In September 2019, OCSE awarded funding to 7 state and 2 tribal child support agencies through the Intergovernmental Case Processing Innovation demonstration grant (PDF). The grantees will test innovations likely to increase payments, efficiency and customer service by making improvements to their intergovernmental case processing procedures and systems. This demonstration is intended to generate evidence-based knowledge so that policymakers and program administrators can determine whether implementing similar processes, technology, or interventions could increase collections and improve intergovernmental case processing.
These summaries provide an overview of the grantees' projects for the two-year period. Grantees will evaluate their interventions by comparing administrative data on collections, case processing time, and customer service before, during, and after the intervention period.
For more information, contact the Division of Program Innovation at OCSE.DPI@acf.hhs.gov.
Interactive Forms Software Solving Intergovernmental Case Management
Funds from this grant program will assist with the procurement and implementation of an interactive forms software solution that can be customized to guide participants in the completion of forms, provide electronic signatures and secure delivery functionality, validate form field responses, and enable multilingual support for developed forms.
Contact: Alexis Ramirez | 916-464-6813 | alexis.ramirez@dcss.ca.gov
Video: California Intergovernmental Grant Update
Expected Outcomes
- Increased number of Review and Adjustment (R&A) packets returned by participants
- Decreased number of days in the return and processing of R&A and Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) packets
- Expedited modification of court orders
- Increased compliance with court orders
- Decreased volume of documents mailed to participants in other jurisdictions
- Increased volume of UIFSA packages transmitted by local child support agencies
Evaluation Report
This report describes California’s Interactive Forms Intervention designed to improve intergovernmental case processing and enhance the review and adjustment court modification process.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced review and adjustment resulted in 12,714 customer inquiries received, surpassing the goal of 8,000 inquires.
- As a result of implementing UIFSA forms, the number of days to return information and modify orders (1½ ) surpassed the 15-day goal.
- Using an automated forms and workflow platform yielded 812 completed forms, more than 600 over the goal.
- The 90% goal of obtaining a “high” or “very high” satisfaction rating was not met. Only 75% of customers and 51% of professionals rated the interactive forms as anticipated.
Download California's evaluation report (PDF) and technical assistant documents (PDF)
Colorado Interstate Collaboration (CIC)
Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services (CO DCSS) will implement the Colorado Intergovernmental Collaboration (CIC) demonstration project to test the effectiveness of improved cooperation and relationships between Colorado and its bordering states. CO DCSS’ goal is to improve collaboration among Colorado county child support staff and their counterparts in other states/jurisdictions to increase collections. This will be done by convening five interstate collaboratives involving child support staff from Colorado and from those states with which Colorado shares a border. In-person meetings will provide a productive forum to discuss differences and similarities in case processing and individual problem cases. Through these collaboratives, Colorado intends to increase collection on interstate cases initiated in Colorado by 1.2% in two years. This ambitious goal will effectively double the improvement in collections among interstate cases compared to the anticipated improved collection (0.6% in two years) for Colorado’s total child support caseload. CIC will support neighboring states by resolving barriers and specific case processing issues. This will be accomplished by developing new tools for cross-jurisdiction cases and ensuring stronger communication processes are adopted by cross-state participants.
Contact: Sabrina Montoya | 303-866-3183 | sabrina.montoya@state.co.us
Expected Outcomes
- Creation of a neighboring state matrix that outlines different requirements per state
- Better intergovernmental communication among child support professionals across state lines
- Increased collection of child support from intergovernmental cases
- Increased family wellbeing resulting from child support income and better information about cases in Colorado
Evaluation Report
This report describes Colorado’s work to improve relationships among county child support caseworkers and their counterparts in seven border states. Evaluation included assessing participants’ reactions to virtual and in-person summits using surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
Key Takeaways
- Caseworkers favor a mix of virtual and in-person meeting opportunities to build relationships with their counterparts in other states.
- Virtual meetings helped participants understand the unique processing and policy features of neighboring jurisdictions and made them feel more confident and supported.
- Staffing shortages, privatization of child support services, and high rates of staff turnover are barriers to engaging child support staff in interstate collaboration initiatives.
- Interstate collaboration initiatives should combine brief, participant-led updates on new policies or practices with planned components and expert facilitation.
Download Colorado's evaluation report (PDF) and appendices (PDF)
Fort Belknap Indian Community Child Support Enforcement Program (FBIC CSEP)
The Fort Belknap Indian Community Child Support Enforcement Program (FBIC CSEP) will increase the collection on intergovernmental child support cases they share with state agencies. Gaining access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) will help the FBIC CSEP locate parents, inform them of their financial obligations to the child(ren), establish child support orders and interact with noncustodial parents in a fair, meaningful, and conclusive manner. By providing training and a data and evaluation plan to case managers, the FBIC CSEP will increase management efficiency and identify sustainability measures that will allow the program to increase case outcomes; child support collection rates; the overall management of all the cases that they are jurisdictionally responsible for; and programmatic efforts that address a full spectrum of parent and family strengthening needs.
Contact: Willowa "Sis" Horn | 406-353-4230 | sishorn@ftbelknap.org
Expected Outcomes
- Locate parents associated with the intergovernmental cases using FPLS
- Develop a data and evaluation collection plan to streamline case processing practices
- Train case managers to use the FPLS and maintain their data collection practice that will result in increased collections and locations on primarily intergovernmental cases
Evaluation Report
This report describes Ft. Belknap Indian Community’s efforts to increase collections on intergovernmental child support cases by locating parents using the Federal Parent Locator Service.
Key Takeaways
- Gaining access to the Federal Parent Locator Service was instrumental in locating parents and increasing collections.
- In-person outreach activities were the most effective ways to connect with noncustodial parents.
- Communicating and collaborating with tribal partners was key to maintaining contact with noncustodial parents and helping them overcome barriers.
Indiana County IV-D Offices, Central Registries, and Case Participants
The Indiana Child Support Bureau will initiate four activities designed to improve family interaction with the child support agencies through a combination of proactive customer service and procedural changes. The first two activities involve the creation of a CARE Team (Collaboration, Assistance, Resource, and Education) to oversee all of Indiana’s intergovernmental interactions. Processes and workflows developed around services provided to Indiana’s county and state partners. As the team becomes more experienced with these new processes, the procedures will be reviewed and updated.
The third activity is a business process review and redesign to build efficiencies into the workflows. The fourth activity is the creation of a series of interactive eLearning modules focused on the OCSE tools of Electronic Development Exchange, Query Interstate Cases for Kids, and the Intergovernmental Reference Guide. The modules will be developed and tested during the OCSE grant period, and will become a part of the Indiana Training Team’s Intergovernmental Training series.
Contact: Charity Gillis | 317-234-0161 | charity.gillis@dcs.in.gov
Technical Assistance Document: Indiana Case Management Call Flow (PDF)
Expected Outcomes
- Increased collections of intergovernmental cases
- Improved case processing procedures that increase efficiency
- Enhanced customer service
Evaluation Report
This report describes how Indiana tested new ways of conducting business and redesigned their process to become more efficient and customer-focused.
Key Takeaways
- Implementing a call center phone system can produce call statistics to make data-driven decisions.
- It’s easier to build trust and inspire collaboration when employees understand how their work impacts others and vice versa.
- The effectiveness of business process redesign depends on whether affected employees are engaged and included.
- Changing the scanning process didn’t improve overall efficiency of completing intergovernmental case forms.
Download Indiana's evaluation report (PDF) and appendices (PDF)
The Klamath Tribes Federal Parent Locator Service Project
The Klamath Tribes will conduct activities to complete the requirements to have direct access to the Child Support Portal.
Contact: Danita Herrera | 541-783-3020, ext. 105 | danita.herrera@klamathtribalcourts.com
Expected Outcomes
- Increased child support collections by 15% per year
- Improved case processing time
- Improved customer service
- Increase parents’ trust and confidence in the child support program and its processes
- Improved children’s financial well-being and quality of life
Evaluation Report
This report describes The Klamath Tribes' efforts to access the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS).
Key Takeaways
- The security assessment for FPLS access increased awareness about preventing unauthorized access and reducing the risk of data breaches.
- Having access to the FPLS allows the program to exercise full jurisdictional authority over child support matters.
- Access to parent information allows the program to work more cohesively with other state and tribal programs on intergovernmental cases.
North Dakota Intergovernmental Improvement Project
The project seeks to increase collections on intergovernmental cases and improve intergovernmental case processing procedures to increase efficiency and enhance customer service through assessing the need for intergovernmental cases; improving incoming intergovernmental referrals, improving outgoing intergovernmental referrals; and managing state and tribal referrals, transfers, and shared cases.
Contact: Beth Dittus | 701-328-5440 | bldittus@nd.gov
Technical Assistance Documents:
- Enhanced Procedures Handbook: Central Registry (PDF)
- Enhanced Procedures Handbook: Tribal Related Cases (PDF)
- Enhanced Procedures Handbook: State-Related Cases (Three Affiliated Tribes) (PDF)
- Outgoing Interstate Center Transfer Checklist (PDF)
Website: North Dakota Outgoing Intergovernmental Case Website
Expected Outcomes
- Enhanced role of the Central Registry or Centralized Intake Unit to thoroughly screen incoming intergovernmental referrals to ensure needed information and documentation is identified early in the process and the case is not assigned to a case manager prematurely
- More complete documentation of incoming intergovernmental referrals
- Shorter intervals between the opening of an incoming intergovernmental case, the date paternity and support are established, if necessary, and the date of first collection
- Streamlined, customer-friendly approaches for servicing intergovernmental cases, including obtaining needed information from service recipients
- Shorter intervals between identifying the need to initiate an outgoing intergovernmental referral, initiation of a referral, the date paternity and support are established, if necessary, and the date the first collection is received from the responding jurisdiction
- Increased use of in-state processes and more responsive steps to close intergovernmental cases when appropriate, resulting in fewer open intergovernmental cases
- Reduction of duplicative efforts by state and tribal IV-D programs working on the same case
- Identification of barriers or practices in the handling of intergovernmental cases by state and tribal IV-D programs that need to be eliminated or reduced by improved communication among programs and potentially additional federal guidance or policy
Evaluation Report
This report describes North Dakota’s efforts with Three Affiliated Tribes to re-engineer case management processes, reduce duplication of efforts, and improve outcomes in intergovernmental cases.
Key Takeaways
- Implementing the central registry resulted in greater efficiency and consistency when building an incoming (or new?) case record.
- Website enhancements and strategic outreach methods improved customer cooperation.
- Strengthening the screening procedures for one-state remedies benefited staff and improved case-processing timeframes.
- Technical assistance documents were thorough and set clear expectations for case managers when working common cases.
- Partnership and open, ongoing communication were key to cultivating strong relationships between state and tribal agencies.
Tribal Intergovernmental Collaboration: Improving Processes and Practices
The project will establish a national standard for data transfer between state and tribal IV-D partners, align with National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) data standards, and integrate NIEM into the OCSE created Model Tribal System. This project will improve processes to refine practices, increase collections, and improve intergovernmental state and tribal partnerships. The goals of this project are to 1) improve Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance recovery collections for Oklahoma from Tribal IV-D programs on intergovernmental cases; 2) decrease and/or eradicate duplication of child support cases by tribal and state IV-D agencies; and 3) ensure tribal IV-D custodial parents will receive proper current support and arrears distributions of collections after termination of their state assistance benefits. Success of these goals will save time and resources for state and tribal IV-D agencies.
Contact: Anthony Jackson | 405-522-2631 | anthony.jackson@okdhs.org
Video: Oklahoma Intergovernmental Grant Update
Expected Outcomes
- Prevention of overpayments to custodial parents and increased state collections
- Custodial parents’ prompt receipt of child support payments
- Reduction in state and tribal programs that are working the same child support case
- Tribal and state case management computer systems that have correct account balance information on intergovernmental cases they have in common
Evaluation Report
This report describes Oklahoma’s collaboration with Cherokee Nation, Modoc Nation, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation on an information technology project to improve services to child support customers.
Key Takeaways
- The state established a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) and successfully exchanged test files with all three tribal programs. Only one tribal program implemented a regular transfer of case participants using the SFTP.
- The state built a database to receive tribal case participant files and add them to the case management system. The state also created protocols to avoid duplication of efforts when a tribal case already exists.
- The pandemic and personnel changes during the grant term affected project efforts. The state and tribal programs hope to continue the project and conduct a comprehensive evaluation of outcomes.
Download Oklahoma's evaluation report (PDF) and appendices (PDF)
The Three-State Intergovernmental Project: Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina Child Support Intergovernmental Case Processing Innovation Demonstration
The Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement, Maryland Child Support Administration, and North Carolina Child Support Services will engage in a three-state Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) study to document current processes for handling intergovernmental cases among these three states, as well as complete a business transformation or business change management initiative that will implement the most efficient and customer-centric processes going forward.
The goal of this project is to improve interstate case performance by redesigning key case processing inputs in each of the three states. To measure progress towards this goal, data will be analyzed using standard statistical methods under a pre-test/post-test research design. As part of this evaluation process, data will also be collected to determine the level of improvement in customer service. The evaluation will look at customer service by analyzing data from two perspectives: parents as customers of state agencies, and state agencies as customers of one another. These data will include factors such as response times and resolution rates between states, frequency and quality of contact with parents, and pre- and post-implementation results based on customer satisfaction surveys.
Contact: Mariellen Keely | 804-726-7923 | mariellen.keely@dss.virginia.gov
Technical Assistance Documents:
- Grant Summary (PDF)
- Letter to Custodial Parent (PDF)
- Office Pledge (PDF)
Video: Virginia Intergovernmental Grant Update
Expected Outcomes
- Improved collections program-wide
- Improved customer service outcomes program-wide through various means such as shorter response times
- Increased broader adoption of best practices across IV-D programs
- Improved communication and cooperation between states
Evaluation Report
This report describes Virginia’s collaboration with Maryland and North Carolina to improve intergovernmental case processing and collections among the three states.
Key Takeaways
- Results indicate a more satisfying customer service experience for parents and caseworkers working intergovernmental cases.
- In some states, the median number of days between incoming intergovernmental referral and new order establishment decreased.
- Updating written instruments and providing video options increased communication with parents about Intergovernmental cases.
Download Virginia's evaluation report (PDF) and appendices (PDF)
Intergovernmental Case Processing Innovation Demonstration
Washington's Division of Child Support will leverage resources to improve child support outcomes on international cases with Canada and Mexico. This project will evaluate the impact a specialized team of international liaisons trained on procedural justice and behavioral economics principles has on case processing, collections, and customer service. The intent of the project is to inform policy decisions and improve understanding of the factors that impact international child support cases.
Contact: Christina Blesi-Hays | 253-476-7674 | christina.blesi@dshs.wa.gov
Child Support Report Article: Washington’s Intergovernmental Grant Supports New Liaison Roles
Technical Assistance Documents: Washington's Desk Aides for Staff
Video: Washington State Intergovernmental Grant Update
Expected Outcomes
- Increased number of international cases with Canada and Mexico
- Increased average child support collected on international cases with Canada and Mexico
- Reduced average time to establish an order on international cases with Canada and Mexico
- Reduced average time to receive a payment on international cases with Canada and Mexico
Evaluation Report
This report describes how Washington’s Division of Child Support tested multiple strategies to improve outcomes on international cases with Canada and Mexico. The project addressed several areas of focus with support from its Central Registry, Field Operations, and Policy.
Key Takeaways
- Direct intergovernmental contacts offer opportunity for greater effectiveness of case workers.
- International Liaisons appreciated the ability to meet as a group to discuss challenges with each other.
- Clear technical assistance documents assisted liaisons in understanding variations between jurisdictions.
- International Liaisons were able to identify opportunities for future process improvement.
- Collaboration events with partner jurisdictions help cultivate and strengthen partnerships.
- Reviewing the intergovernmental processes throughout the lifecycle of a case can be beneficial.
Disclaimers:
The products on this page are not OCSE publications; they were produced by Intergovernmental Case Processing Innovation grant recipients or their contractors. The products are in the public domain. Permission to reproduce is not necessary.
The views expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of OCSE, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.