July 2024 Child Support CommuniQue

Table of Contents
July 2024
NCSEA President’s Message ........................................................ 3
International Roundtable 2024 ...................................................... 6
Envisioning Future Applications of Generative AI in Child Support
Services…….. ............................................................................... 8
‘Dollars Don’t Make Dads’ and Other Lessons Learned through
Collaboration with the Michigan Action Plan for Father
Involvement…. ............................................................................ 12
Reducing Arrears: How Three States Are Tackling Child Support
Debt……………….. ..................................................................... 20
Employers and Child Support: We’ve Come a Long Way, But
Challenges Still Remain! ............................................................. 29
Get Ready: 2024 Leadership Symposium Preview ..................... 35
Can You Hear Me Now? .............................................................. 39
What Happens to Support When an Obligor Dies: A Three-State
Comparison……………….. ......................................................... 43

Erin Frisch,
NCSEA President
Greetings NCSEA!
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
As this program year draws to a close, I am filled with immense pride and
gratitude as I reflect on the incredible work we have accomplished together.
NCSEA thrives because of the dedication, passion, and selflessness of
each one of you.
I’m humbled to be part of the long line of incredible humans who have held
the role of NCSEA president and those who will come along after me.
Serving as the president of this remarkable organization has been one of
the great honors of my career. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering
support, dedication, and passion of Chris Wood and Katie Kenney with our
NCSEA staff, the NCSEA Executive Committee, and the NCSEA Board.
Your commitment to our mission has been truly inspiring, and we have
certainly gone far together! Thank you for trusting me with this role and
making this year so rewarding and impactful.
Celebrating Our Achievements
Every single committee found ways to move forward with our theme of
building community. By supporting child support professionals and
advocating for effective policies, NCSEA plays a crucial role in ensuring
that child support systems function efficiently and effectively, ultimately
benefiting children and families across the country. Here are just a few
highlights of what we have done together:
1. Advocacy: We have further refined our legislative agenda, and
it’s ready to take to Congress! NCSEA has also been instrumental in

moving HR7906 forward, which will provide Tribes access to the
federal tax offset program. We provided comments for the record at
the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Child Support
and the IRS, comments on the recent TANF notice of proposed
rulemaking, and comments to OCSS on the parentage proposed rule.
We truly have been the voice of the child support program.
2. Professional Development: NCSEA hosted a hugely
successful international roundtable, bringing together child support
professionals from around the world. The Policy Forum brought
together thought leaders for stimulating dialog on important topics.
Our free Web Talks have provided multiple opportunities for a broad
audience to learn. Your efforts to build community with each other
have been a joy to witness.
3. Stewardship: Our board has thought deeply about our financial
responsibilities as a non-profit organization and has committed to
socially responsible investing in alignment with our DEI commitment,
which will set a strong foundation for a sustainable future.
Leadership and Teamwork
I especially want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our committee
and subcommittee chairs. Your leadership, organizational skills, and grace
have been pivotal in our success. We couldn’t do it without you!
Looking Ahead
As we look to the future, I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead
of working together to influence child support policies and practices while
educating, connecting, and inspiring each other. With the leadership of
Charles Smith, NCSEA’s next president, I have great confidence that we
will continue to make a significant impact. Your creativity, energy, and
compassion will keep NCSEA thriving.
A Heartfelt Thank You
To our volunteers, thank you for your time, energy, and passion. Thank you
for your willingness to answer the call when asked to contribute. Thank you
for being the heart and soul of child support and making NCSEA your
home. Your efforts are deeply appreciated and valued, and we are
incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing group of volunteers.

In closing, thank you for joining me in improving the lives of children and
families through NCSEA. Let’s celebrate our impact and look forward to the
future with optimism and determination. Here’s to another year of service,
growth, and positive change.
With deepest gratitude and warmest regards,
Erin
Erin Frisch has served as the Director of the Office of Child Support at the Michigan Department of Health
and Human Services (MDHHS) since 2012. In this role, she is responsible for paternity and child support
court order establishment, order modification and enforcement, and locating parents for over 700,000
children and families. She also co-leads the MDHHS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council—a role she
has had since 2019. Erin served from 2019 to 2020 as Senior Chief Deputy Director for Opportunity at
MDHHS, where she oversaw the Children’s Services agency, the Bureau of Community Services, and the
Economic Stability Administration, and focused on integration between public assistance programs, health,
community services, child support, and child welfare to reduce poverty for Michiganders. Erin is a former
President of the National Council of Child Support Directors and is the current President of the National
Child Support Engagement Association. Erin graduated from James Madison College at Michigan State
University and has a son and a daughter.

International Roundtable 2024
by Kristen Erickson-Donadee, Chief Deputy
Director, California State Department of Child
Support Services (DCSS)
On March 11-13, 2024, over 100 child support professionals from 53
jurisdictions joined NCSEA’s third annual virtual International Roundtable.
The International Roundtable is one of the year’s highlights for NCSEA’s
International Subcommittee members. It allows subcommittee members to
meet each other virtually and catch up on child support developments.
Countries, provinces, and states share an update about their jurisdiction,
highlighting new legislative and other changes and providing insight into
their child support program. We also get a bit of an overview from each
country, including which countries are their biggest partners for
international cases and the size of their international caseloads.
This year, we had two plenary presentations. First, we heard from
Germany, Michigan, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Sweden about their
experience transitioning to the new Central Authority Payment (CAP)
service operated by the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS). OCSS
provided an interesting overview of the first year of operation and a glimpse
of the future for international payments to and from the U.S.
Second, we discussed how different jurisdictions use “lived experience” to
inform their child support programs. We heard from Sweden and Australia
about how their programs use feedback and information from their parents
in their design and approach to serving families. The discussion reminded
us all that despite the many differences in languages, laws, and program
structure, child support programs are also very similar when it comes to the
families we serve and the challenges they face. We can all learn from each
other.
Between the plenary sessions and country updates, the Roundtable
provided plenty of time for attendees to seek each other out and get to

know their fellow subcommittee members. The Remo platform, which was
used for the NCSEA Inspire Conference in 2021, provides an ideal format
for this type of networking.
Following the two-day International Roundtable, NCSEA hosted virtual
bilateral meetings, allowing countries to schedule face-to-face meetings
with their partners to discuss cases or issues in their mutual caseloads.
The countries welcomed these bilateral meetings as they allowed for some
in-depth, focused discussions.
Our thanks to the NCSEA
Board and MCI for supporting
the Remo platform for the
virtual International
Roundtable. Our attendees
strongly and unanimously
praised the platform as
essential to the Roundtable.
The NCSEA International Roundtable is a wonderful example of the
benefits of a virtual conference. With the cost of international travel
becoming increasingly expensive, the virtual format—particularly the Remo
platform—offers an opportunity for child support professionals from
anywhere in the world to participate. Many attendees would never be able
to travel to an in-person conference. However, despite the virtual event’s
success, we do intend to have an in-person event every few years, as we
all know that there is magic to an in-person event that is difficult to replicate
online.
Kristen Erickson-Donadee is the Chief Deputy Director for the California State Department of Child
Support Services (DCSS) and has been with the department since 2009. She started her child support
career as an attorney with a local child support agency. Kristen has served in various legal roles at DCSS,
including Chief Counsel, and was appointed as Chief Deputy in 2020.
Kristen enjoys collaborating with her child support colleagues on efforts to serve parents and children in the
child support program, with the aim of continuous program improvement.
In her free time, Kristen enjoys running, traveling, reading, and trying to keep up with her kids, who are 12
and 5.

