Essentials for Attorneys in Child Support Enforcement

T.O.C. Forward 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Appendix

CHAPTER 5 - LOCATION OF NONCUSTODIAL PARENTS AND THEIR ASSETS

INTRODUCTION

To establish the paternity of a child, obtain a support order, or enforce support, the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agency must have information. For instance, it often is important to know the whereabouts of the child, the home and/or work addresses of the parents, and information about the parents’ assets. Some or all of the necessary information may be obtained from the person who is receiving services. However, frequently, this person lacks adequate information to start the necessary legal proceeding. Accordingly, the CSE agency must have access to resources to assist in securing the desired information. The process of obtaining information concerning the physical whereabouts of a parent, child, parent’s employer(s), or other sources of income or assets is known as the “locate” function.

For paternity or child support purposes, the term "locate" encompasses a broad spectrum of activities. The locate function can be as simple as verification of an address in the telephone book or through the post office. On the other hand, it can be as complex as using the multi-agency databases available at the State or Federal level. In the context of a IV-D[1] paternity or support case, the local CSE office initiates the locate function, and it determines the tools to be used to gather the desired information.

Federal law establishes a State plan requirement that State Child Support Enforcement (CSE or IV-D) agencies have a service for locating parents.[2] Federal requirements include timeframes and documentation standards to ensure that the IV-D agency provides appropriate services to families.[3]

As in any legal matter, a paternity or child support proceeding requires the responding party to receive notice of the legal action and to have the opportunity to respond. A correct address for the responding party is generally necessary to effectuate service of process. If the IV-D service recipient cannot supply the address, the IV-D agency can try to find it through the locate process.

In addition to aiding in service of process, the locate process can uncover information for other important purposes. Clearly, a custodial parent’s current location is critical to ensure that support gets to the family when it is paid. Information about income, employment, and assets is used for setting an appropriate support amount, as well as for enforcement purposes. In addition, in an interstate case, information about the current locations of the individuals is critical for determining continuing, exclusive jurisdiction (CEJ).[4]

Thus, the locate process is useful throughout the life of a case. It is a way to obtain information in a timely manner, without the need for court involvement and without the cost and delay often associated with securing the same data through litigation.

LOCATION OF PARENTS

Locating individuals involved in child support cases can be complicated by the increasing mobility in American society. There are tools at both the State and Federal levels specifically available to CSE professionals to aid in this endeavor.

State/Local Level Tools

At any stage of the case—establishing paternity, establishing or modifying a support order, or enforcing an order—the CSE agency needs enough information to proceed. The more details the service recipient provides, the easier it is to process the case. Typically, the CSE agency seeks certain basic information in its efforts to locate parents, such as:

identifying information about the person being sought [name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), last known address, physical description, typical employment, and known assets];
family member information;
orders or agreements involving the parties, and records of past child support payments received; and
other relevant information about the person being sought.

CSE agencies have certain requirements that govern their locate actions on a case. For instance, the locate function must be initiated within 75 calendar days of determining that such activity is necessary. Within this period, the agency must access all appropriate locate sources. The responsible caseworker must document locate efforts and their outcomes. The agency must repeat locate efforts quarterly, or whenever new information is received, if previous location efforts were unsuccessful.[5] In an interstate case, the caseworker has 20 calendar days, from the date the person is determined to be in another State, to refer the case to that State’s Interstate Central Registry for locate work.[6]

Starting with the available basic information, the State IV-D agency has a variety of resources at its disposal to search for the person:

Statewide automated system - If necessary, the State IV-D agency can continue the search in its statewide automated system, which includes the State Case Registry and the State Parent Locator Service. These databases are linked to interface and to identify matches of information. In the event of a match, the information is returned to the caseworker to proceed with the case. Sometimes, however, there is no match within State resources, and it may be necessary to request a search of other States' databases or Federal databases, as discussed later.
State Case Registry (SCR) - Each State is required to maintain an SCR.[7] The SCR is a critical source of information for the Federal Case Registry, discussed below. It is also an important locate tool for use in each State’s own paternity and child support enforcement efforts. For each IV-D case with a support order, the SCR record must include:

- the amount of periodic support due;

- other amounts due or delinquent (interest, penalties, fees, etc.);

- amounts collected under the order;

- the name, birth date, and Social Security Number (SSN) of any child for whom the order requires the provision of support;

- the amount of any lien imposed; and

- the distribution of collected amounts.[8]

The State must conduct matches between the information in the SCR and the information in the State Directory of New Hires (discussed below) to attempt to locate child support obligors or alleged fathers.[9]

State Directory of New Hires (SDNH) - Congress required each State to create an SDNH.[10] Within 20 calendar days of hire, an employer must submit personal and employment information (similar to that on the Internal Revenue Service W-4 form) for the new employee to the SDNH to which that employer reports. (Only government agencies that perform intelligence or counterintelligence functions are exempt from reporting.) Although States may require or request additional data, Federal law requires six data elements:

- employee’s name;

- employee’s address;

- employee’s SSN;

- employer’s name;

- employer’s address; and

- employer’s Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).[11]

Within five business days of receiving data from the employer, the State must enter the information into its SDNH. It has another three business days to forward that information to the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH).[12] Note that, while the SDNH is a critical source of information for the NDNH, the SDNH has another use. The State is required to use the SDNH in its paternity establishment and child support establishment and enforcement efforts.[13]

External sources - Additionally, the agency can access State and local government sources, including vital statistics records, State tax files, property records, motor vehicle administration files, and law enforcement records. States can obtain data from the records of private entities, such as public utilities and cable television companies. They also may seek information held by financial institutions—including the account holder’s location and asset data—through the Financial Institution Data Match[14] or the use of administrative subpoenas,[15] both of which are discussed below.

Another good source of information is the credit reporting agency. IV-D agencies are authorized under Federal law to receive information from credit bureaus on any individual who owes a child support obligation.[16] Federal law also authorizes credit reporting agencies to disclose the name, current and former addresses, and current and former places of employment of any individual to government entities, such as the IV-D agency.[17]

Information secured through these State locate tools should, of course, be verified before use. Verification ensures that the located individual is the correct one to be involved in the particular case or legal action, thereby safeguarding due process rights. Verification may be as simple as a telephone call or checking with the postal service. On the other hand, it may be as complex as subpoenaing information through formal discovery about bank accounts, income tax returns, or other financial information. Note, however, that information originating from an employer need not be verified before use; rather, it can be verified in connection with the appropriate action. For instance, by sending an income withholding notice to the identified employer for an obligor, it is possible to verify previously received home and work locations as well as wage information.

Federal Level Tools

At the Federal level, the locate function traditionally has been conducted by the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS),[18] which was established by the Social Services Amendments of 1974[19] and is operated by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). The original FPLS was limited to information maintained in several external Federal data sources. In discussing welfare reform and ways to improve the CSE program, however, Congress recognized that it was important to bolster the tools available for locating increasingly mobile individuals, tracking a rising caseload, and finding varied, and sometimes hidden, assets. Although Congress required States to use automation for these purposes, Congress realized the relatively limited scope of in-state data sources and the need for Federal sources when cases transcend State lines. That realization, coupled with advances in technology, resulted in the FPLS expansion authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA).[20] PRWORA added two significant tools to the IV-D locate arsenal—the Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders and the National Directory of New Hires.

Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders (FCR) - Federal law required the creation of the FCR.[21] That database was designed to maintain abstract information on child support cases, orders, and the people[22] involved in them. With these abstracts, the FCR functions as an electronic pointer system for the nation’s paternity and child support enforcement efforts. It allows one State to learn if any other State has an interest in the same people or cases. In this way, the FCR aids:

- the location of parents across State lines;

- the determination of the controlling order in an interstate matter;

- the discovery of the person who has, or may have, parental rights regarding a child; and

- the identification of orders that have been entered for a child.

The FCR contains data on IV-D cases and the people associated with them. It also has data about private (non-IV-D) orders, entered or modified on October 1, 1998 or thereafter, and the people named in those orders. Thus, it is important to remember that, while the FCR does contain a wealth of important information, it does not include data on every existing child support case.

The FCR contains certain standardized data elements on each participant, including children, which it receives from the appropriate SCR.[23] These elements include:

- participant name(s);

- participant SSN(s);

- participant date of birth;

- participant type (custodial parent, noncustodial parent, alleged father, or child);

- State case identification number(s);

- State member identification number(s);

- case type (IV-D or non-IV-D);

- activated family violence (FV) indicator (when appropriate);

- order indicator; and

- Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code.[24]

National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) - The NDNH is a resource for employment and unemployment data for the nation.[25] As its name suggests, the NDNH maintains personal and employment information from the Internal Revenue Service W-4 forms of newly hired individuals. In addition, the NDNH includes the quarterly wage information that is reported to each State Employment Security Agency (SESA). It also contains data regarding people who apply for unemployment benefits as well as the benefits actually paid. Further, the NDNH houses both new hire and quarterly wage data from more than 140 Federal agency employers. Thus, the NDNH is a critical resource not only to locate people but also to determine their employment status and to locate their employers, incomes, and unemployment benefits.

Types of Locate Services

There are different types of locate services available. The type of service provided on a case will depend upon the type and the circumstances of the case.

Full locate. In any case in which an application or referral to the IV-D agency has been made, the IV-D agency must "attempt to locate all noncustodial parents or sources of income and/or assets when location is necessary" to take the next step in the case.[26] This is known as "full locate," and it requires that the State use all local, State, and Federal sources necessary to locate the individual.

Custody and visitation. In some situations, the IV-D agency may provide locate services to individuals involved in custody and visitation cases. Federal law provides for the IV-D agency to transmit locate requests to the FPLS for the purpose of making or enforcing a custody or visitation order in certain situations.[27] These requests must come from a court with jurisdiction to make or enforce a custody or visitation determination, or from the agent of a State or the United States with authority either to enforce a custody or visitation order or to prosecute an action for unlawful taking or restraint of a child.

Adoption and foster care. As a result of the passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997,[28] Federal law provides for the use of the FPLS for location of any individual "who has or may have parental rights to a child,"[29] and it states that this FPLS information may be released to State IV-E (foster care) or State IV-B (child welfare) agencies.[30] Pursuant to Federal regulations, all requests for information from the FPLS must come through the SPLS.[31]

Location of military personnel. Attempting to locate an individual in the military can be time-consuming and frustrating, particularly to those unfamiliar with military organization and protocol. Although there are situations in which it may be impossible to locate a service member (e.g., national security), in most cases it is possible to locate and contact military personnel through traditional locate methods or the FPLS.[32]

LOCATION OF ASSETS

In addition to locating parties to a CSE case, State and Federal tools are also available to assist in the location of assets of the parties.

State/Local Level Tools

If a party resides in, or has significant ties to, the State handling the CSE case, it is often possible to locate important assets through State or local tools.

Administrative subpoenas and other discovery. The State IV-D agency must have the ability to administratively issue, and enforce, subpoenas for financial or other information.[33] This eliminates the need to get a court order to obtain important information that may be useful in child support establishment or enforcement. Of course, a CSE attorney may use traditional discovery methods to obtain information that the agency is unable to successfully subpoena administratively.[34]

Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM). PRWORA mandated that all States develop a Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM) program.[35] Under the FIDM program, each financial institution doing business in a State must match its list of account holders against the list of delinquent support obligors maintained by the State IV-D agency. This match can provide important information on the assets held by support obligors, as well as provide address information on the obligors successfully matched.

Other State resources. A number of States have, on their own initiative, developed additional State level programs for asset identification.

Insurance match - Some States have begun insurance matching programs. Similar to FIDM programs, these require insurance companies to match against a list of delinquent obligors prior to making payment on insurance settlements and to intercept all, or a portion, of the settlement in payment of the child support debt.
Motor vehicle match - Some States have agreements with motor vehicle agencies to help identify assets held by delinquent obligors.

Federal Level Tools

Many times, particularly in interstate cases, a party's assets cannot be located using only in-state resources. Federal level tools for locating assets have also been developed, and are often useful in these situations.

Multistate Financial Institution Data Match (MSFIDM). OCSE has established, as a part of the FPLS, a Multistate Financial Institution Data Match (MSFIDM) program.[36] Under the program, any financial institution doing business in two or more States may elect to report directly to OCSE rather than to each individual State in which it does business. Working from the data submitted for the Federal Income Tax Refund Offset program, OCSE provides information on delinquent obligors, which the financial institutions match against their accounts. Any matches are returned to OCSE, which then shares the information with the State submitting the obligor's name and Social Security Number. This program can be very useful in locating assets held by an obligor in another State.

IRS Project 1099. Project 1099 is a cooperative effort involving the State IV-D agency, OCSE, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This project provides information to IV-D agencies to assist in their efforts to locate noncustodial parents for the purpose of establishing and enforcing child support obligations.[37] If there is a match, the IRS may be able to provide the following information:

the address of the noncustodial parent;
the address of the submitting institution (i.e., bank, brokerage house, State unemployment agency, and employer);
wage and salary payments made to the noncustodial parent; and
asset information reported by financial institutions and State agencies.[38]

PRIVACY, ACCESS, AND SECURITY

Information obtained by the IV-D agency is often of a very sensitive and personal nature. Confidentiality of information handled by the agency is very important. The IV-D agency must have "safeguards, applicable to all confidential information handled by the State agency, that are designed to protect the privacy rights of the parties[.]"[39] Each State must develop its own safeguarding rules regarding information contained in case files and other records, as well as in automated form. There are several areas, however, where Federal law provides specific requirements for security measures.

Information in the Statewide Automated System

The State must have safeguards to assure the accuracy and integrity of information contained in its statewide automated system.[40] It must restrict access to, and use of, the information to the administration of the IV-D program and for other specified uses.[41] In addition, it must have written policies, systems controls, training, and monitoring of access. It also must have penalties, including dismissal from employment, for unauthorized access to, disclosure of, or use of, the data.

Family Violence

Unfortunately, some family relationships involve violence or abuse between the parties or between a party and a child. In expanding the locate tools, Congress recognized this problem. One particular concern was how to balance the legitimate need for information about a person involved in a case against that person’s possible risk of harm. This concern for victims of domestic violence or child abuse (collectively known as “family violence”) prompted Congress to restrict disclosure of FPLS information if there is a known risk of harm.[42]

Family Violence Indicator. The States supply the FPLS with information about family violence concerns. Each State must have special safeguards to prevent disclosure of information regarding the whereabouts of a party or the child:

to the other party in a paternity or child support case, when there is a protection order safeguarding a party or child in the case from that person; and
to any person, when the State has reason to believe that disclosure of data to that person could cause physical or emotional harm to a party or child in the case.[43]

When either of these situations exists, the State must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This notification alerts Federal authorities that the State has reasonable evidence of family violence and that disclosure of information from the FPLS about the designated person could be harmful.

The impact of the FV Indicator differs by State.[44] However, at the Federal level, the existence of an active FV Indicator precludes disclosure of FPLS information.[45] In practice, this means that the FPLS does not disclose any matches to State IV-D agencies about data on this person. Alternately, if a locate request is made for a person protected by an FV Indicator, the requesting SPLS receives a response that a disclosure of data is prohibited (disclosure prohibition).

Override process. Notwithstanding a person’s safety concern, there may be a legitimate reason for data disclosure in certain circumstances. Accordingly, Federal law permits the FPLS to release information about a protected person to a proper State court.[46] The process developed for this purpose is known as the “FV Indicator Override.” The override process gives OCSE legal authority, on a situation-by-situation basis, to retrieve and release FPLS data that, because of the FV Indicator protection, would not otherwise be subject to disclosure. The court can then assess whether disclosure is appropriate. It is important to note that an override does not remove the FV Indicator from the FPLS. Moreover, the override request is only available to a person who is legally authorized to request FPLS data.

As shown in Figure 5-1, the override process involves activity at both Federal and State levels.[47] Thus, State IV-D agencies and courts must develop procedures for the State portions of the process. The general steps in the override process are as follows:

The possible need for an override arises after the SPLS receives a disclosure prohibition notice, indicating that an authorized person’s request for FPLS data has been refused for a safety or security reason. When this occurs, the SPLS must inform the requestor of the FPLS response.

The requestor then must decide if there are other sources of the data or if the FPLS is the most appropriate information source. If the FPLS is still the desired data resource, the authorized person may petition the proper State court for authority to begin the override process. In a paternity or child support matter, Federal law gives that authority to a court with jurisdiction to establish child support awards or one that is permitted to initiate interstate child support matters.[48]

If the court grants the authorized person’s petition, it will forward its order or other appropriate documentation to the SPLS for review and submission to OCSE.

OCSE reviews each override request to ensure that the underlying requestor is an authorized person seeking the data for a permissible purpose, that the petition was made to the proper court under the statute, and that the request is accompanied by the necessary documentation. If these requirements are met, OCSE will manually override the FV Indicator in order to extract the appropriate data for this request. Again, it is important to note that the override does not remove the FV Indicator protection; it simply permits OCSE to extract data for submission to the appropriate State court to meet this one data request. OCSE then forwards a sealed packet, containing the retrieved data, to the SPLS in the requesting State. At this time, OCSE also informs the SPLS in the State that set the FV Indicator that there was an override, and it provides the placing State with the identity of the State that obtained the data.
Upon receipt, the requesting State’s SPLS is responsible for transferring the data packet to the court or for following the court’s instructions regarding the safekeeping of the data packet until final resolution of the disclosure issue. Federal law requires the court to determine if release of the data to the underlying authorized requestor could result in harm to the protected person.[49] To assist the court in making a determination about the level of harm associated with possible disclosure to the requestor, the CSE attorney may be called upon to provide information, if known, about why the FV Indicator was initially set by the placing State. Also, if the authorized requestor is the child support agency (e.g., the FV indicator has been set on the noncustodial parent, and the IV-D agency is seeking to enforce a child support order), the CSE attorney will have to present a case outlining how the data will be used and why that use is not likely to result in harm to the protected person.

If the court finds that disclosure to the requestor could be harmful to the protected person, neither the court nor its agents may release the data, and the data packet must be destroyed. Alternatively, should the court determine that disclosure of the FPLS information to the requestor would not result in harm to the protected person, the information may be released to the authorized requester for the specified purpose.

