Instructions for Completing Form OCSE-156 and Form OCSE-158

ACTION TRANSMITTAL

OCSE-AT-90-12

November 2, 1990

TO: STATE AGENCIES ADMINISTERING CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PLANS APPROVED UNDER TITLE IV-D OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT AND OTHER INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS

SUBJECT:Instructions for Completing Form OCSE-156, "Child Support Enforcement Program Quarterly Data Report", and Form OCSE-158, "Child Support Enforcement Program Annual Data Summary Report".

CONTENT:The following instructions give clarification and guidance for completing the forms in the most accurate manner. These forms are to be used by the State to report financial and statistical activities that take place under title IV-D of the Social Security Act. The OCSE-156 should be completed for each quarter and submitted within 30 calendar days of the end of each quarter. The OCSE-158 should be completed at the end of the fiscal year for the entire year and submitted with the OCSE-156 for the fourth quarter within 30 days of the end of the year. State agencies administering child support enforcement programs under title IV-D of the Social Security Act are required to submit these forms.

State and local procedures for compiling the required data should be reviewed and, if necessary, modified to correspond to these instructions. Questions regarding either the content of the form or the procedures for its completion, should be directed to the appropriate OCSE Regional Office.

The requirements contained in this Action Transmittal are essential if the Secretary is to meet the requirements contained in section 452(a)(1), (2), (4), and (10) of the Social Security Act to establish standards for an effective program and minimum organization and staffing requirements. The authority to collect this information is set forth in regulations at 45 CFR 302.15 (a).

SUPERSEDED

MATERIAL:OCSE-IM-86-09, dated December 12, 1986

OCSE-AT-85-18, dated October 24, 1985

OCSE-AT-83-15, dated July 22, 1983

OCSE-AT-78-06, dated March 15, 1978

ATTACHMENT:Form OCSE-156

Form OCSE-158

EFFECTIVE

DATE:Report for the quarter ending December 31, 1990

INQUIRIES TO:OCSE Regional Representatives

___________________________________

Allie Page Matthews

Deputy Director

Office of Child Support Enforcement

DEFINITIONS FOR USE WHEN COMPLETING FORMS OCSE-156, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM QUARTERLY DATA REPORT, AND OCSE-158, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM ANNUAL DATA SUMMARY REPORT

Follows is a listing of the official definitions for terms and phrases used in completing data forms OCSE-156, Child Support Enforcement Program Quarterly Data Report, and OCSE-158, Child Support Enforcement Program Annual Data Summary Report. These terms appear bold in the instructions the first time they are mentioned.

IV-D Case - An absent parent (mother, father, or putative father) who is now or eventually may be obligated under law for the support of a child or children. An absent parent is counted once for each family which has a dependent child he or she may be obligated to support.

IV-D AFDC Case - An absent parent whose child or children are determined to be eligible under title IV-A of the Social Security Act (i.e., AFDC, Aid to Families with Dependent Children) and whose child's or children's support rights have been assigned by a caretaker relative to a State, and for whom a referral to the State IV-D agency has been made.

IV-D Foster Care Case - An absent parent whose child or children are receiving foster care maintenance payments under title IV-E of the Social Security Act and for whom a referral to the State IV-D agency has been made.

IV-D Non-AFDC Case - An absent parent whose child or children are not currently determined to be eligible for and receiving assistance under title IV-A or IV-E of the Social Security Act. A non-AFDC case must have a written application for IV-D non-AFDC services, unless the family is no longer eligible for AFDC and is continuing to receive IV-D services, or the family is not found to be eligible for, or is no longer receiving, AFDC but has been found to be eligible for Medicaid. IV-D cases which are non-Federal foster care cases are also included in this category.

AFDC Arrears Only Case - An absent parent whose child or children are former recipients of title IV-A payments and the absent parent owes prior unpaid child support and there are child support arrearages assigned to the State. This may include unreimbursed assistance owed State.

Foster Care Arrears Only Case - An absent parent whose child or children are former recipients of foster care maintenance payments under title IV-E of the Social Security Act and the absent parent owes prior unpaid child support and there are child support arrears assigned to the State. This may include unreimbursed assistance owed the State.

Order - The legal establishment of an amount of money which is due and owed by an absent parent for the support of the parent's child or children. This amount must be established by court order or administrative process, voluntary agreement (in States where such agreements are filed in the court or agency of the administrative process as an order and are legally enforceable), or other legal process.

Obligation - See Order. Obligation and order are generally used interchangeably in the attached instructions, even though there are some States in which they may have different meanings.

Location - Information concerning the physical whereabouts of the absent parent or the absent parent's address (including a post office box), employer, other sources of income, or assets, as appropriate, which is sufficient and necessary to the next appropriate action in a case.

Paternity - The legal establishment of fatherhood for a child, after the opening of a IV-D case, either by court determination, administrative process, or voluntary acknowledgement (in States where such acknowledgements are legally enforceable).

