DCL-07-27, Fiscal Year 2008 User Fees for FPLS and CSENet

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER

DCL-07-27

DATE: September 14, 2007

TO: ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: Fiscal Year 2008 User Fees for FPLS and CSENet

Dear Colleague:

This letter is to inform you of the annual user fees that each state will be assessed for use of the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) and the Child Support Enforcement Network (CSENet) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. Enclosed are summaries of your state's fees.

Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) is authorized to recover costs incurred in furnishing FPLS information at rates determined by the Secretary to be reasonable. These fees recover only a portion of OCSE's costs for operating, maintaining, and upgrading the FPLS and for the implementation of new capabilities to support the National Child Support Enforcement strategic plan.

Annual fee increases cover not only rising maintenance costs, but also the costs of new initiatives and enhancements. In FY2008, costs of the FPLS have increased in order to implement new capabilities and bring new efficiencies to States. System enhancements planned for FY2008 include implementing a nationwide match against federal and state workers compensation and insurance claim data; enhancing the FCR, for example, filtering redundant proactive and locate response date; accessing SSA's file of pending benefits claims; and accessing new locate data, including the National Change of Address database.

A portion of the CSENet cost increase is due to the migration of the CSENet application from OCSENet to SSA's Connect:Directnet. Also, a portion of the development and implementation of new telecommunications applications, such as QUICK and the e-IWO portal will be recovered by OCSE through CSENet fees, for which States receive FFP.

The FPLS and CSENet fees are allocated based on each state's IV-D caseload average for the most recent six-year period for which final data are available as reported on the OCSE-157 report. Since all states have the opportunity to participate in all FPLS services, CSENet and other telecommunications systems, benefits should be realized in direct proportion to caseloads, and the fees are allocated accordingly.

The FY2008 FPLS and CSENet user fees will be assessed beginning October 1, 2007. These user fees are to be paid on a quarterly basis in equal installments. Each state is to report its FPLS fee charge-back on line 11 and its CSENet fee charge-back on line 12 of Form OCSE-396A. You will continue to receive all fees in a consolidated bill. Fees will automatically be deducted from your state's quarterly grant.

If you have any questions regarding fees, please contact Dennis Putze at (202) 401-4030 or dennis.putze@acf.hhs.gov. Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of our nation's children.

Sincerely,

Margot Bean
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

Attachment: Enclosure available in hard copy only.

cc: Regional Program Managers (w/o Attachment)
ACF Regional Administrators (w/o Attachment)