Giving Hope and Support to America's Children| Child Support Report | Vol. XXVI, No. 9, Sep 2004 |
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Child Support Report is a publication of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Division of Consumer Services. CSR is published for information purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, or individual by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Child Support Enforcement is intended or should be inferred. |
New Report Tells the Story Behind the Debt International Cooperation Between the United States and Switzerland To Identify and Define UDC Consistently: New Schedule 34A Form Positive Comments - Final Tribal Rule Expanding Locate Service Through State Verification and Exchange System Information Record Collection of $1.14 Billion in Delinquent Education Loans |
New Report Tells the Story Behind the Debt
By: Elaine Blackman
The first in a new series of brief reports published by the Office of Child Support Enforcement titled, The Story Behind the Numbers, recently arrived on desks and in mailboxes of all IV-D child support enforcement agencies. The reports are intended to spotlight data analyses conducted by OCSE managers, bringing short and to-the-point results and recommendations to child support enforcement professionals in efforts to help them better manage their programs.
During the past few years, OCSE Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller has encouraged managers within OCSE and at all levels of the program to study the data generated around the program to learn more about what these numbers reveal. "By analyzing the data," says Dr. Heller, "managers can use the information to focus improvements in the systems, and target their resources to help improve outcomes for the program."
The first in the series, "Who Owes the Child Support Debt?" addresses exactly who owes the more than $90 billion in unpaid child support dating back to 1975; why one-third of child support debtors have no reported earnings; why we should be concerned; and what should be done to reduce the amount of debt.
The report points out, for example, that the vast majority (70 percent) of the accrued child support debt is owed by non-custodial parents with reported incomes of less than $10,000 per year. The one-third of the debtors with no reported earnings represents 34 percent of the debtors who owe over 42 percent of certified debt. Further, some 10 percent of these have bank accounts, others receive Federal benefits, some appear in the National Directory of New Hires, and still others are incarcerated.
What can child support professionals do to reduce the total national child support debt? Avoid accumulating arrears in the first place-set appropriate orders initially, modify orders when circumstances change, and intervene right away when current support is not paid.
To view the document, "Story Behind the Numbers, Who Owes the Child Support Debt?" visit the OCSE Web site, www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse, click on "Policy," then "Information Memoranda."
Elaine Blackman is a writer in the Division of Consumer Services
Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller led the U.S. delegation to the June meeting of the Hague Conference Special Commission on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance as it continues development of a new multilateral child support agreement that would increase cooperation among countries to secure needed child support. The Commissioner believes that, while "much work" still needs to be done, "significant progress" has been made toward an agreement that is "sensitive to the many overlapping and sometimes potentially conflicting interests of each nation."
Commissioner Heller has made clear that, for the U.S. to sign on to any such multilateral agreement, it must: (1) Emphasize the importance of parental responsibility for children. Children are entitled to rely on their parents for support; and (2) Produce better, tangible results for children. In addition, the Commissioner has also stated it is essential that the agreement not be used to facilitate the recovery of support from a parent when a child has been wrongfully removed or retained and that it should not disturb national law regarding enforcement of support in those circumstances.
Dr. Heller has also been clear that, while the U.S. continues to work productively through the Hague Conference, it is also pursuing bilateral agreements with individual countries that will facilitate the enforcement of support for our children across borders irrespective of the ultimate success or timing of a multilateral instrument. "Our bilateral efforts are entirely consistent with our support of the multilateral negotiation. The more experience we have with each other's child support laws and practices, the greater the likelihood that we will develop a multilateral convention that works," she said.
The U.S. has taken a lead role in promoting practical cooperation among nations in child support enforcement. It has served as coordinator and facilitator of an informal network of countries and international organizations called the Administrative Cooperation Working Group (ACWG). ACWG members are working to develop strategies to improve administrative cooperation among countries that handle international child support cases. At the June meeting, the ACWG was made a formal subcommittee of the Special Commission. Dr. Heller commended the work of those who participated in the ACWG, saying, "their work reflects...thoughtful deliberation and consideration of a practical and flexible approach the U.S. believes is essential to the success..." of a multilateral agreement.
The Commissioner applauded the work of the Hague Conference's Permanent Bureau, particularly William Duncan and Phillipe Lortie. "Their sincere commitment to working with all of us toward the goals we articulated last year - the development of a system for international child support cases that is predictable, efficient, affordable, swift, and consistent - is greatly appreciated." She also praised the efforts of Bob Keith and Mary Helen Carlson, Attorney-Advisors in HHS and the Department of State, respectively. "They have worked hard to ensure that issues of importance to the U.S. are included" in the draft agreement.