Envisioning Future Applications of Generative AI
in Child Support Services
by David Kilgore, Joyce Match, and Jamia McDonald
Note to the Reader: The State of California’s Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) has not
yet integrated AI solutions into its operations. For this article, David Kilgore, Director of DCSS, lends
his expertise as a child support leader to envision a future approach to AI, along with Joyce Match and
Jamia McDonald, leaders from Deloitte’s government and public services.
The changing dynamics of the workforce, both overall and within
government, have been widely discussed. In child support offices across
the country, career staff are retiring, leading to a loss of institutional
knowledge and difficulties in replacing them, as younger workers often
prefer job mobility over longevity. Training a new workforce and ensuring
effective service delivery compound challenges facing many government
agencies and their programs. Generative Artificial
Intelligence (GenAI) is an important and emerging tool
that offers new possibilities to support workers,
improve their experience, and make the job less
cumbersome.
A common challenge for caseworkers is locating
and synthesizing multiple sources of program
policies and procedures into usable, just-in-time
information. Accessing federal, state, and local
regulations, program manuals, case law, and other

guidance, such as the Intergovernmental Resource Guide, is timeconsuming.
Even when policies and procedures are found, it is often
difficult to understand them, which leads to the caseworker consulting with
other workers and taking them away from other business priorities. Using
GenAI—which has been fine-tuned with the various sources of policies and
procedures—caseworkers can quickly find relevant information,
transformed into simple language, providing helpful details that can be
verified to help them make informed decisions for specific cases.
GenAI can also support the
changing workforce with the
adoption of capabilities like
intelligent chat, task
prioritization tools, and
enhanced hover-overs that
are trained on policy,
procedures, and system documentation. Intelligent chats and enhanced
hover-overs can provide workers with immediate guidance, support
knowledge building, and reinforce the concept of continuous learning as the
program changes with time. Both can also provide links to direct a worker
to a relevant system location or document instead of just presenting
instructions on accessing the data and content.
Harnessing the power of AI requires reimagining business outcomes by
defining solid uses and establishing a strategy and governance framework
that takes into consideration overall readiness and important topics such as
assessing security, fairness, transparency, and compliance in GenAI
deployments.
There are technical considerations, like the feasibility of hardware and
infrastructure requirements, data management, model fine-tuning, and
system security, and higher-level goals of sustainability, scalability, and
integration when solutions include GenAI. There are also even larger, more
strategic questions that must be asked when considering an organization’s
AI readiness.
Readiness considerations include:
• What is the strategy? Does your agency have a clear AI vision and
goals that align with your policies and business objectives?
• Does the organization have the right people? Does the right mix of
skills and talent exist to manage and deliver AI initiatives?

• What is the organization’s process? Does your agency have a
change management plan to guide AI adoption?
• What are the ethical guardrails? Does your agency understand AI
bias? Can you work to prevent this and ensure that the right source of
information is embedded in the technology?
• What is the organization’s data strategy? Does your agency have
a system for data governance, engineering, security, and operations?
• Does the organization have the right security and technology to
integrate AI and GenAI solutions?
In California, Child Support Director David Kilgore can see
a world of specific applications for AI once information
security experts have created the appropriate “fences”
around the data to be accessed and designed the
parameters for governance that must be in place.
“Integrating AI solutions into existing workflows and
systems has the potential to wrap around a caseworker
to make their job easier,” he says. In addition to the ability
to weed through case law and policies to create relevant summaries with
speed and accuracy, some other applications he foresees being useful are:
• Call center recording review: Call recordings can be reviewed, and
a GenAI support engine can dictate the pertinent details in a case
note and generate a list of potential next steps for a caseworker to
analyze and act on. This can reduce both the burden on staff and the
risk of errors.
• Task prioritization is a common challenge for caseworkers due to
the volume and variety of work to be accomplished on a given day. A
GenAI-assisted task prioritization engine could boost workers’
efficiency by prioritizing tasks according to time sensitivity, time
required to complete tasks, importance, and compliance with laws
and regulations. This tool can help make sure critical tasks are not
overlooked, deadlines are met, and time is well spent.
• Summarizing and analyzing case notes offers additional insights
into cases for new or busy workers. When a case is infrequently
accessed or newly assigned, GenAI can assist in the compilation of
existing case notes into a succinct summary, which would extract and
highlight information from the timeline of the case, analyze sentiment,

and determine patterns. It could then assess potential outcomes,
quickly bring the caseworker up to speed, and help to ensure that
their actions reflect the circumstances of the case.
If any of these possibilities resonate with your program or services,
consider starting small in some of these areas when the time is right for
your agency. Knowing where to start can be daunting, but defining an
overall strategy, establishing a governance framework, and identifying
opportunities to embrace GenAI in child support programs can improve a
program’s operations to support its mission and business needs and
positively address everyday challenges faced by caseworkers and the
families they serve.
David Kilgore was appointed Director of the California Department of Child Support Services in June
2018. He has extensive experience working in the Child Support Program and has held many key positions
at child support agencies statewide. Director Kilgore served as the Riverside County Department of Child
Support Services director from 2015 until his appointment in 2018. He previously served as the chief
deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Child Support Services, where he was deputy
director of operations from 2008 to 2013. He was deputy director of operations at the San Bernardino
County Department of Child Support Services from 2006 to 2008. He held several positions at the Tulare
County Department of Child Support Services from 2002 to 2006, including program manager and staff
services analyst. Director Kilgore earned a Master of Public Administration from California State University,
Northridge.
Joyce Match is a functional lead concentrating on Child Support in Deloitte’s Government and Public
Services sector. Joyce focuses on providing innovative tools and processes for state and local child support
programs through collaboration with all stakeholders. Joyce joined Deloitte in 2018 following a 38-year
career in Pennsylvania state government, which included 26 years managing the design and
implementation of the initial statewide child support system and many subsequent enhancements and
innovations, including predictive analytics and enterprise content management/imaging. She also served 12
years in front-line delivery of public assistance and unemployment compensation programs.
Jamia McDonald is a highly experienced government leader in Deloitte's Human Services Transformation
practice, where she leads its national HHS and Labor market. Her team supports HHS leaders around the
country, both state and federal, with policy and program transformation, service delivery transformation,
and thought leadership. Her career has focused on driving change to improve programmatic outcomes,
identifying efficiencies, and optimizing financial resources to achieve objectives. Jamia serves as a leader
of Deloitte’s State, Local, and Higher Ed Artificial Intelligence (AI) practice. These organizations benefit
greatly from the innovative opportunities provided by AI, where Jamia and her team are thought leaders in
the space. Jamia is a regular speaker at national conferences and frequently publishes industry-leading
points of view.

‘Dollars Don’t Make Dads’ and Other Lessons
Learned through Collaboration with the Michigan
Action Plan for Father Involvement
by Amy Lindholm, Michigan State Court Administrative Office’s
Friend of the Court Bureau, and Bomani Gray, Michigan Action
Plan for Father Involvement
The child support program sits in a position between parents. Whether or
not programs feel a duty to attempt to influence the parents’ relationships
with each other and with their children, having some sort of impact—
intentional or unintentional—is unavoidable. Many men believe that the
system is stacked against them (and implicitly favors women), which
creates a sense of reluctance to participate in these systems and
programs. Focus group participants have said “Being in an environment or
in a room where you are just not welcome, you’re not acknowledged, you’re
not catered to in any aspect—it drives you the opposite way as far away as
possible.”
In 2019, in partnership with the Michigan Office of Child
Support, the University of Michigan School of Social Work
received a grant from the Fatherhood Research & Practice
Network (FRPN). The Michigan Action Plan for Father
Involvement (MAP-FI) was created to explore ways of
expanding support for father involvement and to guide the establishment of
permanent structures for improving policies and programs that benefit
fathers and their families. The work was initially led by University of
Michigan professor Dr. Richard Tolman and Michigan Office of Child
Support paternity establishment percentage analyst Ellen Wood. Both

served critical roles in recruiting agencies to join the advisory committee
and in facilitating co-creation of the group’s vision, mission, values, and
action plan, which specifically include addressing child support issues:
Our Vision
Michigan's children with a father-fueled future
Our Mission
To create and implement a comprehensive action plan promoting healthy
and engaging relationships between Michigan children and their fathers.
What We Believe
1. The loving care of a father is a foundation for his child's wellbeing and
creates a life-long relationship.
2. A father can play a critical role in his child's life even if he does not
live full-time with his child.
3. A harmonious community of care around a child, with parents and
caregivers supporting and collaborating with each other, is a
foundation for the child's healthy development.
4. Fathers’ caring instincts and emotional relationships with their
children should be celebrated as part of what it is to be a father.
5. Fathers need support and acknowledgment. They deserve validation
from their partners, families, communities, and policymakers.
6. The "support" in child support is not just financial; both parents share
a responsibility to provide physical, emotional, and financial support
to allow for the child's healthy development.
7. Fatherhood is an evolving journey over time. Like all parents and
caregivers, fathers need time, practice, and guidance - to care for,
nurture, play with, and teach their children.
What We're Doing
● Creating a lasting organizational structure to further father
engagement.
● Building multi-agency alliances and partnerships to advance
fatherhood programming and engagement.

● Identifying, mapping, and disseminating information about fatherhood
resources and services throughout Michigan.
● Cultivating high-level legislative and/or executive supporters of father
engagement.
● Partnering with fathers to provide authentic input to state agencies
and programs.
● Collecting data on barriers to father engagement, unmet needs, and
service gaps.
● Obtaining funding, submitting proposals, and forging alliances for
funding.
Over the past five years, the MAP-FI group has expanded its leadership
structure to diversify power distribution. Today the advisory committee
members include policymakers, researchers, and government and
nonprofit practitioners from around the state, and from disciplines including
child support, early childhood, corrections, child welfare, assistance
programs, and
more. MAP-FI has
recently received
grant funding from
new sources to
continue its
journey towards sustainable support of fatherhood in Michigan, and the
group continues to work on policy and practice support for fatherhood
services.
The group is united by a desire to see more children benefit from having a
meaningful relationship with an involved father, and also supports
evolutions to family-centered or whole-family approaches. In a familycentered
approach, fathers are included and considered as part of the
equation versus being either excluded from consideration, or are included
in very different ways from mothers and other caregivers (e.g., providing
employment services specifically for fathers but not parenting skills
classes). Michigan’s child support program and everyone in the MAP-FI
group share a common goal of wanting Michigan children, families, and
communities to have the best chance of thriving. Undoubtedly there are
many discussions about preferential treatment for a particular gender, and
the diverse working groups are continuously united by the goal of children

eing fully supported by healthy relationships with both parents as much as
possible.
Often the child support program members of MAP-FI in particular are asked
why we would suggest providing special support for men when men hold
more power in society already; is MAP-FI part of a men’s rights movement?
No, MAP-FI is not part of a men’s rights movement, but the explanation of
supporting men without being focused on “men’s rights” is nuanced.
Historically, while women have held less power and rights, women have
also been expected to stay in the home, perform domestic duties, and be
caregivers. As women have been socialized to embody these
characteristics and duties, an expectation was also created that caregiving
and child rearing are feminine roles and specifically not masculine roles.
Bodies of research reveal that children benefit from multiple emotionally
and physically nurturing parents and caregivers, and that more parents can
mean access to a larger extended family and support system for the child
and parents. Systematically excluding any parents or creating barriers to
their family relationships only decreases child and family resiliency. And
further, there is nuance in the work of balancing family wellbeing and rights
of parents with the best interests of children.
The differing support for men as fathers is particularly clear when looking at
services that exist for mothers versus fathers, or data on father involvement
and its impact. Early on MAP-FI recognized the lack of data on fatherhood
as a key impediment to making a case for funding or other support, and the
University of Michigan research team began collecting data on father
engagement needs through survey responses, focus groups, and individual
interviews with fathers and stakeholders. Although service and resource
maps exist through agencies like 2-1-1, none for the state of Michigan had
categories specifying resources for fathers despite highlighting many
services for mothers. In fact, the research showed that the 2-1-1 taxonomy
(system of classification) created by 211 LA and used by most 2-1-1
providers simply does not have
categories for fathers or
fatherhood. Stakeholders and
fathers commented: “Dads need
to know that there is support and
that it's okay to ask for help.” So
MAP-FI created an interactive
fathers resource map by utilizing
the state’s geographic information

systems team within the Michigan Department of Technology, Management
& Budget. Today this map is an important resource used by the child
support program and other agencies in effectively serving fathers and their
families.
Other positive outcomes of the work have included relationship building
that has led to collaborative projects and knowledge sharing. One example
is a series of webinar trainings for court and child support program staff
featuring parent panels sharing their lived experiences. Partnering with
trusted community agency leaders to co-create the sessions and facilitate,
the panel discussions allowed the participating fathers and/or mothers to
feel more comfortable and open. The sessions have brought a lot of insight
to participants and organizers. Some of the key themes included:
● Some parents lack the experience, knowledge, and resources
to navigate programs like the child support program;
● Children need more from parents than financial support, but
parents feel that the child support program expects nothing
more of the “noncustodial parent,” with one mother explaining
how much she really needed co-parenting support from her
child’s father and coining the phrase: “Dollars don’t make
dads;” and
● Some useful services provided by the child support program
might be overlooked or never discovered by parents because of
the negative association with child support enforcement.
Other lessons that child support professionals have learned from working
with fatherhood practitioners regularly include:
● No parent should be treated as if they do not want what’s best
for their child, and the term “deadbeat” should never be used;
● “Responsible fatherhood” is a concept that can be offensive;
some fathers experience it as a microaggression, assuming
fathers are not inherently responsible for their children. Fathers
have shared examples of being applauded simply for being out
in public with their kids. Applauding a behavior implies that it is
seen as exceptional and unexpected, as if the default
assumption is for fathers to be “irresponsible”;
● Both mothers and fathers repeated that when interacting with
social services and courts, they really just want to be treated as

