Support Act automation requirements in Fiscal Year 1998. Another 8 certification reviews planned for September 1998.
Published proposed regulations related to CSE allocation of enhanced funding and implementing PRWORA automation requirements on March 2 and March 25, 1998.
Published final regulations related to CSE allocations, Federal Register, August 19, 1998.
Published final regulations related to PRWORA automation, Federal Register, August 21, 1998.
Disseminated for comment proposed revisions to the Certification Guide to incorporate PRWORA requirements, OCSE-AT-98-15, April 8, 1998. September is the target for distributing the final PRWORA Certification Guide. The Guide will then be reformatted as a questionnaire to assist States in their PRWORA certification reviews.
Conducted 3 conferences, " Child Support Enforcement Systems, Bringing Us Together," in March 1998 (Alexandria, VA, Kansas City, MO and San Francisco, CA). The conferences provided data specifications and standards for all aspects of PRWORA which had implications for the CSE automated system. Topics and information on best practices included the State and Federal Directory of New Hire, State and Federal Case Registry, CSENet, UIFSA, Tax Offset, Financial Distribution Test Deck, Financial Institution Data Match, Administrative Quick Enforcement, Electronic Funds Transfer/Electronic Data Interchange.
Held CSENet technical meetings at each of the above-noted March system conferences. The CSENet Technical Work Group participated in several teleconference calls.
Conducted teleconferences with each State and territory to determine their TA needs and readiness to meet transmission from the State Case Registry to the Federal Case Registry.
Held two ACF User Group meetings (Topeka, KS in November 1997 and Hershey, PA in June 1998). These meetings enabled States to interact with each other and exchange strategies for meeting the automation requirements for the Family Support Act as well as for PRWORA. Also provided technical resources to States at these User Group meetings.
Providing information technology TA through 3 contracts: (1) Marconi (formally Tracor) provides Independent Validation and Verification services to assist OCSE in reviewing statewide systems and planning documents; (2) Gartner Group provides internet access and other information and services on Information Technology of interest to the States; and (3) Synectics Inc. establishes a database to better track the status of State automated child support enforcement automated system development.

Interstate

Developed and delivered a standardized 2-1/2-day curriculum on Interstate Case Processing/UIFSA. Pilot tested in Washington, DC (for caseworkers) and in Chicago, IL (for trainers, who will receive revised training packages this fiscal year).
Issued "Distribution of Federally Approved Standardized Withholding Form," OCSE-AT-98-03, January 27, 1998.
Issued "High Volume, Automated Administrative Enforcement in Interstate Cases," OCSE-AT-98-05, March 2, 1998.

Increasing Collections

Issued "Proposed Rule - Revisions to the Standards for Program Operations Regarding Case Closure," OCSE-AT-98-04, February 25, 1998.
Issued updated OCSE Information Exchange Report "State License Restriction, Suspension and Revocation, and a DHHS Office of Inspector General Report Review of States’ License Suspension Processes," OCSE-DCL 98-35, April 15, 1998.
Awarded demonstration grants on Cooperation/Good Cause and Domestic Violence (for projects in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri and New York, FY 1997 through FY 2000);
Issued "Draft Matrix of State Cooperation/Good Cause Policies," OCSE-DCL-97-90, December 4, 1997.
Issued "Draft Specifications Handbook for Financial Institutions Data Match" (FIDM), OCSE-DCL-98-74, August 3, 1998.
Issued "Policy Questions and Answers Regarding FIDM Requirements Under PRWORA," OCSE-AT-98-07, March 2, 1998.
Held Financial Institution Work Group Meetings (11/97 and 2/98);
Established Tri-State Criminal Non-Support Task Force (CSMAIT), April 22, 1998.
Funded six Section 1115 demonstration grants to develop models of collaboration between the Child Support Enforcement Program and the Child Care and Head Start Programs. The projects are to promote child support services for eligible participants in these programs. The three-year grants were awarded to Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Missouri. Awarded South Carolina a Section 1115 demonstration grant to develop a model of collaboration between the Child Support Enforcement Program and the Child Welfare Program. The project is to use locate resources to find parents of children in foster care for the purposes of reuniting the children with their biological parents or, if not feasible, freeing them for legal adoption.