International Cooperation Between the United States and Switzerland
By: Katie Donley
On August 31, the United States and Switzerland signed a bilateral agreement to enforce each other's child support cases. The agreement will help OCSE get financial support to needy families quickly, efficiently and consistently.
At the signing, Dr. Sherri Heller emphasized that OCSE has a strong commitment to Federal-level agreements that help children receive support wherever they are. International cooperation on family law matters has been increasingly important as more people cross and re-cross international borders as a result of globalization. Without such an international agreement, enforcement of child support obligations across international borders is difficult, if not impossible.
There is great enthusiasm and cooperation on all sides for this agreement because states of the United States and Switzerland have had various state-level arrangements for decades and prior arrangements with the Swiss Confederation have proven beneficial to U.S. families. Now that the agreement is official, American citizens both here and abroad will be assured that states can find non-custodial parents living in Switzerland and that the Swiss government will do all it can to ensure that child support orders can be enforced much like they would be by another U.S. state.
OCSE is now working closely with the Department of State to initiate additional bilateral agreements so that the benefits of such agreements can further the chance of U.S. children getting the financial support they need. With the Switzerland agreement completed, the United States now has Federal level agreements with 9 countries and the majority of Canadian provinces.
Katie Donley is a participant in OCSE's Emerging Leader's Program
To Identify and Define UDC Consistently: New Schedule 34A Form
By: Michael Bratt, Diane Fray, Sue Sosler, and Connie White
In a series of conference calls, staff from forty-two states joined OCSE to share practices that can reduce undistributed collections (UDC). On the August 19, 2004 conference call, the National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD) partnered with OCSE as part of an ongoing collaboration to reduce UDC. This call was expanded to include not only the usual UDC staff contacts, but also child support policy staff, information systems staff, child support managers and directors, and anyone else who had a role in producing Federal reports. The goal was to help states prepare for reporting on the new "Schedule UDC" supplement on Form OCSE-34A. Schedule UDC has been approved by OMB for three years (2005-2007).
Diane Fray, Connecticut Child Support Director and Chair of NCCSD's UDC sub-committee, began the call by describing the process undertaken between OCSE and the NCCSD to develop the form as a tool to clearly and consistently define the conditions that create UDC. Connie White and Sarah Linder, from the Virginia Department of Child Support Enforcement, described how their State will implement the new supporting schedule and how they plan to report the ten categories of UDC.
Michael Bratt, Financial Management Specialist in the Federal Grants Office, assisted Connie and Diane as they responded to questions sent to OCSE in advance of the call. They addressed a number of technical questions related to this form, and responded to additional questions asked by the call participants.
Both OCSE and NCCSD agree that there must be an agreement among the various state child support programs to identify and define UDC in a consistent manner. Schedule UDC was designed in collaboration with NCCSD and the state agencies in an attempt to meet that goal and to enable some measurement of the nature and complexity of state UDC balances. The discussion, likewise, was guided towards that goal. Technical assistance will be provided to any state that is experiencing difficulty in defining its UDC balance or implementing the new support form.
Once OMB approves Schedule UDC, an OCSE Action Transmittal will be issued to formally introduce the new form. Both OCSE and NCCSD look forward to a continuing collaboration as the states implement the new schedule, and will continue to share best practices to reduce UDC.
Michael Bratt is Financial Management Specialist in the Federal Grants Office; Diane Fray is Child Support Director in CT; Sue Sosler is in the Division of State, Tribal and Local Assistance; and Connie White is in the Virginia Department of Child Support Enforcement
Positive Comments - Final Tribal Rule
By: Jerry Sweet
The introduction of the Final Rule which authorizes funding to Federally Recognized Indian tribes was rolled out in Seattle, Washington on June 21st and 22nd, beginning a four- meeting national schedule.
The first Roll-out meeting, held at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle, was attended by prospective Tribal grantees, current grantees, Federal and State Child Support Enforcement Program staff, state officials from the area and the public. A second meeting was held at Prior Lake, Minnesota on June 24 and 25, the third Roll-out meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on July 19 through July 22, and a final Roll-out meeting was held in Washington D.C. on September 23 and 24. Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller gave the keynote address during the opening session on June 24.
Of the approximately 50 attendees, the majority were tribal members from Alaska, the Puget Sound area, Yakima, Colville, the Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho and the Shoshone Tribe of Wyoming. Participating in panel discussions were grantees from the States of Washington and Okalahoma.
At the second Roll-out at the Mystic Lake Hotel at Prior Lake, approximately 30 tribal members attended from the states of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Montana.
As the Office of Child Support Enforcement framed the requirements of the Final Rule for the participants at both Roll-outs, many of the participants acknowledged the good work of the Office of Child Support, both in completing the Final Rule and OCSE's continuing management of the Tribal Child Support Program.
At Mystic Lake, several tribal participants complemented the Roll-out conference, the work of the Office of Child Support during the plenary sessions of the conference, and expressed their pleasure on a well-organized conference and their general satisfaction on the management and progress of the Program: 'This will help children,' 'Child Support Enforcement is very knowledgeable and has important information to pass on to us.'
Leo Stewart, Vice Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of The Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton, Oregon commented, "I wish there had been a program like OCSE when I was young. It would have brought about stronger relationships in my family..."
He went on further to say, "An OCSE Tribal program will greatly help the Indian Family. Family relationships could be re-built. A tribal OCSE program would help to awaken the spirit of Indian families."
Jerry Sweet is the Director of the Oklahoma Chickasaw Nation Child Support Office
Expanding Locate Service Through State Verification and Exchange System Information
By: Amy Ballenger
Many states are making the most of the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) by using State Verification and Exchange System (SVES) information provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
In May 2002, the FPLS was enhanced to provide state child support agencies with information about SSA Title II Retirement and Disability benefits, Title XVI Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, and prisoner information. With this enhancement, states are expanding their capabilities for locating obligors and their benefits.
Several states have automated the handling of SVES responses. For Colorado's statewide system, information is automatically loaded upon receipt and then passed to the caseworker. One of the key pieces of information provided in the SVES match is the residence address. Caseworkers report that the SVES information provides valuable locate leads. Often, caseworkers have found that SVES data is provided faster than data obtained through the local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families agency.
Minnesota adds the returned SVES data to its system and has developed an extensive "Help" functionality with each of the field definitions, available with a single keystroke. In addition to storing returned SVES data for participants as they are added or changed on the FPLS, Minnesota proactively searches for persons receiving SSA benefits or who are incarcerated by submitting quarterly locate requests to SVES.
Illinois populates specified data fields with SVES information and creates reports that identify information requiring verification. With verifications completed, the information is added to the system. Additionally, when SVES verified Date of Death information is provided, the system automatically notifies the custodial party of the possibility of entitlement to SSA benefits.
Currently, fourteen states receive SVES information. All report that SVES provides caseworkers with valuable locate information of which they may not have otherwise been aware.
Just like all the other external locate requests, SVES is available only for custodial parties, non-custodial parents and putative fathers. The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement is working with states to explore expanding the SVES locate source to include children so states could use children's SSA benefit information in determining support.
If you are interested in receiving the SVES responses or if you would like more information about SVES, please contact your State Technical Support Liaison.
Amy Ballenger is State Technical Support Liaison
Record Collection of $1.14 Billion in Delinquent Education Loans
By: Helen Smith
Did you or someone you know receive a Federally funded student loan? The Department of Education (DOE) administers all Federal programs dealing with education (including Federal aid to educational institutions and students). However, some students have failed to repay their loans as promised.
The core of the Federal Parent Locator Service is the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) and the Federal Case Registry (FCR). While the main objective of the FPLS is to assist the states in locating parents who may owe a child support obligation, in the interest of good government services, the law recognizes that FPLS information may be useful to other agencies or organizations for other purposes.
Under the NDNH, the quarterly wage (QW) database contains quarterly wage information on individual employees from the records of State Employment Security Agencies and Federal agencies. State and Federal agencies transmit the data elements to the QW database of the NDNH. DOE finds the quarterly wage database a rich source of current locate information.
To improve collections on defaulted student loans, DOE performs a quarterly match against the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-113). DOE uses the master results to locate individuals who are delinquent in repaying education loans. DOE recently released collection figures which show that, based on the match with the NDNH, DOE collected $1,143,965,683 for Fiscal Year 2003. Collections for Fiscal Year 2002 were $726 million.
OCSE receives numerous requests for the data in the FPLS or for comparisons of FPLS data with other databases for various purposes. The part of the law (42 U.S.C. 653) governing these resources also recognizes the usefulness of the information in the FPLS to others. The law spells out who can receive what information and for what purposes.
Helen Smith is the Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Automation & Program Operations, OCSE.
The National Child Support Enforcement Strategic Plan for FY 2005-2009 is being distributed under OCSE Dear Colleague Letter 04-44. The DCL is available on the OCSE web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/pol/DCL/2004/dcl-04-44.htm
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