Accounts Receivable - The total number of orders and amounts of money due (accounts receivable) for child support broken out for AFDC and Foster Care, Non-AFDC, and AFDC and Foster Care Arrears only cases.

Non-AFDC Medicaid Recipient - An individual who has been determined eligible for or is receiving Medicaid under title XIX of the Social Security Act, but who is not receiving, or deemed to be receiving, AFDC under title IV-A of the Act. This term is used to differentiate between individuals receiving both AFDC and Medicaid and individuals receiving only Medicaid. For the most part, non-AFDC Medicaid recipients will be treated as non-AFDC cases.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FORM OCSE-156-CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM QUARTERLY DATA REPORT

The OCSE-156 data form was developed to obtain information on the operation of the Child Support Enforcement Program at the State level. States are required to use the OCSE-156 data form to report the number of cases they handle during the quarter. This form is pre-printed and provided to each State Child Support Agency. States will complete the form each quarter and submit one copy to the OCSE Regional Representative and another to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Planning and Evaluation Branch. The due date is thirty days after the end of the quarter.

SECTION A: CASE INVENTORY

In this section, States will report the number of IV-D cases in their inventory divided into three categories: (a) AFDC (IV-A) and Foster Care (IV-E) Cases, (usually combined); (b) Non-AFDC Cases; and (c) AFDC and Foster Care Arrears Only Cases. Line counts must be traceable to IV-D cases and such case listings and data should be available upon audit's request. States should remember to include interstate cases in the count.

NOTE: If one absent parent has two children, one under AFDC and one in Foster Care, States should count this as two cases.

Whenever a family is no longer eligible for assistance under the State's AFDC, IV-E, and Medicaid programs, the IV-D agency must notify the family that IV-D services will be continued unless the IV-D agency is notified to the contrary by the family.

When a case is terminated by IV-A, and IV-D services are continuing to be provided, the IV-A case should be closed and a IV-D non-AFDC case should be opened. NOTE: If there is unreimbursed assistance and child support arrearages are assigned to the State, an AFDC Arrears Only case should have been opened. This will result in counting a case more than once.

A non-AFDC case must have a written application for IV-D non-AFDC services, unless the family is no longer eligible for IV-A (AFDC), IV-E (Foster Care), or XIX (Medicaid), and is continuing to receive IV-D services, or the family is not found to be eligible for, or is no longer eligible for, AFDC but has been found to be eligible for Medicaid(a non-AFDC Medicaid Recipient). Some non-AFDC applicants may be eligible for IV-A services but have chosen not to pursue the matter. Again, if there is unreimbursed assistance and child support arrearages are assigned to the State, an AFDC Arrears Only case should have been opened. This will result in counting a case more than once.

Line 1 - Cases Continued From Prior Quarter

Report the total number of open IV-D cases continued from the previous quarter. Cases open for non-AFDC Medicaid recipients should also be included. This number should be equal to the sum of lines 4 and 5 reported on the previous quarterly report, with one exception. If a State determines that its previous figures were incorrect, the correct number should be shown in line 1 of the current report with a footnote indicating the components of the new sum and the reason for the change.

Line 2 - Cases Opened During the Quarter

Report the total number of IV-D cases opened during the quarter, as a result of the receipt of a valid referral from the State IV-A or IV-E agency (column a), receipt of a non-AFDC application from the caretaker relative (column b), referral from the Medicaid agency when not receiving AFDC (column b), or terminated IV-A, IV-E, and XIX cases--both those where IV-D is continuing to provide services (column b), and those with assigned arrears and unreimbursed assistance (column c). A terminated IV-A, IV-E, or XIX case with assigned arrears and unreimbursed assistance could be opened in both columns b and c.

Include, on this line, all cases opened as a result of requests for assistance received from other States (see 45 CFR 302.36 and 303.7) (interstate cases). Such cases must have been established as IV-D cases under the State plan of the initiating State and referred under the same plan.

URESA petitions from other States are to be counted as open cases only if the initiating petition specifically requires action on the part of the responding State's IV-D agency (i.e., the IV-D agency is specifically mentioned in the URESA petition and IV-D activity on behalf of the petition qualifies for Federal Financial Participation).

Line 3 - Cases Closed During the Quarter

Report the number of cases formally closed during the quarter. There are various reasons for closing IV-D cases. To be eligible for closure, the case must meet the criteria specified in program regulations. States must refer to program regulations (45 CFR 303.11) for case closure restrictions.

Line 4 - Cases Open at the End of the Quarter with Orders Established

Report the number of IV-D cases with orders remaining open on the last day of the quarter that have support orders established. Include all cases with orders regardless of who was responsible for establishing them. Voluntary support agreements and any modifications to them are not to be counted in this item if such agreements are not legally enforceable in the reporting State. Judgment for arrears whether with or without a payment schedule or with or without an order for ongoing support, should be included.

Line 5 - Cases Open at the End of the Quarter without Orders Established

Report the number of cases open on the last day of the quarter that have not had a support order established. This number should be equal to line 1 (cases continued from the prior quarter) plus line 2 (cases opened during the quarter) minus line 3 (cases closed during the quarter), minus line 4 (cases open at the end of the quarter with orders established.)

SECTION B: SERVICES REQUIRED

Section 129 of the Family Support Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-485), enacted October 13, 1988, requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services collect and maintain up to date statistics, by State, with respect to the need and receipt of the following services: paternity determination, location to establish a child support obligation, establishment of a child support obligation, and location to enforce or modify an existing child support obligation.

The Act further requires that this information should include the number of cases, by type, in the Child Support Enforcement Agency caseload which need and receive the designated services.

In this section, States should report the number of IV-D cases open on the last day of the quarter which need the specific service listed. States should remember to include interstate cases in the count.

Line 6 - Cases Requiring Location Services to Establish an Obligation

Report the number of open IV-D cases which need location services in order to establish a support obligation (order). Include all cases open on the last day of the quarter where the agency has to locate or re-locate an absent parent in order to establish an obligation. States should also include cases requiring location services to establish paternity.

Please note that this figure represents cases needing location rather than the actual number of absent parents located. Under OCSE definitions, an absent parent responsible for the support of children in more than one family is counted as a separate case for each family; thus, an absent parent responsible for supporting children in three families would, when located, be counted as three locates.

Please note that in interstate situations locate only cases should not be reported by the responding State.

Line 7 - Cases Requiring Location Services to Enforce or Modify an Obligation

Report the number of open IV-D cases which need location services in order to enforce or modify an existing obligation (order). Include all cases open on the last day of the quarter where the agency has to locate or re-locate an absent parent in order to enforce or modify an existing obligation.

Please note that in interstate situations locate only cases should not be reported by the responding State.

Line 8 - Children Requiring Paternity Determination Services

Report the number of children requiring paternity establishment. Count all children born out of wedlock, where there has been no paternity established, including children whose cases are currently in the process of having paternity established.

Line 9 - Cases Requiring Services to Establish an Obligation

Report the number of open IV-D cases which need services to establish a support obligation (order). Do not include cases counted on line 6 (cases requiring location services to establish an obligation). Report all cases that need an order established, including those cases with children counted under line 8 as needing paternity establishment.

Line 10 - Cases Requiring Services to Enforce or Modify an Obligation

Report the number of open IV-D cases which need services in order to enforce or modify an existing support obligation (order). Do not include cases counted on line 7 (cases requiring location services to enforce or modify an obligation).

SECTION C: SERVICES PROVIDED

In this section, report the number of actions successfully completed this quarter by the reporting State for either the reporting State or for other States. Credit for a successful action is to be claimed only by the State which performs the action (except locate for locate only request) -- not by both the initiating and responding States. In addition, the laws of the State in which the action is performed determine whether the action can be considered successful (only legally enforceable actions are to be counted). Count all successful actions, even if there were more than one per case. Remember to include interstate cases.

Line 11 - Title IV-A Cases Closed Where a Child Support Payment was Received

Report all cases terminated by IV-A (AFDC) in which there was a child support collection in the month of termination. This information is required to be reported by statute and should be obtained from the State's IV-A office. This information should be reported for the quarter during which the information is received from the IV-A agency, regardless of when the termination actually took place.

Line 12 - Cases Provided Location Services to Establish an Obligation

Report the number of open IV-D cases needing a support obligation (order) established in which an absent parent was located during the quarter, regardless of whether an obligation was also established. Include all cases where the agency had to locate or re-locate an absent parent in order to establish an obligation. Also include cases located to establish paternity.

The methods for verifying whether an alleged address is serviceable are left to the discretion of each individual State. Any verification method which a State chooses to use is acceptable as long as the State considers the final address to be serviceable.

Please note that this figure represents cases rather than the actual number of absent parents located. Under OCSE definitions, an absent parent responsible for the support of children in more than one family is counted as a separate case for each family; thus, an absent parent responsible for supporting children in three families would, when located, be counted as three locates.

Verified absent parent addresses obtained through the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program may also be counted as successful locations, provided the locate information was not previously known by the IV-D agency.

Re-locations are also to be included in this count. If the same absent parent had to be located on more than one occasion during the quarter, the State should count all locations.

In interstate cases, credit for locating an absent parent should be claimed by the State which located the absent parent, except in cases requesting "locate only" information (which should be claimed by the initiating State).

Line 13 - Cases Provided Location Services to Enforce or Modify an Obligation

Report the number of open IV-D cases needing enforcement or modification of an existing obligation (order) in which an absent parent location was made during the quarter. Report these cases regardless of whether enforcement or modification of the obligation was completed. (See line 12 for additional information on locates.)