human beings who have unique needs and life circumstances;
and
● Men, like women, also experience mental health struggles and
a range of emotions about their families, but how they show up
in spaces might look different, and this might be impacted by
how men are socialized to be tough (e.g. “be a man,” “boys
don’t cry,” etc.).
Each of these topics holds a lot to learn and unpack, especially if one is
new to concepts like the social construction of gender expectations. Over
the past year, MAP-FI members have been invited to speak to child support
audiences and provide training on better engaging fathers and men. The
group has generally approached these talks by pairing a child support
program speaker with fatherhood practitioners or researchers, and so far
the training has been very well-received.
In some counties in Michigan, there have been great results when the
county child support agency, called “friend of the court” (FOC) in Michigan,
has partnered with a local fatherhood service provider. Success stems
from:
● Different services offered (e.g., peer-to-peer networking,
parenting skills building);
● Leveraging the fatherhood provider’s reputation with the
community to increase trust of the FOC; and
● Cross-education of both agencies—child support and
fatherhood—about services offered.
Some readers may have seen the opening
plenary presentation at the 2024 ERICSA
conference in Grand Rapids from Shon Hart of
InvolvedDad and Tony McDowell of the
Genesee FOC. They shared about the evolution
of their relationship into a successful partnership
through intentional relationship building and
willingness to be flexible and to make
adjustments. Tony mentioned that they initially
tried to recruit participants through an FOC mail
campaign and had a very low response rate that
has now been greatly surpassed by the

fatherhood agency’s recruitment strategies as a trusted community
organization. Shon mentioned being exposed to and learning about
domestic violence in many families’ experiences and subsequently adding
an evidence-based domestic violence intervention to their fatherhood
program offerings.
MAP-FI also provides an annual fatherhood summit with training and
networking for a variety of practitioners. The annual summit always has a
strong child
support program
representation, and
sometimes virtual
attendees from
other states’ IV-D
programs.
Sessions have
focused on topics such as men’s mental health, co-parenting, court/child
support, black fatherhood and the impact of racism in the United States,
fathers’ importance in child development, plus father-themed entertainment.
Photos courtesy of Strong Fathers/Padres Fuertes Project, Grand Rapids, MI.
The group has accomplished a great deal of networking amongst father
service providers, as well as making connections between fatherhood
organizations and other types of providers, such as county FOC offices.
Our hope is that the work continues to drive program innovation and
evolution to maximize how fathers can support their children. One of the

stakeholder interviews really captured the key takeaway: “We’re so used to
telling the father: go out and work, be the breadwinner, bring the bacon
home. We don’t understand what mentally and emotionally, even physically,
a present and active father—what that does and how that benefits
children.”
Amy Lindholm grew up as a child of the program and is driven by a desire to reduce the amount of
parental conflict experienced by current and future generations of children. Amy is a management analyst
for the Michigan State Court Administrative Office’s Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB) and has worked in
that role since 2017. She currently serves as Fatherhood Liaison and Corrections Liaison to friends of the
court, bridging gaps for fathers and incarcerated parents, two groups who often struggle to navigate the
friend of the court system and to feel heard by it. From 2010-2015 Amy provided direct child support
customer service and case management at the Kent County Friend of the Court. Amy has a Master of
Public Administration.
When Bomani Gray was given the name “Bomani” by his community of elders he knew that he was
charged with an awesome responsibility. The Malawi (South Africa) name means “Warrior”. And as a
community warrior, Mr. Gray has dedicated his life to public service as a community and educational
advocate. Bomani previously served as Fatherhood Coordinator at the Detroit Health Department. He
currently serves as Project Director of the Michigan Action Plan for Father Involvement and Chair of the
Metro Detroit Fatherhood Policy Group.

Reducing Arrears: How Three States Are
Tackling Child Support Debt
by Juan Fragozo and Andrea Zvonicek, California Department of
Child Support Services; Jessica Raymond, Minnesota Child
Support Division; and Erica Thornton, Georgia Division of Child
Support Services
With child support arrears steadily increasing year after year, several states
have implemented debt reduction programs to combat the ever-increasing
debt. These programs prove vital when it comes to supporting families,
whether that be increasing incentives to work, eliminating interest, rightsizing
orders, or reducing government-owed arrears. California, Minnesota,
and Georgia share here their states’ approaches to reducing child support
debt.
COMPROMISE IN CALIFORNIA
The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) has operated
a compromise program for government-owed arrears since 2004. The
impetus was a study published by the Urban Institute in 2003 i that found
arrears in California grew from $2.5 billion in 1992 to $17 billion in 2001,
with over two-thirds owed to the government. Researchers estimated that,
at most, 25% of the arrears could be collected and predicted that the debt
could double in ten years.

The study identified three primary causes for California’s escalating arrears
balances:
1) Child support orders were too high
2) Enforcement was incomplete
3) California charged an annual 10% interest rate
As a result, DCSS established the Compromise of Arrears Program
(COAP) in January 2004, with the goal of increasing collections and
reducing uncollectible government-owed arrears. While initially successful,
program effectiveness declined over time.
In 2019, DCSS initiated an
effort to re-examine program
goals, diagnose barriers, and
identify opportunities for
improvement. Fourteen local
child support agencies
(LCSAs) collaborated with
DCSS in several business-improvement sprints. The goals were to improve
program access, streamline eligibility, improve efficiencies, and establish a
more equitable process. In May 2021, DCSS implemented the Debt
Reduction Program (DRP).
Debt Reduction Program Improvements
Streamlined Application
To improve access and facilitate ease of use and clarity, the new
application was reduced from ten pages to two, improving on language,
information flow, and design. The application can be completed, signed,
and submitted with all required documents via computer, tablet, or smart
phone.
Ability-to-Pay Model
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publishes the annual Collection
Financial Standards ii to assist in determining a taxpayer's ability to pay a
delinquent tax liability. These standards include basic expenses necessary
to provide for a taxpayer's health and welfare and/or production of income.
Basic expenses include rent and utilities, transportation,
food/clothing/personal items, and minimal out-of-pocket medical costs.
DRP uses these standards and factors in calculating gross income, as well

as family size and average cost-of-living for each California county and
U.S. state and territory and compares those costs to the Federal Poverty
Guidelines when determining a participant’s ability to pay.
Local Flexibility
Under COAP, the minimum repayment was ten percent of the total
government-owed arrears. Under DRP, LCSAs can craft agreements with
repayment amounts and timeframes that prioritize participant success.
Treatment of Assets
DRP includes a defined asset limit allowing participants to maintain a
financial safety net.
Any Distribution Counts
DRP adopted an “any distribution counts” approach to collections, giving
participants credit for payments without regard to distribution.
Elimination of Waiting Periods
DRP eliminated waiting periods following the denial of applications and the
cancellation of previously approved agreements. Participants can now
reapply as soon as circumstances allow.
Program Success
Over the last three years, DRP data shows a 102.5% increase in
applications received from SFY 2019-20 (the last full year of COAP) to SFY
2022-23 and a 171.4% increase in approved applications.