Figure 5-1, Override Process

Statutes and Regulations	Page
15 U.S.C. § 1681b(a)(4) (Supp. V 1999)	62
15 U.S.C. § 1681b(a)(5) (Supp. V 1999)	62
15 U.S.C. § 1681f (1994)	63
42 U.S.C. § 652(l) (Supp. V 1999)	67
42 U.S.C. § 653 (1994, Supp. IV 1998, & Supp. V 1999)	63
42 U.S.C. § 653(a)(2)(A)(iv) (Supp. V 1999)	65
42 U.S.C. § 653(b)(2) (Supp. V 1999)	68, 69, 70
42 U.S.C. § 653(b)(2)(B) (Supp. V 1999)	70
42 U.S.C. § 653(c)(4) (Supp. V 1999)	66
42 U.S.C. § 653(h) (Supp. V 1999)	63
42 U.S.C. § 653(i) (Supp. V 1999)	65
42 U.S.C. § 653a (Supp. V 1999)	61
42 U.S.C. § 653a(b)(1)(A) (Supp. V 1999)	62
42 U.S.C. § 653a(h)(1) (Supp. V 1999)	62
42 U.S.C. § 654(8) (Supp. V 1999)	59
42 U.S.C. § 654(26) (Supp. V 1999)	68
42 U.S.C. § 654(26)(B) (Supp. V 1999)	69
42 U.S.C. § 654(26)(C) (Supp. V 1999)	69
42 U.S.C. § 654(26)(E) (Supp. V 1999)	69, 70
42 U.S.C. § 654a(d) (Supp. V 1999)	68
Statutes and Regulations	Page
42 U.S.C. § 654a(e) (Supp. V 1999)	64
42 U.S.C. § 654a(e)(1) (Supp. V 1999)	61
42 U.S.C. § 654a(e)(4) (Supp. V 1999)	61
42 U.S.C. § 654a(f) (Supp. V 1999)	61, 64, 68
42 U.S.C. § 663 (1994, Supp. IV 1998, & Supp. V 1999)	65
42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(17) (Supp. V 1999)	62, 66
42 U.S.C. § 666(c)(1)(B) (Supp. V 1999)	62, 66
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997	65
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996	63
P.L. No. 93-647 (1974)	63
P.L. No. 104-193 (1996)	63
P.L. No. 105-89 (1997)	65
45 C.F.R. § 303.3 (2000)	59, 60
45 C.F.R. § 303.3(b) (2000)	65
45 C.F.R. § 303.7(b)(2) (2000)	60
45 C.F.R. § 303.70(a) (2000)	66
45 C.F.R. § 307.11(e) (2000)	65
45 C.F.R. § 307.11(e)(4) (2000)	61
45 C.F.R. § 307.11(f)(1) (2000)	65
Model Codes	Page
Unif. Interstate Family Support Act (1996) § 312 (amended 2001),9 Pt. 1B U.L.A. 322 (1999)	69

