Develop a single-point-of-contact for employers to obtain answers to child support questions and do business with the Iowa Child Support Program.

Since the early 1980's, the child support program has relied increasingly on the efforts of employers to withhold and forward child support payments. In 1996, federal law significantly increased the requirements of employers. The Bureau of Collections and the employer community developed a task force of employer representatives and Iowa child support policy staff to learn about employers' concerns and make recommendations for program improvements. The chief recommendation was to provide a mechanism for effective and frequent communication between employers and the child support program. With employers as the source of 71% of the approximately $245 million child support payments collected annually in Iowa, the timeliness of collections could be improved by focusing on employer issues.

The customer service center known as E mployers P artnering I n C hild S upport ( EPICS ), is a centralized, "one-stop" service center for employers to receive child support-related services. Located in Waterloo, Iowa, EPICS handles employer inquiries about income- withholding and medical support orders for over 80,000 employers in Iowa and across the nation. Web technology is at the heart of employer access in EPICS. Once registered, an employer can view announcements from the Child Support Recovery Unit, process child support forms online (such as income-withholding forms or medical support forms), link to other Internet resources (such as the new hire reporting web site), report employee terminations and contact EPICS by e-mail. Forms completed on-line can be returned to EPICS electronically. An employer may also report a new hire on-line through the EPICS web site. In addition to handling employer reports and inquiries, staff at EPICS are responsible for assuring the Order/Notice to Withhold Income and the Notice to Provide Medical Support is forwarded to employers within required timeframes and the employers receive the follow-up contacts to assure that withholdings occur.

Before initiating EPICS, employers interacted with up to 19 child support offices as well as 100 clerks of court offices, depending on who managed the case and where the custodial parent lived. This was often confusing and time-consuming for employers, resulting in a lack of communication, inaccurate information and a delay in support payment as well as frustration for employers. EPICS made communication with child support staff much easier. The centralized unit provides consistency for employers: they receive the same level of expertise and the same clear, reliable information every time they call. Employers appreciate this service, and it helps to increase collections. Staff is available by telephone, e-mail, fax, or through the web site. EPICS may be reached by phone at 1-877-274-2580, by fax at 319-226-7150, by e-mail at csrue@dhs.state.ia.us , and at the interactive web site: http://epics.dhs.state.ia.us .

In calendar year 2000, EPICS located and verified 25,401 new employers of noncustodial parents and generated 11,284 income-withholding orders. Collections received through employers have increased 41% since the implementation of EPICS, from $123 million in 1998 to $174 million in the state fiscal year 2001. During the same time period, the percentage of current support collected in the month due rose from 49.40% in federal FY 1999 to 62.36% in Federal FY 2000. Additional tools implemented in concurrence with EPICS have contributed to increases in both total collections and current support, helping to provide children with the financial support they need from non-custodial parents.

EPICS answered 22,383 calls from employers in the first six months of calendar year 2001. One employer who called EPICS after receiving the outreach booklet/pamphlet (sent to nearly 90,000 employers since the implementation of EPICS) wanted to let them know that it was the best source of information she had ever received from a child support office. Another employer said, " It used to take 20 minutes to get a question answered and now it takes only a few minutes."

The EPICS program was selected as a finalist for the Council of State Governments Innovations Awards in July 2001. The award is given to a state program that has been successfully implemented by individual states and which has the potential to be adapted for use in other states. The programs are selected based on their newness, creativity, effectiveness, significance, applicability and transferability.

Total funding for the EPICS Unit is $1,508,878 federal dollars and $777,300 state dollars. EPICS is funded with 66% of funds coming from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement and 34% coming from state funds. There were no increased costs as a result of the establishment of EPICS. The EPICS Unit operates with 49 state staff that handle income-withholding, medical enforcement and administrative levy functions for the statewide court-ordered caseload of nearly 147,000.

A state-administered centralized organization and structure to work with employers produced better results than the formerly decentralized approach. Iowa, as a state-administered program, found implementation was not hindered by disparate or incongruous state and local concerns or consideration. Outreach to employers is crucial. Employers must know about proposed changes and how such changes will impact them. The task force provided state officials in the Iowa child support program with valuable insights into employers' attitudes regarding their child support responsibilities.