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1 1 (August 5, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbarw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: The Congressional Research Service ~Inforxmith legeslative debat since 1914 The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program Introduction The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program was enacted into law on January 4, 1975 (P.L. 93-647). When the program was first established, its goals were to reimburse the states and the federal government for the welfare payments they provided families, and to help other families remain self-sufficient and stay off welfare by obtaining consistent and ongoing child support payments from the noncustodial parent. Over time, the CSE program has evolved from a welfare cost-recovery program into a family-first program that seeks to enhance the well-being of families by making child support a more reliable source of income. This federal-state program has the potential to impact more children and for longer periods of time than most other federal programs. It may interact with mothers, fathers, and children for 18 years and in some cases many years longer if the noncustodial parent owes past-due child support. In FY2018, it served 14.7 million children (about 20% of children in the United States). (All FY2018 figures in this report are drawn from the FY2018 Preliminary Data Report released on June 13, 2018, by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).) Scope of CSE Program Families who are required to enroll in the CSE program are those receiving cash assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Medicaid coverage, or, at state option, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance. The program is also available to nonassistance families if they choose to enroll. Families who have never received TANF must pay a one-time $25 fee when they apply for services, and an annual $35 user fee if the CSE agency collects at least $550 per year for them. The program is available in all 50 states; the District of Columbia; the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands; and 62 tribal nations. It is generally operated at the county level of government. The CSE program is administered at the federal level by OCSE, which helps CSE agencies develop, manage, and operate their programs effectively and according to federal law. Specifically, OCSE administers federal matching funds and awards grants to states, provides policy guidance and technical assistance, conducts program audits, and supports research through demonstration grants. OCSE is also responsible for the Federal Parent Locator Service, which includes the National Directory of New Hires. Updated August 5, 2019 Program Components The CSE program increases the reliability of child support paid by noncustodial parents by * locating noncustodial parents, * establishing paternity, * establishing child support orders, * reviewing and modifying child support orders, * collecting child support payments from noncustodial parents, * establishing and enforcing medical child support, and * distributing child support payments to custodial parents. CSE Collections and Methods In FY2018, the CSE program collected $28.6 billion on behalf of families. Two-thirds of CSE collections were for families that had never received cash payments from the TANF program. Table I .CSE Collections by Family Type, FY2018 TANF Families $0.7 2% Former TANF $8.4 30% Never TANF $19.5 68% Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The majority of the collected payments in FY2018 (96%) went to families and the remainder went to the states and federal government, primarily as reimbursement for public assistance dollars that went to families. Most child support payments are collected from noncustodial parents through income withholding. In FY2018, 72% of collections were obtained through income withholding. Other methods of enforcement include * intercepting federal and state income tax refunds; * intercepting unemployment compensation; * filing liens against property; * sending insurance settlement information to CSE agencies; https:crs reports.cong tess go

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