Line 14 - Children for Whom Paternity was Established

Report the number of children for whom paternity was established during the quarter. These children should have been counted on line 8 as requiring paternity determination. A paternity established prior to a case's referral to IV-D is not to be counted in this item. If more than one child is included in a single paternity establishment, each child is to be counted separately. If a paternity determination action includes an order for support, the paternity should be counted on line 14 and the support obligation should be counted separately on line 15.

Line 15 - Support Orders Established

Report the number of support orders established by the IV-D agency during the quarter. These child support orders must be established by court order or administrative process, voluntary agreement (in States where such agreements are filed in the court or agency of theadministrative process as an order and are legally enforceable), or other legal process. Support orders established for medical support or health insurance should also be reported on this line.

Voluntary support agreements and any modifications to them should not be counted in this item if such agreements are not legally enforceable in the reporting State.

Modifications to the amount of any obligation or order should be counted on line 16 if they are the result of actions in which the State or local IV-D Office participated. Both increasing and decreasing modifications should be reported.

Support obligations which order joint payment for both current support and arrearages are to be counted as the establishment of one support obligation. A support obligation established prior to a case's referral to IV-D or prior to application for IV-D services is not to be counted in this item.

On sub-line 15a, report the number of cases with support orders established, reported on line 15, which include orders for health insurance or medical support.

Line 16 - Support Orders Enforced or Modified

Report the number of support orders enforced or modified by the IV-D agency during the quarter. This modification must have been established by court order or administrative process, voluntary agreement (in States where such agreements are filed in the court or agency of the administrative process as an order and are legally enforceable), or other legal process.

Modifications to the amount of the obligation or order should be counted on line 16 if they are the result of actions in which the State or local IV-D office participated. Both increasing and decreasing modifications should be reported. Modifications to include medical support or health insurance should also be included here. NOTE: Judgments for arrearages and wage assignments are to be counted in this line.

On sub-line 16a, report the number of cases that had support orders enforced or modified, reported on line 16, that include orders for health insurance or medical support.

Line 17 - Cases with Collections in the Second Month of the Quarter

Report the number of cases for which one or more collections were made during the second month of the quarter. Each case should be counted only once, regardless of the number of collections made for that case during the month. For example, if an absent parent makes two payments during the month for case A, one payment for case B and two payments for case C, the State would report three cases with collections. Also include cases where a support order has not been established but a voluntary payment has been made.

Cases in which a collection was received in the second month as a result of the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program are to be included in this section. Should a case receive both an intercept collection and a regular collection during the second month of the quarter, the case is to be counted only once.

NOTE: Data elements in this section should reflect both intrastate and interstate cases. However, credit for a case in which a collection has been made is to be claimed only by the State actually responsible for making the collection--not by both the initiating and responding State. (This is not the data which will be used for calculating incentives based on interstate activity; that information will be obtained from other financial reporting forms).

SECTION D: INTERSTATE ACTIVITY

Interstate activity refers to the number of cases for which interstate requests for assistance were either sent or received at any time during the quarter. Note that this figure represents cases rather than the actual number of requests. Each case should be counted only once, regardless of how much correspondence has taken place.

All cases counted in this section should have been counted in Section A, B, and C.

Requests for assistance include requests for location, establishment of paternity and support orders, enforcement of support, or any other IV-D activity. This includes both URESA and non-URESA activity, and applies to requests made or received by the IV-D Central Registry.

If an initiating State does not specify the AFDC/non-AFDC status of a case for which it is requesting assistance, the responding State should obtain this information from the initiating State.

Line 18 - Cases Initiated in this State During the Quarter

Report on this line the number of cases in which a request for assistance was initiated in this State and sent to another State during the quarter. The figure should represent the number of cases for which assistance is requested, not the actual number of requests. Thus, if requests for assistance were sent to multiple States for the same case, this would be reported once.

Line 19 - Cases Initiated in Another State During the Quarter

Report on this line the total number of cases in which a request for assistance was initiated in another State and sent to this State during the quarter. As indicated above, requests for assistance include all IV-D activities. States should not include locate only requests.

Line 20 - Cases with Collections in the Second Month of the Quarter Sent to Another State

Report on this line the total number of cases where collections were sent to other States during the second month of the quarter. Include all cases for which collections were paid to other States, regardless of when the request for assistance was received. Each case should be counted only once, regardless of the number of collections made for that case during the month.

Line 21 - Cases with Collections in the Second Month of the Quarter that were Received from Another State

Report on this line the total number of cases for which collections were received from other States during the second month of the quarter. Include all interstate cases for which collections were received, regardless of when the request for assistance was sent. Each case should be counted only once, regardless on the number of collections made for that case during the month.