Self Assessment

Conducted information dissemination of new requirements at national and regional meetings, conferences, and through letters to States (ongoing 1997-98 and into 1999).
Issued "Self-Assessment Report and Reporting Requirements," OCSE AT-98-12, March 31, 1998.
Held Region- and State-specific workshops to help States use new guides to identify problem program areas and implement corrective actions.
Appointed Amy Guziejka of the Massachusetts CSE program (through an Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignment) as the Federal OCSE State Self-assessment Coordinator. Ms. Guziejka will assist states in understanding and implementing this PRWORA requirement, OCSE-DCL-98-82, August 17, 1998.

Distribution

Disseminated the Financial Distribution Test Deck Generator, OCSE-AT-98-15, April 24, 1998. Training to trainers was provided in June and July 1998 and demonstrations of the Test Deck were provided in conferences in Alexandria VA, Kansas City, MO, San Francisco, CA, and Hershey, PA (see "Systems" section for details).
Developed and delivered a 2-1/2-day stand-alone curriculum on Distribution. Provided "Training of Trainer" to teams of regional and state staff. Teams will in turn provide for training at State and local agencies.
Issued "Instructions for the Distribution of Child Support Under Section 457 of the Social Security Act" (included policy clarification, Qs&As and case scenarios), OCSE-AT-97-17, October 21, 1997.

Tribal Child Support Enforcement

Conducted 6 Native American Consultations [in New Mexico, Tennessee, Oregon, Alaska, Minnesota and in Washington, DC (during the NCSEA conference)]. Regulations under PRWORA on direct funding for Tribal Agency operation of IV-D programs will be drafted after the final consultation. This process is pursuant to the May 14, 1998 Executive Order on Consultation and Coordination.
Issued a Program Announcement regarding Tribal Demonstration/Planning Grants. The submission deadline was August 31. Several grants to be awarded in September.
Issued "Cooperative Agreements Between Indian Tribes and State IV-D Agencies," OCSE-AT-98-21, July 28, 1998.

New Hire Reporting

Implemented PRWORA requirements for the Expanded Federal Parent Locator Service, the National New Hire Directory (including State and Federal new hire data and quarterly wage and unemployment insurance data from State Employment Security Agencies and Federal agencies) and the Federal Case Registry.
Continuing to 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 of their State Case Registries (SCRs).
Provided diskettes containing code skeletons to each State on June 25, 1998, to assist their technical staffs in programming for the initial load of the State cases into the Federal Case Registry (FCR). The diskettes are also used for the transmission of routine transactions on an ongoing basis after the initial load.
Held conference calls with each State to assess readiness to transmit data to the FCR on October 1, 1998. Following these calls, conducted follow-up multistate conference calls to discuss extract methodologies, the family violence indicator requirement, handling of response data, and case processing issues. Provided, in July, a workload projector tool to help States estimate the number of transactions they will be sending to, and receiving from, the FCR for the purposes of planning capacity, storage, and workloads for program staff.
Providing (from October 1998 to April 1999) bridging services to assist those States which are not yet Y2K compliant in submitting data to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS).
Continuing to distribute various TA materials including information kits ("New Hire Reporting" and "ABCs of Child Support: An Employer Overview"); pamphlets ("Increasing Financial Support for Our Nation’s Children," "New Hire Reporting: Answers to Your Questions," and "Employers and Child Support: New Hire Reporting and Income Withholding"); and Flash Bulletins on the implementation progress of the National Directory of New Hires and FCR.
Added to the OCSE website a section on the FPLS (including information otherwise distributed, on the NDNH, in September 1997, and the FCR, in July 1998).
Developed a court video and information packet for members of the judiciary and court systems stressing the importance of the child support enforcement requirements under PRWORA (was premiered at the National Symposium on Children, Courts and the Federal Child Support Enforcement Program, September).
Working on a series of articles to be published in national judicial association publications. "Child Support Enforcement Reform and Its Impact on Court Technology" appears in the May/June 1998 issue of the Court Technology Bulletin published by the National Center for State Courts. Articles are also planned for future editions of the Court Review and the Court Manager.
Issued "Qs and As on the Federal Case Registry and State Case Registries," OCSE-AT-98-08, March 5, 1998.
Published: "Federal Case Registry Implementation Guide" on February 9, 1998 (updated in May 1998); "Federal Case Registry Interface Guidance Document" on February 19, 1998 (updated in May and July 1998); and "Federal Case Registry Technical Assistance Guide" on June 25, 1998 (updated in August 1998).
Distributed a compendium of best practices entitled "Bright Ideas" to assist States with new hire reporting (May 1998). Plans include placing this on our website by early FY 1999 (/programs/cse/).
Developing, for distribution early FY 99, a "Payroll Manager’s Guide" to assist payroll, human resources, and legal professionals in the private-sector employer community fulfill their child support enforcement responsibilities.
Planning to offer training workshops at State, regional, and national child support conferences and will present information at conferences hosted by employer groups and other stakeholders. Plans also call for a "Speakers Bureau."
Planning "Training of Trainers" sessions for October 1998. These sessions are designed to provide training liaisons with case studies and other information that will help them train caseworkers on PRWORA requirements.
Providing TA on ongoing basis to State child support enforcement agencies, State employment security agencies, and Federal agencies to ensure the successful transmission of new hire, quarterly wage, and unemployment compensation claims data to the NDNH.
Providing TA on an ongoing basis to State child support enforcement agencies and State courts to ensure that States are prepared to transmit case data to the FCR beginning October 1, 1998.