While an increase in approved applications is encouraging, program
success depends upon agreement fulfillment, which should result in
increased collections. For SFY 2019-20 to SFY 2022-23, data shows a
95.3% increase in total collections, underscoring DRP’s effectiveness and
promising future.
Moving Forward
While COAP did assist in preventing the doubling of arrears predicted in
the Urban Institute study, it fell short of the desired impact. Today, with the
growth of new and approved applications coupled with a substantial
increase in collections, DRP is bringing California closer to slowing down
the compounding problem of government-owed arrears.
MINNESOTA’S ARREARS MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION POLICY
(AMPP)
History and Background
The Minnesota child support program has long recognized the problem of
nonpayment of current support and the increasing accumulation of
uncollectible child support arrears. The Child Support Debt and Arrearage
Management statute, Minnesota Statutes, section 518A.62, enacted in
2005, allows child support agencies to use arrears management strategies
such as compromising public assistance arrears owed to the state.

In 2012, the Minnesota Child Support Division (CSD) formed a workgroup
comprised of representatives from more than 25 counties as well as CSD
staff to develop statewide arrears management guidance now known as
the Arrears Management and Prevention Policy (AMPP). AMPP is a
positive way to assist obligors in supporting their families, meeting their
own needs at an adequate level of subsistence, increasing their incentive
to work, and reducing child support arrears.
Recent Initiatives
Minnesota continues to pursue statewide-targeted AMPP initiatives to
ensure that child support workers routinely review cases for arrears
management strategies and apply them when appropriate. Recent
initiatives include:
Forgiveness of Judgments for Pregnancy and Birth Expenses
AMPP discourages the pursuit of judgments for pregnancy and birth
expenses (JPBs) except in rare circumstances, particularly when the
expenses are owed to the state of Minnesota. In early 2022, CSD
discovered that many of the JPBs in the Minnesota child support program
had been obtained more than 15 years prior and would not have been
obtained under current policy.
To reduce the amount of
uncollectible state-owed debt
that is outside the obligor's
overall ability to pay and to
promote equity by forgiving
debt that child support
agencies would not obtain today, counties were instructed to review and
forgive these judgments, if appropriate. Two months later, CSD was
pleased to discover that of the original 370 JPBs, 322 were determined to
be uncollectible and forgiven.
New Statewide Arrears-Only Policy
In 2024, CSD adopted the recommendations of a state and county
workgroup and published a new statewide policy on arrears-only cases.
Workers are now instructed to review a case for AMPP when it becomes an
arrears-only case and reduce arrears owed to the state, if appropriate.
Additionally, CSD disseminated a new form that child support agencies
should employ when custodial parents wish to forgive child support arrears
that are owed to them. The document allows custodial parents to fill in the

dollar amount of the arrears they are choosing to forgive and informs them
of the consequences of forgiving the arrears.
Recent Legislation
In addition to the efforts to reduce already-accumulated debt, Minnesota
has passed the following legislation to prevent the likelihood of uncollectible
arrears accruing in the first place:
Elimination of Interest Charging
As of August 1, 2022, interest no longer charges on child support arrears.
Eliminating interest helps parents who owe child support arrears reduce
their debt and increases the likelihood of complete, timely payments of
current support.
Updates to the Child Support Guidelines
In 2023, the state child support guidelines, codified at Minnesota Statutes,
section 518A.35, were revised based upon recommendations of the
Minnesota Child Support Task Force. The new guidelines are based upon
updated data on the cost of raising children and correct known issues with
the previous guidelines, ensuring that orders are right-sized and more
affordable for low-income obligors.
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES’ DIVISION OF CHILD
SUPPORT SERVICES’ STATE DEBT REDUCTION PLAN
When Georgia’s State Debt Reduction (SDR) Plan began in 2011, there
were 24,021 state-owed arrears-only cases in the total caseload count of
the Georgia Department of Human Services’ Division of Child Support
Services (DCSS). Twenty-two percent, or 5,320, of those cases did not
have arrears repayment amounts. Fifty-four percent, or 12,965, of those
cases had arrears repayment amounts of less than $100 per month. The
total amount of arrears owed was $122,580,261.
Arrears Caseload
FY 2018
42,139
FY 2017
52,751
FY 2016
69,982
0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

Georgia law authorizes the waiver, reduction, or negotiation of public
assistance arrears owed to the State when a child support obligation is
established through an administrative order [O.C.G.A. §19-11-5 (b)].
Additionally, the law allows DCSS to petition the Superior Court for
consideration of a motion to waive, reduce, or negotiate the amount of
public assistance arrears paid to the State.
Georgia piloted its SDR Plan in several offices before releasing the
procedure statewide. Initially the plan focused on cases with state-owed
arrears only where current support was no longer due. This allowed the
State to easily review, adjust, and improve the process. By the end of the
pilot, it was determined that the complexities of expanding this process to
cases with current support charging, cases with arrears owed to families,
and intergovernmental cases, necessitated limiting this option to cases with
state-owed arrears only.
4,294
1
2,105
1,954
3,966
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000
Cases in SDR 2018 Cases in SDR 2017
Notices Mailed 2018 Notices Mailed 2017
Total cases Paying SFY 18
2,804
Total cases in SDR SFY 18
4,294
Total cases Paying SFY 17
2,445
Total cases in SDR SFY 17
3,966
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000

State Debt Reduction Plan Highlights
Statutory Criteria to Consider Reduction of State-Owed Arrears
An obligor must demonstrate:
• Whether “good cause” exists for the nonpayment of the debt;
• Whether repayment or enforcement of the debt would result in
substantial and unreasonable hardship for the obligor owing the debt;
and
• The obligor’s current ability to pay the debt.
Criteria for Demonstrating Hardship
Criteria may include:
• Unemployment
• Disability
• Barriers to gainful employment (e.g. criminal background, limited
education, etc.)
Lump Sum Payments
Since a reduction of the debt owed to the State is based on the criteria
listed above, any lump sum payment received (bonus, commission,
workers’ compensation, tax offsets, liens, etc.) is credited toward the
obligor’s state-owed arrears, even if it exceeds the amount stated in the
SDR Plan.
Eligibility
When eligible cases are identified, obligors are mailed Request for
Reduction Appointment letters to notify them of the opportunity to have their
state-owed arrears reviewed for reduction. The letter provides the date,
time, and location to discuss their options.
In situations where the obligor cannot meet the maximum 24-month
installment period, the case is presented to an eligibility panel that includes
the region manager, office manager, region financial manager, and a
member of the State Operations Policy Unit.

Case Audits
Prior to an obligor’s appointment date, the case file is reviewed to
determine if the underlying order is judicial or administrative and to verify
the arrears. Administrative waivers are authorized by the child support
director or designee.
Payment Remittance
Obligors are instructed to identify each SDR Plan payment as a "purge"
payment to ensure accurate credit toward the state-owed arrears under the
SDR Plan. Pay tags are provided for this purpose.
Bankruptcy Cases
Consultation with local DCSS office attorneys is required to determine an
obligor’s eligibility based on the language of an existing confirmed
bankruptcy plan.
i “Examining Child Support Arrears in California: The collectability Study” The Urban Institute, March 2003.
ii “Collection Financial Standards” Internal Revenue Services, April 22, 2024.
Juan Fragozo oversees the Debt Reduction Program and Passport Services Unit in the Operations
Division for the California Department of Child Support Service (DCSS). He began his career with DCSS in
July 2013.
Andrea Zvonicek is the Branch Chief of Program Support and Customer Service in the Operations
Division for the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). Having built a career in public
service, Andrea recently joined the world of child support services and is excited and grateful to contribute
to the mission of DCSS.
Jessica Raymond is an attorney and has worked as a policy analyst for the Minnesota Child Support
Division since 2017.
Erica Thornton has served as manager of the Policy and Paternity Unit (PPU) within the Georgia
Department of Human Services’ Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) since February 2012.

Employers and Child Support: We’ve Come a
Long Way, But Challenges Still Remain!
by Corri Flores, Director of Government Affairs, ADP, Inc.
Employers are pivotal in the child support collection process across the
United States. The federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) reports
that in FY2023, the child support program collected a staggering $29.6
billion in support payments, with 73% of this amount collected via
employers withholding income from employees’ paychecks. i This statistic
underscores employers' significant contribution to ensuring families'
financial stability.
Given the substantial number of child support payments remitted by
employers, it's evident that the employer community plays a crucial role in
supporting families. However, this role comes with its fair share of
challenges. Apart from sending payments to child support agencies,
employers are also tasked with numerous other responsibilities to comply
with child support regulations. These tasks include new hire reporting,

medical support processing, and “lump sum” reporting, which can be
daunting for payroll professionals who are already juggling other payroll
obligations.
New hire reporting – taking it to the next level
Due to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act (PRWORA) of 1996, an employer’s obligation to report newly hired
employees is a standard process that may frequently be automated within
an employer payroll system. However, many states now require additional
data beyond the standard W-4 details, requiring employers to design their
systems to adhere to
specific state requirements.
Each data element needed
within new hire reporting
requires employers to do
additional programming to
comply. This can be a
challenge, especially if an employer reports new hires in many states. To
help with keeping the process streamlined, employers encourage states to
stick with the basic data elements if possible.
Also, new hire reporting no longer applies only to W-2 employees. In the
past few years, the focus has been locating non-employees working as
independent contractors for companies. Nineteen states have passed
legislation requiring companies to report newly hired independent
contractors based on state guidelines, thresholds, or contract
classifications. ii
An independent contractor’s information can be in the employer’s accounts
payable or vendor payment systems rather than being stored in the payroll
system. Since an accounts payable system generally does not interact with
a payroll system, employers often need to merge the individual’s
information from these systems or report each separately. As a result, the
reporting of independent contractors may be a manual process for the
company.
To help create standardization for reporting newly hired independent
contractors, the National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD)
Employer Collaboration Committee developed the Model Act on
Independent Contractor Reporting, which states can leverage if they decide
to pursue legislation.

The Model Act creates standardization for payors
and states, resulting in the location and reporting of
a more significant number of child support obligors
and the issuance of the outstanding child support
income withholding orders (IWO). States interested
in leveraging the model legislation can access the
Model Act on the NCCSD website. iii
Income withholding – we like electronic
States and the OCSS have created efficiencies to
help with child support order processing.
Specifically, electronic income withholding (e-IWO)
allows employers to receive child support orders electronically in several
formats. Employers can choose to receive e-IWOs via XML (which
generally requires a more extensive development project), spreadsheet, or
PDF. Recently, OCSS created an option for employers to sign in to their
portal and download the IWO.
No matter how the employer elects to receive orders, the goal is to provide
options that meet the employer’s needs and capabilities. In most states,
only child support orders issued directly from the state child support agency
can be sent via the e-IWO process. The electronic process does not
include support orders issued by a court, an attorney, or a private
individual. The orders issued by these senders often have missing
information, do not instruct payments to go to the State Disbursement Unit
(SDU), or include additional instructions that require the employer to follow
up with the issuer. These variances or missing details are challenging for
employers since they require extra steps and outreach, potentially delaying
the processing.
Orders issued for an independent contractor doing business with a
company can also pose challenges. OCSS has been clear about the
treatment of independent contractors, saying, “If you receive an IWO for a
non-employee, and you make payments to that person, you must withhold
child support from those payments.” iv This requires employers to check
their accounts payable or vendor payment systems so they do not
incorrectly return the IWO based on their belief that they do not employ the
person.
If the order doesn’t identify that it’s for an independent contractor, the
employer may incorrectly return the order, indicating that the person listed

is not an employee. Including an indicator on the IWO that the person is an
independent contractor/non-employee would help to ensure proper and
timely processing. Employers have suggested this as a future
enhancement to the IWO form for the next revision cycle.
Also, since the Consumer Protection Act applies to employees, each state
is responsible for its requirements and limits related to child support
withholding for independent contractors. v It is helpful when the state clearly
specifies or publishes the amount to withhold for any non-employee or
independent contractor. Otherwise, the employer must contact the issuing
agency each time an order is received for a non-employee to determine the
withholding amount, limits, and processing guidelines.
Medical support
Most employers understand that medical support is a form of child support
that provides either cash medical support or health insurance. When
medical support is ordered as part of an IWO, the employer withholds cash
medical support and the child support payment during the regular payroll
cycle.
However, when a child support agency sends an employer a National
Medical Support Notice (NMSN) that orders health insurance coverage for
an employee’s child(ren), the employer may have to involve departments
other than or in addition to the payroll department to properly process the
NMSM and enroll the child(ren) in health benefits. NMSNs require different
actions than a typical IWO, and the employer needs to properly prioritize
and calculate the medical support premium within the applicable state law’s
prioritization and maximum withholding regulations.
Also, while the NMSN is issued on a standard form, some states require
additional forms and details to be completed and returned, requiring extra
effort on the employer’s part.
Additionally, employers must notify the applicable child support agency
when an employee terminates employment and there is an IWO in place.
The employer must similarly report the termination for the medical support
order. The terminations for the IWO and the NMSN are considered
separate, resulting in employers having to send two separate notices to the
same issuing agency.
To improve medical support efficiency, employers would like to see more
state agencies leverage electronic medical support orders. Currently, only a

few states support this approach. Since e-IWO has proven to be a
successful and efficient way to receive orders, employers encourage states
to implement electronic medical support orders as well, eliminating the
need for paper containing personal and confidential details.
Lump sum reporting
“One-time lump sum” (i.e., bonus, commission, severance, cash service
award, etc.) reporting continues to be an area where state requirements
and short turnarounds on processing lump sum payrolls may add to
employers' challenges. Earlier reporting of potential lump sum payouts
allows the child support
agency more time to notify
the employer about a
withholding requirement. As
a best practice, employers
are encouraged to report
these payments to state
agencies as early as possible, and employers appreciate timely responses
from states.
The timeframe in which agencies respond varies by state, and the
statutorily required timeframe that an employer must wait for a response
also varies. Some states require employers to wait a specified number of
days after the planned payout date for the agency to respond. This holding
timeframe adds to the complexity of the process for employers. Employers
are required to understand each state’s requirements and ensure
compliance based on that state’s regulations.
States looking to pass lump sum mandates can leverage Model Legislation
on Managing Lump-Sum Payments for Child Support, created through the
NCCSD Employer Collaboration Committee. vi Similar to the Model Act on
Independent Contractor Reporting, this Model Legislation offers best
practices and efficiencies for states looking to implement legislation related
to the lump-sum process. The model legislation addresses consistency in
employer reporting, state response times, and more, based on state and
employer feedback.
Knowledge and awareness are key!
Benjamin Franklin stated, “An investment in knowledge pays the best
interest.” State child support agencies partnering with employers to bring
awareness and education to these processes will help employers stay

compliant, enable the agency to receive successful information, and
ultimately ensure that families receive the support they need.
Employers are often unaware of the specific requirements necessary to
complete some of the tasks above. While it is understood that this is the
employer's responsibility, awareness and education can help employers
and payroll professionals who are responsible for executing the tasks. The
goal is compliance with processes, avoiding liabilities, and ultimately
positively contributing to child support being sent to families.
Employer webinars, conferences, and easy-to-follow instructions on
websites help employers better understand the processes. Additionally, the
model legislation created by the NCCSD Employer Collaboration
Workgroup for Independent Contractor Reporting and Lump Sum Reporting
is a great example of a group coming together to develop best practices
and standardization to help all parties involved.
i https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/child_support_and_employers_infographic.pdf
ii https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/contact-information/state-new-hire-reporting-contacts-and-program-requirements
iii https://www.nccsd.net/
iv https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/outreach-material/processing-income-withholding-order-ornotice#:~:text=If%20you%20receive%20an%20IWO,the%20Income%20Withholding%20Requirements%20matrix
v https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/garn01.pdf
vi https://payroll.org/docs/default-source/government-relations/19m04-lump-sum-payments.pdf
Corri Flores is the Director of Government Affairs for ADP, Inc. Corri and her team are dedicated to
cultivating cooperative relationships between ADP and wage garnishment agencies, as well as monitoring
compliance requirements. Corri has been with ADP for 29 years and has spent much of her career within
the Agency Relations organization. She is the current Chair of PayrollOrg’s (PAYO) Government Relations
Task Force (GRTF) for Child Support and Garnishments. She is a member of the National Child Support
Engagement Association and currently serves on various committees. She also participates on the National
Council of Child Support Directors Employer Collaboration Committee. Corri has been privileged to present
at multiple conferences with state and federal child support representatives.

Get Ready: 2024 Leadership Symposium Preview
by Konitra Jack and Sharon Pizzuti, 2024 NCSEA Leadership
Symposium Co-chairs
When people are getting together to celebrate the spirit of blending diverse
influences to create something powerful and unifying, there is no better
place to gather than Detroit, Michigan, the birthplace of Motown. This
year’s Leadership Symposium will bring the child support community
together to share knowledge, experiences, and innovative ideas, inspiring
leaders to create a harmonious future that supports and empowers
families. Detroit’s legacy of creativity and collaboration serves as an
inspiring backdrop that is perfect for honoring the 50th anniversary of the
organization that became NCSEA, known for inspiring meaningful change
in child support since its founding.
This year’s theme, “Leading with Heart and Soul,” emphasizes the legacy
that NCSEA has created over the past 50 years. In the spirit of Motown,
where artists like Smokey Robinson and Diana
Ross blended heart and soul to create timeless
music, the symposium will take attendees on a
journey combining passion and dedication with the
core value of providing service to families and
communities. The plenaries, workshops, and
learning labs will show what happens when you
combine emotions and passions with NCSEA’s
values. Essentially, the event will focus on where
we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going
as an organization.

Special care has been taken to ensure that diversity, equity, inclusion, and
belonging (DEIB) principles are woven throughout the planning process.
Although this conference’s theme is not explicitly DEIB, some sessions will
focus on DEIB topics. Rather than making DEIB a standalone subject for
discussion, we have chosen to integrate DEIB principles into the very fabric
of our content and presentations. The planning committee has spent
months curating 6 plenaries, 20 workshops and 4 learning labs, ensuring
that every aspect of the symposium is inclusive, equitable, and respectful of
all participants. The committee has also ensured that the content will
promote true diversity and inclusion and allow individuals from all
backgrounds and perspectives to gain valuable, unique insights. To achieve
this, our session content will be delivered in four tracks:
• Developing Equity in Policy: a focus on child support policy areas
• Partnering for Success: a focus on partnerships with other programs
and organizations
• Cultivating Inclusive Leadership: a focus on leadership development
for everyone
• Building and Sustaining Accessible Technology: a focus on
technology
More than anything, the overall purpose of the Leadership Symposium is to
meet and nurture current and future leaders in the child support program.
It’s the perfect time to come together and share best practices and
innovative ideas. Much like Motown's legacy continues to inspire new
generations, this
year’s symposium
aims to inspire leaders
to drive positive
change in our
community. We want
attendees to leave with a sense that there "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
to stop us from achieving our goals, with the enthusiasm of "Dancing in the
Street" to celebrate our progress, and with the resolve to ensure that
"What's Going On" in child support continues to evolve positively.

By gathering in Detroit, a city overflowing with resilience and creativity, we
are reminded of the power of collaboration and the impact of bringing
diverse voices together. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of NCSEA,
we honor our past achievements and look forward to a future filled with
innovation and unity, echoing the timeless spirit of Motown. In the words of
the Supremes, it’s time to "…Keep Me Hangin' On" to the vision of a better,
more supportive future for all families.
Our planning committee has put their hearts and souls into planning this
historic 50 th NCSEA anniversary event. We hope you’ll consider joining us
early on Sunday, August 4 th for pre-conference activities planned especially
for our attendees to celebrate and connect in meaningful ways. Our kickoff
events include Detroit Eats & Birthday Treats, Bingo Networking, NCSEA’s
Famous Ideas Exchange, and our NEW Onsite Charitable Event where we
will come together to make 50 fleece blankets for local, hospitalized
children. Be sure to review the conference website for the detailed
conference agenda and registration information. Once registered, look for
the important “know before you go” email from NCSEA and seize every
opportunity to grow as a leader in child support! We are excited to see
everyone at the 2024 Leadership Symposium on August 4-7 in Detroit,
Michigan, at the Renaissance Center!
Konitra Jack, MBA, Esq., serves as the Child Support Enforcement (IV-D) Director at the Louisiana
Department of Children and Family Services. She oversees the state IV-D program, ensuring compliance
with regulations and fostering partnerships to enhance service delivery. With a Juris Doctorate from
Southern University Law Center, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Science in
Mathematics from Southern University and A&M College, Konitra's educational background supports her
impactful leadership.
An active member of the National Child Support Engagement Association (NCSEA), Konitra co-chairs the
Leadership Symposium Planning Committee. Her dedication to the field has been recognized with the 2023
NCSEA Outstanding Leader Award. Additionally, she holds roles in the National Council of Child Support
Directors (NCCSD), National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS), Eastern Regional
Interstate Child Support Association (ERICSA), and Louisiana Support Enforcement Association (LSEA).
Outside her professional achievements, Konitra is committed to community service, teaching children at
Jubilee Christian Center Church and co-leading Girl Scout Troop 10995 in Baton Rouge. A dedicated wife
and mother, she strives to balance her professional endeavors with a fulfilling family life. "Collaboration is
the key to making meaningful progress in our communities," says Konitra.
Sharon Pizzuti is the Vice President at Courtland Consulting. She has more than 36 years of combined
government and consulting leadership in child support, courts, and human services. She leads business