Signature. The OCSE-156 must be signed and dated by the director of the State's title IV-D program. The individual who signs this report is certifying that the information provided here and on all accompanying documents is accurate and correct.

* * * * *

Public Reporting. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3.7 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing andreviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Deputy Director, Office of Child Support Enforcement, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20447; and to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FORM OCSE-158-CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM ANNUAL DATA SUMMARY REPORT

The following sections are to be completed once a year. Paternity establishment data should reflect cases open on the last day of the year. Collection data reported should reflect the entire year and should be rounded to the nearest dollar.

SECTION A: PATERNITY ESTABLISHMENT

Public Law 100-485 requires States to meet a standard for paternity establishment in order to be in substantial compliance with the requirement to operate an effective paternity establishment program. It requires States to be judged using the following measure:

The total number of children born out of wedlock, for whom Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) is being paid or Child Support Enforcement (IV-D) services are being provided under section 454(6) of the Social Security Act and for whom paternity has been established--divided by the total number of children born out of wedlock receiving AFDC or IV-D services.

For purposes of this standard, the total number of children born out of wedlock will exclude any child who is a dependent child due to the death of a parent; or any child for whom an applicant or recipient is found to have good cause for refusing to cooperate with State IV-D authorities in the establishment of paternity or the establishment and enforcement of child support orders.

NOTE: It is permissible to count a child for whom paternity must be established even though the child was not born out of wedlock.

As explained in AT-88-20, AT-89-3 and IM-89-2 each State is required to report the data necessary to calculate the paternity establishment rate. This information consists of reporting for all open IV-D cases on the last day of the fiscal year, regardless of whether such cases have received any IV-D services, the number of children who were born out of wedlock and the number of those children who have had paternity established. In reporting these data, States must obtain an unduplicated count of the total number of children born out of wedlock by type (AFDC/FC, non-AFDC, and AFDC/FC arrears only). States must also obtain an unduplicated count of the total number of title IV-E foster care and foster care arrears only children separately since it is part of the formula Congress has mandated for determining whether a State meets the standard.

Line 1 - Children Born Out of Wedlock in Title IV-D Cases, Except Title IV-E Cases

Report the number of children born out of wedlock in title IV-D cases open on the last day of the year, excluding title IV-E foster care children born out of wedlock. Note: Report the number of children not the number of cases.

Line 2 - Children Born Out of Wedlock in Title IV-E Foster Care Cases

Report the number of title IV-E foster care and foster care arrears only children born out of wedlock, in title IV-D cases open on the last day of the year. Note: Report the number of children not the number of cases.

Line 3 - Children Born Out of Wedlock with Paternity Established in Title IV-D Cases, Except Title IV-E

Report the number of children born out of wedlock in all open title IV-D cases, counted on line 1, excluding title IV-E foster care children born out of wedlock, who have had paternity established. This is the number of children not the number of cases who have had paternity established. Paternity does not have to have been established by the IV-D agency.

Line 4 - Children Born Out of Wedlock with Paternity Established in Title IV-E Foster Care Cases

Report the number of title IV-E foster care and foster care arrears only children born out of wedlock, counted on line 2, who have had paternity established. This is the number of children not the number of cases who have had paternity established. Paternity does not have to have been established by the IV-D agency.

SECTION B: VOLUNTARY COLLECTIONS RECEIVED

Line 5 - Cases Without Support Orders for Which Voluntary Collections were Received and Amount Received

Report on this line the number of cases for which payments have been received where a legally enforceable support order has not been established. In the first sub-column of each category, report the number of cases where voluntary payments were received (no existing support order) and in the second sub-column report the total amount received during the year.

Do not include collections received for cases in which a legally enforceable support order has been established--even if such collections exceed the amount of support which was ordered to be paid. Such amounts should be reported in Section C as appropriate.

SECTION C: ORDERED COLLECTIONS RECEIVED AND ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

P.L. 98-378 mandates the collection of information concerning Child Support Enforcement "accounts receivable." This information should reflect an accurate State-by-State portrayal of the amount of child support due and the amount of child support collected for both current and prior year support.

States should report amounts due and collections made on their own behalf, amounts due and collections made on the behalf of other States, and amounts due and collections received from other States. States should set up a mechanism for accounting for all receivables (orders, obligations, URESA cases, etc.) both inside and outside (interstate) their jurisdictions.

In this Section each column is divided into two sub-columns. In the first sub-column, (a), (c), or (e), report the number of orders as described in each line. In the second sub-column, (b), (d), or (f), report the corresponding dollar value attributed to such orders. It is permissible to estimate the number of support orders in each column at one point-in-time, using a count of orders on the last day of the fiscal year in each of the three categories. This estimate can replace the need to maintain a cumulative count of ever-existing orders and the need to prorate for cases that change categories. The last day of the year is an acceptable point-in-time, but States may use another convenient date.

NOTE: All interstate accounts receivable should be included--both amounts due and collections received.

Both initiating and responding States should keep records of the number and amount of orders received for all interstate cases. If the initiating State has no order within the State, but there is an order in a responding State, the initiating State should record the order and the `amount due' for statistical purposes. If there is an order in both the initiating and the responding States, each State should use its own order.

Line 6 - Total Number of Orders and Total Amount of Such Orders

Report the total number of support orders for both current and past due support that are included in the IV-D system, and the corresponding sum of the regular and periodic amounts ordered to be paid and amounts with no payment schedule. The number of orders reported should represent obligations for both current and prior year support. A point-in-time estimate of the number of support orders on the last day of the fiscal year is acceptable. This figure represents orders for all IV-D cases including pre-existing orders for IV-D cases opened during the year and new orders established during the year. The corresponding dollar amounts reported should represent the total amount of support ordered to be paid for these cases for which the IV-D agency is responsible for collecting. Line 6 should be the sum of lines 7 and 9.

NOTE: The amounts given should include judgment for prior years support.

Line 7 - Orders with Obligations for Current Year Support and the Amount of the Obligations

Report the total number of support orders for current year support (as of 9/30 of the last fiscal year plus orders entered during the current year) that are included in the IV-D system, and the corresponding sum of the periodic amounts ordered to be paid for the entire year. The number of orders reported on this line should reflect both the figure reported on line 11 plus existing orders for current year support associated with IV-D cases carried over from the prior year. Alternatively, a point-in-time estimate of support orders on the last day of the fiscal year is acceptable. The dollar amount reported on this line should represent the total amounts of support ordered payable this year for all orders reported in the first sub-column [(a), (c), or (e)]. This includes the dollar amount reported on line 11, and the amount ordered payable for the current year for orders entered in the IV-D system in prior years.

If a IV-D case was opened two years ago with a monthly support order of $200, the order would be counted in sub-column (a), if AFDC, and the support ordered for the current year, $2400, would be reported in sub-column (b), regardless of the payment status of the order. If arrears from prior years are also owed, the past due amounts would be reported separately in line 9.

Make sure you have included all cases and collections, both intrastate and interstate.

The data reported on this line should include all IV-D receivables for support ordered for the current fiscal year.

Line 8 - Orders for Which Current Year Support was Collected and the Amount Collected

Report the total number of support orders for current year support (as of 9/30 of the last fiscal year plus orders entered during the current year) included in the IV-D system, for which collections were received, and the total amount of such collections received for the year. The number reported on this line should include all orders for current year support for which collections were received.

Count both collections received for obligations (orders) entered during the year (line 12) and collections received for current year support for support orders entered in prior years. The dollar amount should represent the total amount of collections received during the year applicable to all orders for current year support.

The data reported on this line is directly comparable to the data reported on line 7. These should not exceed the numbers reported in line 7. Each order should be reported once, regardless of the number of times during the year that collections were received.

States are encouraged to utilize the Last In-First Out (LIFO) system of accounting when crediting collections when possible. Thus, if a case had existing support order of $200 per month and an arrearage of $500 from prior years, collections received this year would first be credited to support ordered for the current year ($2400). After the amount of support ordered to be paid for the current year was satisfied, any remaining collections received would be credited to past-due amounts owed. (The exception to this is tax offset money which always goes toward arrearages.)

Make sure you have included all cases and collections, both intrastate and interstate.

Line 9 - Orders With Obligations for Prior Years Support and the Amount of Obligations

Report the total number of support orders with unpaid obligations as of 9/30 of the last fiscal year and the sum of such amounts. The number reported should include those orders which entered the IV-D system during the year with prior years arrearages and all other obligations (orders) in the IV-D system which have past due amounts owed from prior years. The dollar amount reported on this line should reflect the total amount of past due support ordered to be paid in prior years. Only prior years past-due amounts should be reported on this line, even if the support ordered for the current year remains outstanding.

If an AFDC case entered the IV-D system three years ago with a monthly support obligation of $200, and an arrearage of $1200 and no support has been collected for the case, the order would be reflected in this report as follows: line 7, record one (1) in sub-column (a) and the sum of the monthly obligations for the current year, $2400, in sub-column (b); on line 9, record one (1) in sub-column (a) and record the sum of the monthly obligations for two years plus the prior amount of the arrearages ($2400 times 2 = $4800 + $1200 = $6000) in sub-column (b). All the information would be reported on line 6 where the case will be recorded in sub-column (a) and the sum of lines 7 and 9 ($2400 + $6000 = $8400) in sub-column (b).

Make sure you have included all orders and amounts due, both intrastate and interstate.