Paternity Establishment

Issued Proposed Rule - "Implementing Part of the Paternity Establishment Provisions Contained in Section 331 of PRWORA," OCSE-AT-98-01, January 8, 1998. Final rule will be forthcoming.
Issued "Required Data Elements for Paternity Acknowledgment Affidavits," OCSE-AT-98-02, January 23, 1998.
Delivering 3 workshops on paternity for OCSE’s 8th National Training Conference, September 1998: "Legal Issues, " "Alternative Sites," and "Incentives, Sanctions, and What to Do With Those Old Cases."
Conducted 12 conference calls of the National Paternity Establishment Workgroup. These calls have enabled the more than 60 Federal, and State members to exchange information on practices and issues in paternity establishment.
Producing this calendar year a national video on paternity establishment to be used by States in training hospital-based and vital records staff and others designated responsibility for providing voluntary paternity acknowledgment services.

Fatherhood Initiatives

Collaborating with States and the Advertising Council in designing a "Responsible Parenting" campaign. National delivery is expected to begin this calendar year.
Issued "Notice of Proposed Rule Making - Grants to States for Access and Visitation Programs: Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting," OCSE-AT-98-14, April 13, 1998. Final Rule in clearance.
Conducted Access/Visitation Grant Program meeting with State representatives on May 26, 1998.
Issued "Funding Opportunities for the Employment and Training of Noncustodial Parents," OCSE-DCL-97-75, November 7, 1997.
Awarded Section 1115 demonstration grants and a waiver project to establish and test Responsible Fatherhood Projects in sites in California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Washington State and Wisconsin. These projects will attempt to assist noncustodial parents who are unable to pay child support, to secure jobs and to become more involved parents.

Training and Resources

Completed pilot testing the National Electronic Child Support Resource System (NECSRS), an electronic system to provide all Federal, State, local and Tribal CSE organizations quick access to Federal/State/local/Tribal resource materials and model practices/forms. NECSRS will also provide system users the ability to search, locate, view, and download resources from what will become an extensive library of child support enforcement resource materials. NECSRS is expected to be accessible via the OCSE web site by the fall, 1998.
Pilot testing an electronic system for States to update, on-line, State data.
Published the "Compendium of State Best Practices," 4th Edition, Spring 1998.
Developed and delivered a 2-1/2-day stand-alone curriculum on Distribution. Provided "Training of Trainer" to teams of regional and state staff. Teams will in turn provide for training at State and local agencies.
Developed and delivered a standardized 2-1/2-day curriculum on Interstate Case Processing/UIFSA. Pilot tested in Washington, DC (for caseworkers) and in Chicago, IL (for trainers, who will receive revised training packages this fiscal year).
Provided four deliveries of the "Training CSE Trainers" course which includes skill building in training needs assessment, design, development, delivery and evaluation.
Conducting the 8th National CSE Training Conference, September 28 - 30, 1998, Washington, DC.
Beginning to develop a curriculum for IV-D Directors. Identified training modules include collaboration with State partners, Systems and Technology Overview, Strategic Planning, Financial Management, and Negotiation and Contracting with Private Partners.
Awarding a number of Special Improvement Project grants in areas such as paternity establishment, enforcement, fatherhood, IV-A/IV-D collaboration and tribal program services.
Developing Computer Based Training in 6 areas: Orientation, Locate, Paternity Establishment, Enforcement, Distribution and UIFSA. Plans call for delivery of the Orientation course this calendar year. Other areas are under development.
Sponsored and conducted an historical National Symposium on Children, Courts and the Federal Child Support Enforcement Program which combines, for the first time, representatives from the judiciary, court administration, and state and Federal IV-D representatives in an educational forum identifying PRWORA requirements and their impact on our courts.