OHIO

ADMINISTRATIVE LIENS

Goal: To obtain administrative real property liens to collect past-due child support.

Description: The Summit County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), is under the designation of Sherri Bevan Walsh, Summit County Prosecutor. Summit County, Ohio is the sixth largest county in the state which is state supervised and county administered. The CSEA employs 208 staff, has a caseload of 49,000 and collects over $85 million in child support annually.

The administrative lien process has proven to be an effective, yet simple, process to administer and collect on delinquent cases. Traditionally, judicial liens have been filed by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys. Today, the emphasis is on obtaining administrative real property liens to collect past-due child support. A savings in both time and dollars is achieved by obtaining an administrative lien rather than going to court for a judicial lien. With interest rates at an all time low, many people who have support obligations are purchasing or refinancing real properties, which makes liens an attractive enforcement tool. Once real estate companies, mortgage companies or title agencies discover the existence of the administrative lien, calls or facsimiles are received by CSEA to verify how much money is needed to satisfy the administrative lien obligation.

CSEA's Child Support Specialists receive the calls or facsimile and immediately obtain the CSEA file; print all payment history information from the computer system; obtain a copy of the lien and forward the file to our Fiscal Department to calculate the interest which had accrued on the unpaid judgment balance. Fiscal staff utilize Quattro Pro software to expedite the interest calculation process.

The files are then referred to CSEA Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys who prepare lien payoff letters which inform the real estate companies or financial institutions to issue a check payable to the Ohio Child Support Payment Central and an additional check to the Summit County Clerk of courts for the fees required in order to release the lien.

Within a matter of days, custodial parents and their children receive back support and in many instances the full amount of arrearages owed.

Results: The Administrative Lien process has been instrumental in collection of delinquent child support. In 2002, this process has reduced child support arrears by $1,197,231. Summit County CSEA leads all counties in the State of Ohio in Administrative Lien filings.

Location: Summit County, Ohio

Funding: Regular IV-D funding is used.

Replication Advice: Adequately research lien laws; properly train child support staff; and enter into a contract between the state IV-D program and county auditor or fiscal officer.

Contact:

Edward J. Harshbarger

Director of CSEA

Phone: (330) 643-2765

Email: harshe@odjfs.state.oh.us