Line 10 - Orders for Which Prior Years Support was Collected and the Amount Collected

Report the total number of orders with past due support from prior years (as 9/30 of the last fiscal year) for which collections were received during the year and the total dollar amount of such collections. The figure reported in the first sub-column should represent the number of all orders in the IV-D system owing past due amounts from prior years for which collections were received and the second sub-column should represent the total amount of such collections for the entire year. This should include collections received toward prior year support due for orders entered during the year. Each order should be counted once regardless of the number of times collections toward prior years support were received. Do not include those collections which were credited toward amounts of support for the current year.

The data reported on this line is directly comparable to the data reported on line 9 and should not exceed the numbers reported there.

The total amount of collections reported on this line, plus that reported on lines 5 and 8 must be equal to the total amount of child support collections received during the year. (Reported on the OCSE-34--line 9 minus line 1 plus line 19). These numbers will be compared and States will be asked to justify variances. The information must be within acceptable variances in comparing totals from the OCSE-158 and the OCSE-34. This will allow States to get credit for all collections made on their own behalf and on behalf of other States.

Make sure you have included all cases and collections, both intrastate and interstate.

Line 11 - Orders Established During the Current Year and the Amounts Established

Report the total number of support orders for the current year which entered the IV-D system during the year and the corresponding sum of the amounts ordered to be paid for the entire year. Arrearages should not be included. The number reported should represent obligations for the current year which entered the IV-D system during the year. A point-in-time estimate of the number of orders on the last day of the fiscal year is acceptable. This figure includes pre-existing support orders associated with cases opened during the year and new orders established during the year. The corresponding dollar amount reported should represent the total amount of support ordered to be paid for the current year for which the IV-D agency is responsible for collecting (support due from time of IV-D opening plus prior months support that has not been paid).

If a support order was established during the year, the order should be reported in the first sub-column, and all support due since the obligation was established should be reported in the second sub-column.

If a IV-D case was opened during the year with an existing support order of $200 per month, the order would be reported in the appropriate first sub-column and the sum of the monthly obligations from the time the case was opened plus prior months support that has not been paid would be reported in the appropriate second sub-column. If a case was opened during the year and included a prior year arrearage amount of $600, only the amounts ordered to be paid for the current year should be reported on this line. The $600 prior year arrearage would be reported separately on line 9.

If during the year, an existing support order is modified, the newly modified order would be reported in the appropriate first sub-column and the sum of the monthly obligations from the time the order was modified to the end of the year would be reported in the second sub-column. The original order and amount due up to the time of modification should also be counted on line 7, unless the original order entered the IV-D system during the currentyear--then line 7 should only reflect the amount ordered from the time the order entered the system until the order was modified. If a case changes status during the period (ie. for AFDC to non-AFDC), count the case under both categories, sub-column (a), (c), or (e), and pro-rate the amount collected under the appropriate corresponding sub-column (b), (d), or (f).

Make sure you have included all cases and collections, both intrastate and interstate.

Line 12 - Orders Established During the Year for Which Current Year Support was Collected and the Amount Collected

Report the total number of support orders from line 11, for which collections were received this year and the total amount of such collections for the entire year. The data reported on this line is directly comparable to the data reported on line 11. The orders reported on this line should not exceed the numbers reported on line 11. The dollar amount reported should represent the total collections for these cases for the entire year by the IV-D agency.

Again, for uniformity in reporting, States are encouraged to utilize the Last In-First Out system of accounting when possible. Each case should be reported once on this line, regardless of the number of times during the year that collections were received for that order.

Again, make sure you have included all cases and collections, both intrastate and interstate.

SECTION D: STAFF AND ASSOCIATED EXPENDITURES

In column A of this section, report the number of staff employed on the last working day of September of the reporting year. Report these numbers in full-time equivalent (FTE) figures (divide the total number of hours worked by all part-time staff by 2080 hours). This makes staffing figures reported by States with varying staffing patterns comparable. In column B, report the amount of money in salary and fringe benefits associated with the figures reported in column A.

Line 13 - Employees of State and Local Title IV-D Agencies

Report both the total number of FTE staff employed by the State IV-D agency and local IV-D agencies, and costs associated with the staff. Do not include any staff working under cooperative or purchase of service agreements (see line 14). Do include staff who are assigned to work for the IV-D agency from another agency and whose salaries are paid from IV-D funds rather than from an ADP service agreement, purchase of service agreement, etc. (e.g., Assistant Attorney General, data processing specialists, and fiscal specialists).

Line 14 - Employees Under Purchase of Service and Cooperative Agreements

Report the total number of FTE staff employed by an agency (public or private) working under a cooperative agreement or a purchase of service agreement with the IV-D agency, and costs associated with the staff. Do not count any staff already counted in line 13.

SECTION E: PROGRAM EXPENDITURES

In Public Law 98-378, Congress set forth a statutory requirement to collect information on the "amount of administrative costs expended in each functional category of expenditures by each State". Numbers should reflect program costs as of the last day of the year.

