Delayed Implementation of Revised OCSE-157 Data Report– Oct. 1, 2021

ACTION TRANSMITTAL

AT-20-06

DATE: May 27, 2020

TO: State IV-D Agencies 

SUBJECT: Delayed Implementation of Revised OCSE-157 Data Report— Oct. 1, 2021

ATTACHMENT: Revised OCSE-157 Form and Instructions.pdf (PDF)

Due to the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Management and Budget has given OCSE approval to delay implementation of the revised Child Support Annual Data Report (OCSE-157) by one year until October 1, 2021.

State agencies administering child support programs under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act are required to submit the OCSE-157. The information from this form is compiled and presented in the Child Support Enforcement Annual Report to Congress and is used to compute individual state incentive and program performance measures.

OCSE established a workgroup comprised of federal staff to review and update the form instructions for clarity and consistency with existing policy. On December 13, 2017, a notice for public comment on the revised OCSE-157 form was posted to the Federal Register on page 58615, Volume 82, Number 238  (PDF). In 2018, OCSE, with input from the workgroup, thoroughly analyzed all comments and finalized the newly revised form. We balanced the need to be responsive to comments with our need to maintain consistency with existing policy and the impact of the changes on systems.

The new effective date of this revised form and instructions is October 1, 2021. Attached is an advance copy to allow sufficient time for states to make any necessary programming changes.

Significant Changes to the OCSE-157 Form and Instructions

General Reporting Instructions

• Removed outdated text related to the suspension of audits of the proposed Medical Support performance indicator lines due to the evolving Health Care Reform initiative. However, audits of the proposed Medical Support performance indicator lines (Lines 2e, 21, and 21a) remain suspended.

Case Inventory Definitions

• Replaced the term “putative” father with “alleged” father.
• Revised definition of International IV-D Case to include Hague Child Support Convention countries.
• Added definitions for Interstate IV-D Case and Intergovernmental IV-D Case.

Services Definitions

• Added definitions for Disbursement and Distribution.
• Replaced Medical Coverage terminology with Health Care Coverage. Health Care Coverage includes any health care coverage for a child in a IV-D case. This includes private health insurance, state and federal health care marketplaces, and publicly funded health care coverage.
• Revised definition of Medical Support. Medical Support now includes any type of coverage as defined under Health Care Coverage in addition to cash medical support.

Section A: Case Inventory

• Line 1 — revised instructions to clarify that cases for which the 60-day case closure notice has been issued must be included in the count for Line 1, unless the case has been officially closed.
• Line 1a — revised instructions to clarify that only interstate cases initiated in the state are reported on this line. Cases sent to a tribe or foreign country are not counted on this line.
• Line 1b — revised instructions to clarify that only interstate cases received from another state are reported on this line. Cases received from a tribe or foreign country are not counted on this line.
• Lines 1f and 1g — revised instructions to include Hague Convention countries and clarify that an application from a resident of a foreign country applying directly with a state is not considered an international IV-D case.
• Line 2c — revised line name and instructions to clarify that zero dollar orders and orders that were established only for health care coverage are counted on this line.
• Line 2e — clarified that arrears cases must: 1) have no current child support or current medical support due on the last day of the fiscal year; and 2) have a positive arrears balance on the last day of the fiscal year.
• Lines 2h and 2i — updated instructions to reflect revised definition of international IV-D case.
• Line 3 — revised instructions to clarify that this line includes cases for countries that are not a Hague Convention country. It also includes cases for countries that do not have a federal or state reciprocating agreement to enable the state to take actions necessary to establish paternity or child support, or enforce the order.

Section B: Paternity Establishment

• Lines 6 and 9 — updated line and section instructions to reference OCSE AT-11-12, Reporting Adoptions on the OCSE-157 Annual Data Report, which explains that for reporting purposes on both Lines 6 and 9, regardless of birth circumstances, an adoption is deemed to be an out-of-wedlock birth.

Section D: Services Provided

• Line 18a — replaced the term “Interstate” with “Intergovernmental.”

Section E: Medical Support

• Lines 21 and 21a — revised section and line instructions to include new definitions for health care coverage and medical support as detailed above under services definitions.
• Lines 22 and 23 — revised to replace definition for “health insurance” with “health care coverage” definition.

Section F: Collections Due and Distributed

• Line 24 — revised instructions to clarify that the reported amount of current support due must be based on a legally established child support order and that the current support due must be computed monthly. The total of all months should be reported at the end of the year. Language has also been inserted to clarify that voluntary collections must be included only when there is no child support order in effect. Lastly, this section was updated to indicate that future payments cannot be reported on this line.
• Line 25 — modified instructions to clarify what to include as current support. The purpose of these changes is to provide more comprehensive instructions regarding the reporting of current support and future payments.
• Lines 26 and 27 — replaced the term “jurisdictional” with “intergovernmental.”

Section H: Medical Support Continued

• Removed reporting lines 33 and 34 in Section H. States are no longer required to report on these lines. The purpose of this change is to eliminate the burden of collecting information that is challenging to collect and verify.
• Line 35 — revised instructions to clarify that cases do not need an order to be included on this line.

Minor Changes

The overall document has been modified to incorporate minor editorial changes throughout to clarify or emphasize intended meaning of a definition or instruction.

ACTION REQUIRED: Some of these revisions may require reprogramming of state systems and states will need time to make the changes. States should continue to use the earlier version of this form to submit reports for FY 2020 (due October 30, 2020) and FY 2021 (due October 30, 2021).

REFERENCES: AT-11-12, DCL-17-12

SUPERSEDES: AT-19-03

EFFECTIVE DATE: Because implementing the revised form will require updates to state systems, state child support agencies have until October 1, 2021 (FY 2022), to implement the revised form and use it for reports due October 30, 2022.

INQUIRIES: Please contact OCSE Division of Performance and Statistical Analysis at DPSAsupport@acf.hhs.gov if you have questions or would like a copy of the revised form and instructions showing the tracked changes.

Scott M. Lekan
Acting Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement