May 2022 Child Support Report
May 2022 Child Support Report May 25, 2022 | Volume 44 | No. 05 | Monthly
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Yurok Tribal Program Works to Protect Indigenous People
- Giving Parents a Roadmap for Success
- Tribal Infographic Finalized at NATCSD Spring Meeting
- 11 Things Every Child Support Professional Should Know about Domestic Violence
- Protect Your Kids’ Mental Health with Medicaid and CHIP
- How Communication Center Helps Employers
- Assistant Secretary Contreras Reflects on First 30 Days
- Resource Alert: Mental Health Resources
- Policy Recap
Yurok Tribal Program Works to Protect Indigenous People
Yurok Child Support Services

Per capita, native women and girls are victims of human trafficking at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. In 2020, nearly 5,300 indigenous people were reported missing to the National Crime Information Center; at the end of the same year, over 1,400 were still missing. The Yurok Tribe, located in what is today Northwestern California, issued an emergency declaration last December in response to a wave of missing persons and attempted human trafficking incidents on the reservation and in neighboring Arcata.
In our tribe, To’Kee Skuy’ Soo Ney-Wo-Chek’ means “I will see you again in a good way.” It’s also the name of a project that works to establish a more effective system of investigating Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2) individuals living in California. The Yurok Tribal Court, in partnership with the Sovereign Bodies Institute, started the project and is developing the first MMIWG2 database in the state. The Court also formed the Office of the Tribal Prosecutor, which helps in the investigation and prosecution of these and domestic violence cases in all jurisdictions.
National day to raise awareness
Tribal communities across the country recognized May 5 as a national day of awareness and remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Our To’Kee Skuy’ Soo Ney-Wo-Chek’ Project hosted several events to help bring awareness to the tribe’s efforts to track and investigate these cases. Yurok Child Support Services, the only comprehensive tribal child support agency in California, participated in a “Walk for MMIP Awareness Day” on May 5 and several other events on the Yurok Reservation. Almost 200 community members and tribal officials carried signs of support for MMIP and families during the walk down Klamath Boulevard in the reservation town of Klamath, California. Many of our program and agency staff have been affected by MMIWG2 in their own families, communities, and caseloads. We participate in these events because we know that acknowledging this crisis and raising awareness are important steps to address the ongoing trauma of our missing and murdered Indigenous people.
The To’Kee Skuy’ Soo Ney-Wo-Chek’ Project is funded by the Justice Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation grant. For more information, visit yuroktribalcourt.org
and the tribal program’s Facebook page
.
Giving Parents a Roadmap for Success
Ethan C. McKinney, Child Support Director, and Michaelene Machowiak, Supervising Attorney,
St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Indiana’s Child Support Division in St. Joseph County has long been a leader in new and progressive ideas. We participated in the Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS) peer learning opportunity with OCSE. As a part of this program, we revised all standard form letters to incorporate behavioral intervention principles that aim to make the letters more user friendly. We also started distributing welcome packets to participants after their orders were established.
PJAC peer learning opportunity
Our office was excited to join another peer learning opportunity with the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) project to learn more about making processes easier for parents. Child support staff often hear that parents don’t always know what to expect or how to prepare when going to court. In the past, we distributed half-page information sheets to parents at the courthouse to improve their understanding. We saw the PJAC peer learning opportunity as our chance to do more.
Based on feedback from parents, we wanted to reach out to them as early in the process as possible. Under the existing policies, the first thing a parent likely receives after opening a case is a subpoena to appear in court. However, we wanted to provide a more welcoming introduction and help parents prepare to take an active role in their cases. We used procedural justice principles—aimed to improve parents' understanding and perceptions of fairness in processes—to guide us in designing a new welcome package.
The welcome package includes:
- Welcome letter: We drafted a welcome letter using procedural justice-informed language. The letter tells parents they’ll be treated with respect, notifies them of our desire to be helpful in this process, and invites them to reach out with questions.
- Roadmap: We developed a new case roadmap to help participants follow the child support process from opening a new case, through establishing a court order, and to post-court follow-up.
- Glossary: We also created a glossary of child support terms to help parents understand what to expect and how to participate.
We sent these new materials to two-thirds of all new cases and developed a survey to collect data on their perceptions of our office. Research is ongoing, but we hope that participants who receive the welcome package will have a better understanding of the process, feel empowered to exercise their voice in court, and view the office as a helpful resource going forward.
Tribal Infographic Finalized at NATCSD Spring Meeting
Melissa Johnson, OCSE Director of Regional Operations

Last month, I had a great time engaging with tribal directors in person at the National Association of Tribal Child Support Directors Spring Meeting. Commissioner Tanguler Gray also attended and talked about her 3Ps and priorities during this administration. OCSE’s Chad Sawyer gave an excellent presentation on the federal regulatory and legislative process that generated lots of discussion. And I shared updates on changes to form OCSE-75, human-centered design projects, and annual budget submissions.
We were also excited to share drafts of the tribal infographic with directors. We developed the drafts in consultation with directors at virtual work sessions over several months. At the meeting, directors saw several designs and ways to present the information before voting on their favorite. The final infographic (PDF) provides a national view of tribal child support collections and the growing number of programs operated by tribes.
11 Things Every Child Support Professional Should Know about Domestic Violence
Michael Hayes, OCSE

Financial stability and support are at the very heart of our work in child support. By helping domestic violence survivors safely get this support, we can play an essential role in ending relationship violence and the damage it does to families. Here are 11 things you should know about domestic violence to better help parents in your caseload:
- There’s a lot of domestic violence. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men in the U.S. report experiencing domestic violence in their lifetime. This means that it’s likely affected many people you know. It’s even more prevalent in the child support caseload where 4 in 10 custodial parents report domestic violence with the other parent on their case.
- It’s underreported. Only 1 in 10 custodial parents in the federal case registry have a family violence indicator marked on their case. In some states, it’s less than 1%.
- “Are you a victim of domestic violence?” is the wrong question to ask. Many survivors answer no to this question because they wonder if it will affect the services they’ll receive and who will get this information. Still, most state applications ask this question. OCSE worked with DV experts to create model screening questions (PDF).
- Financial security = the ability to leave an abusive relationship. More than two-thirds of survivors report staying longer in or returning to an abusive relationship due to financial hardship for themselves and their children. This is how child support can help!
- Domestic violence is not just physical. When many people hear the term domestic violence, they tend to think bruises, black eyes, and broken bones. The definition we use at OCSE is “a pattern of assaultive or coercive behaviors that may include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, verbal, and economic attacks that are used against an intimate partner to achieve compliance from or power and control over them.” Think of an iceberg where physical abuse is the tip of the iceberg above the surface, and most of the abuse is all the non-physical behaviors below the surface.
- Victims need public safety net services. More than 90% of victims report using some kind of public safety net resources to leave and establish a safe home for themselves and their children. TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, child care, and housing assistance are the primary safety net services — many of which have child support cooperation requirements. Survivors are likely to be part of those public assistance referrals you get from your partner agencies.
- Child support processes can retraumatize survivors. Paternity establishment, genetic testing, service of process, in-office negotiations, court hearings, review and adjustment, and case closing are all opportunities an abuser might use to continue to exert control over their victim. These processes could also trigger a trauma response from a survivor.
- Ninety percent of survivors want child support if they could get it safely. However, data from one state survey indicated that as many as half of survivors don’t have formal child support orders and aren’t receiving any informal support. This means they’re going without.
- You need specialized knowledge and skills. Training is essential to working DV cases, and OCSE has provided training to child support professionals in more than 25 states and 30 tribes. But there needs to be more!
- Neutrality in child support doesn’t mean neutrality when it comes to violence. In fact, if child support agencies don’t build in safety measures and protections for survivors, they have unintentionally tipped the scale in favor of abusers.
- There are domestic violence experts and organizations to help you. More than 100 national, state, regional, tribal, and local domestic violence experts and organizations can help you support survivors. They’ve contributed to and participated in child support trainings, developed public education materials for safer access to child support, reviewed child support agency policies and procedures, and presented at conferences. You don’t have to—and you shouldn’t—do this on your own. If you want to know who to talk to in your area, contact Michael Hayes (Michael.Hayes@acf.hhs.gov).
OCSE created domestic violence awareness tear sheet flyers in English and Spanish with information for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. There’s also a version for tribal communities that includes contact information for the StrongHearts Native Helpline.
Protect Your Kids’ Mental Health with Medicaid and CHIP
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a great opportunity to learn more about how mental and behavioral health services covered under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can help support kids.
Prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency, as many as 1 in 6 U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 17 had a treatable mental health disorder . With additional stressors due to the pandemic, there’s been a surge of anxiety and depression in young people.
Mental health disorders usually first arise in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood and can cause serious changes in the way children typically learn, behave, or handle their emotions. This can lead to distress and problems getting through the day. As kids grapple with ongoing changes in their lives, it’s crucial to make sure children have access to—and use—mental health services. Early intervention and access to essential mental health services can help children get the support they need to meet important developmental milestones, get through the day, and stay involved in school.
Connecting kids to coverage
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign wants to remind parents and caretakers that one of the many benefits of Medicaid and CHIP is access to mental and behavioral health services. These benefits include developmental and behavioral health screenings, psychotherapy, group therapy, telehealth, and other types of counseling services for children up to age 19. Parents can enroll their child today or, if already covered, call their health care provider to schedule an appointment. Medicaid and CHIP also cover routine check-ups, vision care, preventive and emergency services, routine vaccinations for preventable illnesses like flu, and dental care.
Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP is open year-round; however, coverage must be renewed annually. Eligibility depends on household size and income and varies by state. For example, children up to age 19 with family income up to $50,000 per year (for a family of four) may qualify for Medicaid and CHIP. Visit the “Find Coverage for Your Family” map on InsureKidsNow.gov to access information in your state or call 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669).
Like routine vaccines and dental visits, regular mental and behavioral health care for kids is an important part of their development. By raising awareness, we can help kids get the care they need for their whole self.
How Communication Center Helps Employers
Alice P. Jacobsohn, Esq., Government Relations, APA

OCSE invested critical resources to create Communication Center, a new Child Support Portal application that helps streamline processes and improve performance. For payroll professionals, it’s a significant electronic advancement for managing child support.
Communicating with child support agencies can be challenging for payroll professionals because of the necessity to transmit personally identifiable information securely, as required by federal and state laws. Before Communication Center launched, employers were able to use the Child Support Portal for a limited number of functions, such as reporting lump-sum payments and terminations, updating information about their organization, or managing multistate employer registration for new hire reporting. Communicating with state child support agencies or OCSE outside of those parameters required email, fax, or mail. These methods have different security considerations and might involve a variety of encryption tools that require employers to maintain multiple transfer mechanisms and passwords.
Employers can now communicate with child support agencies on the Portal using the new Communication Center application, which will speed up payroll processing and simplify secure communication. Communication Center will support secure messages and document exchanges between employers, state child support agencies, and OCSE.
Portal registration and communication preferences
To use Communication Center, employers must be registered to access the Child Support Portal. New users can register online or email employerportal@acf.hhs.gov for more information. Registered employers must set up preferences within the Portal to exchange these communication types:
- e-IWO/IWO/termination
- General case/program questions
- Lump sums
- Verification of employment
- Medical support/terminations
- New hire/multistate employer reporting/quarterly wage
- Payment inquiry
Employers who use third parties will need to set up the communication preferences for the third party within the Portal. Employers with multiple federal employer identification numbers (FEINs) can manage relationships within the Portal and indicate which employer profile will be associated with Communication Center.
We encourage all employers to use the new Communication Center to take advantage of the efficiency and simplicity of this centralized, secure communication system. If you have questions about Communication Center, email employerservices@acf.hhs.gov.
Resource Alert: Mental Health Resources
Visit the National Institute of Mental Health for free mental health resources in English and Spanish.
About Child Support Report
Child Support Report is published monthly by the Office of Child Support Enforcement. We welcome articles and high-quality digital photos to consider for publication. We reserve the right to edit for style, content and length, or not accept an article. OCSE does not endorse the practices or individuals in this newsletter. You may reprint an article in its entirety (or contact the author or editor for permission to excerpt); please identify Child Support Report as the source.
January Contreras Assistant Secretary for Children and Families | Tanguler Gray Commissioner, OCSE |
Crystal Peeler Director, Division of Customer Communications | Andrew Phifer Editor, CSR.Editor@acf.hhs.gov |