Line 15 - Total Annual Expenditures Eligible for Federal Financial Participation (FFP)

Report in this block `annual' total expenditures eligible for Federal funding. This figure should be the total of all expenditure figures reported on line 1 of form OCSE-131 for each quarter of the fiscal year.

Lines 16 and 17 - Expenditures Made on Behalf of AFDC and Non-AFDC Families

Report on these lines, the amount of expenditures eligible for Federal funding as they apply to the AFDC/FC and Non-AFDC portions of the program. The numbers reported must add up to the figures reported on line 1 of the OCSE-131 for the entire fiscal year.

Lines 18 and 19 - Expenditures Claimed as Direct and Indirect Costs

The total cost of a grant program is comprised of the allowable direct cost incident to its performance, plus its allocable portion of allowable indirect costs, less applicable credits. OMB circular A-87, Section D (see attachment) covers the definitions of these types of costs.

There is no universal rule for classifying certain costs as either direct or indirect under every accounting system. A cost may be direct with respect to some specific service or function, but indirect with respect to the grant or other ultimate cost objective. It is essential, therefore, that each item of cost be treated consistently either as a direct or indirect cost. Break out the total annual costs reported on line 1 of the OCSE-131 into direct or indirect costs based on OMB Circular A-87 and applicable State regulations.

Lines 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24--Functional Cost Expenditures

As stated above, States are required by statute to report expenditures by functional category. The reporting of functional expenditures should be based on an approved (by the Regional Office) cost allocation plan, a time study, or a valid work sample. Total expenditures as reported on line 1 of the OCSE-131 for the fiscal year should be allocated to the following categories, expenditures made to:

A. Establish Paternities (line 20)

B. Locate Absent Parents (line 21)

C. Establish Support Orders (line 22)

D. Enforce Support Orders (line 23)

E. Distribute Collections (line 24)

Administrative costs should be included in each of the categories and the totals shown for each category should add up to line 1 of the OCSE-131 for the fiscal year.

Signatures. The OCSE-158 must be signed by the State official with the authority for supervising the financial administration of the child support enforcement program. Space is provided for the signature of the director of the State's IV-D program. A second space has been provided for an additional signature, at the States's option, of a program administrator or other State official. Indicate position title(s) and agency name(s). Also indicate the date submitted to OCSE. The person(s) signing this report are certifying that the information provided here and on all accompanying documents is correct.

* * * * *

Public Reporting. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.2 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Deputy Director, Office of Child Support Enforcement, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.,Washington, D.C. 20447; and to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503.

GENERAL REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

The requirements contained in this Action Transmittal meet, in part, the Secretary's responsibilities under section 452(a)(10) of the Social Security Act to develop information required for OCSE's Annual Report to Congress. In addition, the information to be reported is essential, if the Secretary is to meet the requirements contained in section 452(a)(1) and (2) to establish standards for an effective program and minimum organizational and staffing requirements. The authority to collect this information is set forth in regulations at 45 CFR 302.15(a) and Public Laws 97-35, 98-378, and 100-485.

1. Due Dates

Reports are to be submitted by State IV-D agencies quarterly within 30 days after the last day of the reporting quarter. One copy is to be submitted to the appropriate OCSE Regional Office and one copy is to be submitted to the OCSE Central Office at the following address:

Office of Child Support

Enforcement

Policy and Planning Division

Planning and Evaluation Branch

Fourth Floor East

370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20447

If the report is delayed because some data elements are not yet available, all available data should be reported in a preliminary report, which should be identified as such (see section 2, below).

2. Sampling and Estimating

The use of sampling for all items, except collections and expenditures, is permissible if it is the only way in which a State can obtain data within the reporting deadline. Procedures and guidelines for statistical sampling methods are contained in OCSE Information Memorandum 79-5, dated February 16, 1979 (see attachments). Any statistical sampling plan must be approved by the Regional Office before being implemented.

All estimated data should be identified with a capital "E" after the number. If the estimates are based on any method other than an approved statistical sampling plan, the basis for the estimate should be explained in a supporting statement attached to the report.

Rather than report incomplete data, States should estimate data if necessary. Representative data should be reported for all jurisdictions within a State; if actual data are not available for a certain jurisdiction, they should be estimated and footnoted as such. All estimates based on incomplete data must then be amended in revised reports within 90 days.

3. Variances

States must supply written explanations for data variances that exceed +20% or -10% from the prior quarter; even if there is an obvious reason for the variance. There are no exceptions to this requirement. States will be asked to supply adequate reasons and/or explanations.

4. Implementation

Supplies of the OCSE-156 Quarterly Report and the OCSE-158 Annual Report will be sent to each agency. States must use the OCSE-156 to report data for the quarter ending December 31, 1990. The OCSE-156 will be due within 30 days of the end of that quarter (January 30, 1991). The OCSE-158 will be due within 30 days of the end of the fourth quarter (October 30, 1991).

Attachments are available in the OCSE Reference Center.