Maryland

Case Maintenance/Closure Initiative (Montgomery County)

Description/Goal

The goal of this initiative is to improve office performance by probing the state's child support computer system (using a series of ad-hoc reports) for cases inappropriately coded or eligible for closure utilizing the revised case closing regulations. The initial effort focused on determining if: (1) custodial parents wanted to pursue child support; (2) children with paternity established were properly coded within the computer system; (3) Social Security Numbers not in the computer system for noncustodial parents were available from other sources; and (4) certain “locate” cases met the criteria for closure.

Key Partners

System staff at the state central office provided the ad-hoc reports

Dates of Operation

10/1/98 - Present

Results

• Percent of children with paternity established increased by four percent
• 328 children were properly credited with having paternity established
• 198 social security numbers were located for noncustodial parents
• Percent of cases under order increased by ten percent
• 1300 cases were closed because the custodial parent no longer wanted to pursue child support services
• 1300 cases in the “locate” function were closed due to insufficient information to locate the noncustodial parent
• 189 fewer cases are pending the establishment of a final court order

Location

The project began in Montgomery County Maryland. Montgomery County is a metropolitan jurisdiction with over 21,000 child support cases. The project is currently being implemented in smaller jurisdictions in Maryland.

Funding

Labor to support this initiative was provided by staff from a local temporary agency. The temporary staff costs are estimated at $ 15,000. This included state and regular federal matching funds.

Replication Advice

The project is simple to administer and can be completed with little disruption to regular staff routines. States with high numbers of former TANF cases will see the greatest results. The modest costs of performing this initiative can be recovered through increases in federal incentives earned by the state.