Exhibit 5-1, Request for FPLS Information

TYPE OF REQUEST	WHO MAY REQUEST	FOR WHAT PURPOSE	INFORMATION AVAILABLE
Child support purposes	Agent/attorney of a State with authority under IV-D plan to collect child support. (42 USC § 653(c)(1)) Court with authority to issue an order for child support, or to serve as the initiating court in an action to seek a child support order, or any agent of such a court. (42 USC § 653(c)(2)) Resident parent, legal guardian, attorney, or agent of a child not receiving title IV-A benefits. (42 USC § 653(c)(3))	Establish parentage, establish an amount of support, modify or enforce the support obligation.	Information (including subject’s SSN and address, and the name, address, and federal employer identification number of employer) on, or facilitating the discovery of, the location of any individual: who is under an obligation to pay child support, against whom a child support obligation is sought, to whom a child support obligation is owed, or who has or may have parental rights with respect to a child. Information on the individual’s wages, and other income from and benefits of employment, including health care coverage. Information on the type, status, location, and amount of any assets of, or debts owed by or to, the individual. (42 USC § 653(a)(2))
Title IV-B and Title IV-E purposes.	State agency administering a program under Title IV-B (Child Welfare Services) or Title IV-E (Foster Care or Adoption Services) of the Social Security Act. (42 USC § 653(c)(4))	Locate an individual who has, or may have, parental rights with respect to a child. (42 USC § 653(a)(2)(A)(iv))	Same as above. (42 USC § 653(a)(2))
Child custody, visitation and parental kidnapping cases.	Agent/attorney of a State with the authority under State law to enforce a child custody or visitation determination. (42 USC 663(d)(2)(A)) The State must have a written agreement with the Secretary of DHHS. (42 USC § 663(a) Court with jurisdiction to make or enforce child custody or visitation determination, or an agent of the court. (42 USC § 663(d)(2)(B)) Agent/attorney of the United States or a State with authority to investigate, enforce, or prosecute the unlawful taking or restraint of a child. (42 USC § 663(d)(2)(C)) U.S. Central Authority (State Department, under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction). (42 USC § 663(e)) U.S. Attorney General (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). (42 USC § 663(f))	Make or enforce a child custody or visitation determination. (42 USC §§ 653(a)(3) and 663(a)) Make or enforce a child custody or visitation determination. (42 USC §§ 653(a)(3) and 663(a)) Enforce any Federal or State law regarding unlawful taking or restraint of a child. (42 USC §§ 653(a)(3) and 663(a)(1)) Locate any parent or child on behalf of an applicant to the Central Authority (State Department) in a child abduction case. (42 USC § 663(e)) Enforce any State or Federal law regarding the unlawful taking or restraint of a child, or make or enforce a child custody or visitation determination. (42 USC § 663(f))	Most recent address and place of employment of parent or child. (42 USC § 663(c))
Other purposes	Secretary of the Treasury (42 USC § 653(h)(3) and (i)(3)) Social Security Administration (42 USC § 653(j)(1)) Social Security Administration (42 USC § 653(j)(4)) Secretary of Education (42 USC § 653(j)(6)) Researchers. (42 USC § 653(j)(5)) State IV-A agencies. (42 USC § 653(j)(3))	Administer specified Federal tax laws. Verify information supplied to Secretary of DHHS. Administer Social Security programs. Collect debts owed on defaulted student loans, or overpayment of grants, made under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. (42 USC § 653(j)(6)(D)(i) and (ii)) Research for purposes that the Secretary of DHHS finds likely to benefit IV-A/IV-D programs. Administer the Title IV-A program.	Federal Case Registry (FCR) or National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) data, depending on the purpose of request. The name, SSN, and birth date of an individual and the employer identification number of an employer. NDNH data. Matches to compare NDNH information with individual borrowers in default or grantees obligated for repayment under Title IV. (42 USC §§ 653(j)(6)(A)(i) and (ii); (C)(i); and (D)) Data in all components of the FPLS that meet those purposes, with personal identifiers removed. Information in all FPLS components determined to be effective in assisting States in the IV-A program operation.

Release of FPLS information requires meeting a two-prong test: the request must be for a permissible purpose and by an authorized person. Even then, only limited information may be released as shown in the preceding chart. Authorized Federal agencies may contact the FPLS directly, under the terms of an agreement. Authorized non-Federal entities must request information through the State Parent Locator Service (SPLS), which requests the information from the FPLS and returns it to the requestor. The fees for this service are paid in accordance with 42 USC § 653(e)(2). The SPLS must distinguish requests for custody, visitation, and unlawful taking from those for child support purposes so that only authorized information is released.

Information from the FPLS may not be disclosed where the disclosure “would contravene the national policy or security interests of the United States or the confidentiality of census data." (42 USC § 653(b)(2)) Disclosure is also prohibited when a State has notified the Secretary that there is reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse and that the party or child may be at risk from the disclosure. In such cases the information may be released to the appropriate court to determine if the information may be safely released to the requestor. (42 USC § 653(b)(2)(A) and 42 USC § 654(26)(D) and (E)).

[this page intentionally left blank]

Footnotes

[1] For an explanation of "IV-D," see Chapter Two: The Federal Role in the Child Support Enforcement Program.

[2] 42 U.S.C. § 654(8) (Supp. V 1999).

[3] 45 C.F.R. § 303.3 (2000).

[4] For an explanation of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction, see Chapter Twelve: Interstate Child Support Remedies.

[5] 45 C.F.R. § 303.3 (2000).

[6] 45 C.F.R. § 303.7(b)(2) (2000).

[7] 42 U.S.C. § 654a(e)(1) (Supp. V 1999).

[8] 42 U.S.C. § 654a(e)(4) (Supp. V 1999); 45 C.F.R. § 307.11(e)(4) (2001).

[9] 42 U.S.C. § 654a(f) (Supp. V 1999).

[10] 42 U.S.C. § 653a (Supp. V 1999).

[11] 42 U.S.C. § 653a(b)(1)(A) (Supp. V 1999).

[12] For discussion of the National Directory of New Hires, see infra page 65.

[13] 42 U.S.C. § 653a(h)(1) (Supp. V 1999).

[14] 42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(17) (Supp. V 1999).

[15] 42 U.S.C. § 666(c)(1)(B) (Supp. V 1999).

[16] 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681b(a)(4) and (5) (Supp. V 1999).

[17] 15 U.S.C. § 1681f (1994).

[18] 42 U.S.C. § 653 (1994, Supp. IV 1998, & Supp. V 1999). A chart setting out authorized people to request, and permissible purposes for, FPLS data appears as Exhibit 5-1.

[19] P.L. No. 93-647 (1974).

[20] P.L. No. 104-193 (1996).

[21] 42 U.S.C. § 653(h) (Supp. V 1999).

[22] “People” refers to the individual parties and the child(ren).

[23] 42 U.S.C. §§ 654a(e) and (f) (Supp. V 1999).

[24] 45 C.F.R §§ 307.11(e) and (f)(1) (2000).

[25] 42 U.S.C. § 653(i) (Supp. V 1999).

[26] 45 C.F.R. § 303.3(b) (2000).

[27] 42 U.S.C. § 663 (1994, Supp. IV 1998, & Supp. V 1999).

[28] P.L. No. 105-89 (1997).

[29] 42 U.S.C. § 653(a)(2)(A)(iv) (Supp. V 1999).

[30] 42 U.S.C. § 653(c)(4) (Supp. V 1999).

[31] 45 C.F.R. § 303.70(a) (2000).

[32] OCSE's publication, A Caseworker's Guide to Child Support Enforcement and Military Personnel (2000), provides specific guidance on locating members of the armed forces.

[33] 42 U.S.C. § 666(c)(1)(B) (Supp. V 1999).

[34] For the federally approved administrative subpoena form, see the National Electronic Child Support Resource System link on the OCSE web site at www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/. For a sample request for production of documents and interrogatories, see Exhibits 7-1 and 7-2, infra.

[35] 42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(17) (Supp. V 1999).

[36] 42 U.S.C. § 652(l) (Supp. V 1999) (allows the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist with FIDM for multistate financial institutions).

[37] IRS 1099 forms are submitted by certain financial institutions and State agencies for the purpose of reporting a wide variety of payments made to the individual. IRS W-2 forms are submitted by employers for the purpose of reporting wage and salary information for individual employees.

[38] Office of Child Support Enforcement, U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Services, Action Transmittal (AT- 91-04) (1991).

[39] 42 U.S.C. § 654(26) (Supp. V 1999).

[40] 42 U.S.C. § 654a(d) (Supp. V 1999).

[41] See 42 U.S.C. § 654a(f) (Supp. V 1999).

[42] 42 U.S.C. § 653(b)(2) (Supp. V 1999). Similarly the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws included a provision in the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which all States are required to enact pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 666(f) (Supp. V 1999), to limit disclosure of "identifying information" if a tribunal finds that disclosure could put a party or child at risk. Unif. Interstate Family Support Act (1996) § 312 (amended 2001), 9 Pt. 1B U.L.A. 322 (1999).

[43] 42 U.S.C. §§ 654(26)(B) and (C) (Supp. V 1999).

[44] See Office of Child Support Enforcement, U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Services, The Family Violence Indicator: A Guide to State Practices (2000).

[45] 42 U.S.C. § 653(b)(2) (Supp. V 1999).

[46] 42 U.S.C. §§ 653(b)(2), 654(26)(E) (Supp. V 1999).

[47] See Office of Child Support Enforcement, U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Services, Dear Colleague Letter (DCL-98-122) (1998).

[48] 42 U.S.C. §§ 653(b)(2)(B), 654(26)(E) (Supp. V 1999).

[49] 42 U.S.C. §§ 653(b)(2), 654(26)(E) (Supp. V 1999).