Locator Codes (aka FIPS) Data Standards

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER

DCL-07-02

ATTACHMENT: Recommendation Summary.pdf (PDF)

DATE: January 22, 2007

TO: STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: Locator Codes (aka FIPS) Data Standards

Dear Colleague:

Child support enforcement (CSE) agencies have long used a combination of state and county identifiers to meet a variety of business needs, e.g., document routing, office identification and reporting. With the expansion of the child support program to include tribal IV-D cases and international IV-D cases, it was determined that these cases also need to be identified for reporting and case management purposes.

On June 19, 2006 a DCL was published containing the recommendations of the workgroup. The comments were reviewed in the Data Standards Oversight Board meeting on October 20, 2006 and the data standards as defined herein were endorsed.

Attached to this DCL is a summary of the recommendation with examples.

This data standards endorsed by the Data Standards Oversight Board on October 20, 2006, recommends the following:

• Continue to use the current 5-digit Locator (FIPS) code for states.
• Use a 5-character identifier for tribal and international cases.
  • Uniquely identify tribal cases with “9” in the first position, 0 (zero) in the second position and follow with a 3-character tribal code defined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, (BIA).
  • Uniquely identify international cases with “8”in the first position, use 0 (zero) in the second position and follow with 3-character country code identifiers defined by the International Standards Organization (ISO). {Note: see exception for Canada}

While this coding for tribal and international cases is not mandated, it does meet the business needs for reporting and case management. CSE agencies could add these codes as other enhancements are made to their systems.

Please email your questions to Richard Ordowich at richard.ordowich@acf.hhs.gov .

Sincerely,

Margot Bean
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

Enclosure

cc: Regional Program Managers
ACF Regional Administrators