DCL-02-09

DATE: May 16, 2002

TO ALL IV-D DIRECTORS:

Re: Dissemination of Research Findings on Electronic Modification of Child Support Orders in Alaska

Dear Colleague:

The State of Alaska Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) received a grant in 1997 from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to develop and test a more efficient method of reviewing and adjusting child support award amounts. This memorandum disseminates the executive summary of the "Alaska: Review and Adjustment of Child Support Order Amounts: Evaluation of Electronic Modification (ELMO)" study.

ELMO is an automated system that uses income information from sources linked electronically to Child Support Enforcement Division’s (CSED’s) automated child support system to review child support orders annually. CSED was particularly interested in developing an automated tool that could use income information from automated sources such as the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) which contains quarterly wage data from all states and many Federal government databases. This would allow CSED to capture information about income noncustodial parents earn in Alaska and other states.

Here is a brief summary of the report's major findings: (Attached, for your convenience, is a copy of the Executive Summary.)

1. There was a four-fold increase in the number of reviews.
2. A significant proportion of cases ELMO targets for review are modified.
3. Most modifications are upward.
4. The difference between prior and modified order amounts was substantial.
5. The ELMO review and modification process occurred within a short time period.
6. Modified orders better reflected the obligor’s ability to pay.

The full report resulting from this study will be posted on OCSE’s website at:

www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse

If you have any questions or would like the full report, please contact Renée Jackson at rjackson@acf.hhs.gov or (202) 401-5101.

Sincerely,

Sherri Z. Heller, Ed.D.
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

Attachment

Executive Summary

---

Download FREE Adobe Acrobat® Reader™ to view PDF files located on this site.

OCSE Home | Press Room | Events Calendar | Publications | State Child Support Agency Links
Site Map | FAQs | Feedback
Systems: FPLS | FIDM | State and Tribal | State Profiles
Resources: Grants Information | Información en Español | International | Federal/State Topic Search (NECSRS) | Tribal | Virtual Trainer's Library