and technical contracts at local, state, and federal levels. Her previous roles include local government
manager for the Oakland and Wayne County Michigan Friend of the Court, consulting for the Federal and
State of Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, Federal Department of Labor/Bureau of Labor
Statistics, and the Michigan Supreme Court/State Court Administrative Office. She’s spent the last 20 years
focused on court and human service improvement programs, including fatherhood programming, conflict
mediation, and equitable access to justice work.
Sharon is an ERICSA (Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association) Board Member, former Vice
President of Conference Operations, and former Chair of the Onsite Committee. She currently serves on
finance, exhibitor and sponsor, conference planning, and communications committees. She is a member of
the WICSEC (Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council) communication, year-round
learning, and DEI committees. She proudly serves on the NTCSA (National Tribal Child Support
Association) conference planning and advisory committee.
Sharon currently serves as the Co-Chair for the NCSEA (National Child Support Engagement Association)
2024 Leadership Symposium, and she is an NCSEA Board Member and active on several committees. She
is also a former Treasurer for NCSEA. Her insight, experience, research, and positive presence highlight
her passion for creating partnerships and intersections to establish programs that serve the whole family.
She promotes equity and inclusion in child support programs and focuses on the best interests of children
and their families.

Can You Hear Me Now?
by Linda Rhyne-McKinley, Management Consultant, Public
Knowledge®, Jackie Scharping, Implementation Manager, Child
Support Services Division, Systems & Methods, Inc., and
Purposed Perspective, contributing author
Remember the commercial for a cellular service company with the actor
asking, “Can you hear me now?” In the first days of cellular service, people
were always asking that question, the literal meaning of not hearing
someone due to no or poor connection.
In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, staying connected and informed
has never been more critical, especially for professionals dedicated to
supporting families and children. NCSEA recognizes this need and
provides innovative online learning opportunities designed to enhance the
skills and knowledge of child support professionals across the nation.
NCSEA’s Web Talks, Connects, and On Location podcast are
revolutionizing professional development in the child support community.
The expert-led content ensures that child support practitioners are well
equipped to meet the challenges of their roles, fostering better outcomes
for children and families.
Can you hear me now? Take advantage of NCSEA’s dynamic offerings!
No matter your travel limitations or communication style, NCSEA has
created pathways to keep members connected! With the demanding
workloads of child support professionals, finding time to be away from the
office to network may be a challenge. You may also struggle to find the
right point of contact as a resource for a difficult case or to identify a partner
to help you move a thought from idea to action. We have your answer!

NCSEA Web Talks make it easy to stay informed and up-to-date on key
industry issues and emerging trends, including:
• Legislation
• Best practices
• Leadership
• . . . And much more!
Can’t attend an NCSEA Web Talk but desperate to avoid the dreaded
FOMO? NCSEA has you covered! Web Talks are recorded and available to
access at your convenience in the NCSEA Web Talk Library.
NCSEA Connects offers networking opportunities for child support
professionals to join forces with colleagues through community
collaborations. Have you ever struggled with your voice being heard
amongst the masses and desired a more focused group to share your
ideas? If you answered yes, you should try one of these communities.
Each of these groups focuses on a particular topic so that you can
maximize your time with group members with similar interests. NCSEA
Connects is your chance to discuss thoughts with peers through interactive
and engaging discussions, and work towards achieving results on issues
that are most important to you!
Members have four different NCSEA Connects affinity groups from which to
choose:
• NCSEA Connects: Intergovernmental

• NCSEA Connects: Leadership
• NCSEA Connects: Training
• NCSEA Connects: Research Collaboration
So, what are you waiting for? If you want to take your professional
development and networking to the next level, we encourage you to join
one of these groups where you can feel comfortable saying, “Can you hear
me now?”
Of course, you can hear me now! NCSEA’s weekly On Location podcast
has grown to 10,000+ listeners, and I bet you are one of those listeners,
especially since NCSEA On Location offers the following resources:
• On-demand listening means the podcast can be played anytime
and anywhere, making it perfect for multitasking during commuting,
exercising, or household chores.
• The wide availability of NCSEA On Location is also attractive, as it
is accessible on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google
Podcasts, Anchor.fm, Overcast, Podcast Casts, Radio Public, and
iHeart Radio.
• Expert insights from child support and other human services
professionals offer information on various trends and topics affecting
the child support community.
NCSEA’s membership is about staying connected and informed. You select
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Linda Rhyne-McKinley is an empathic leader with over 24 years of experience working in human services,
specifically child support services. Her experience spans various domains of the child support program,
affording her a deep understanding of the intricacies and challenges facing child support services.
Linda is a management consultant for Public Knowledge®, Your Catalyst for Change. Currently, she holds
influential positions within NCSEA as a member on the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Membership
Committee, and Learning Labs Co-Chair for the 2024 NCSEA Leadership Symposium.
Driven by a growth mindset, Linda continually seeks opportunities to enhance her knowledge and refine her
skills. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Public Administration
Public and Nonprofit Management Academy Certificate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
She is pursuing her Project Management Certification and writing her first book, Once an Adult, Twice a
Child.
Jackie Scharping is an Assistant Vice President/Implementation Manager with Systems and Methods, Inc.
(SMI). Jackie has worked in the child support program since 1991, having worked in a variety of capacities
in Brown County, Wisconsin and as Wisconsin’s IV-D Director from 2011 to 2015. She has served on and
co-chaired several NCSEA committees throughout her membership.

What Happens to Support When an Obligor Dies:
A Three-State Comparison
by Laurel Eaton, Program Manager, OSIS Policy, Center for
Public Management, University of Oklahoma; and Liz Wilson,
Deputy Director for Operations, Oklahoma Department of Human
Services Child Support Services Division
States should operate uniformly when it comes to child support. This is
particularly important regarding the closure of IV-D cases. This piece will
not be a lengthy discussion about the complexities of case closure and its
legal implications. Instead, it will focus on one of the original case closure
provisions: the closure of cases when a non-custodial parent passes away. i
ii
Federal Guidance: All states must follow 45 CFR Part 303, specifically 45 CFR § 303.11 (b)(4) Case
closure criteria. This particular rule permits a state to close the case when a non-custodial parent dies,
but remember it says, “The non-custodial parent or alleged father is deceased and no further action,
including a levy against the estate, can be taken” [emphasis added]. This article compares other
possible actions in the laws and policies of Oklahoma, North Dakota, and New York.
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, the current child support obligation terminates upon the
obligor's death.
When Parentage Is an Issue
To collect child support from a deceased father, parentage must first be
established. If parentage is an issue, Oklahoma has three options:

1) According to Oklahoma Administrative Code § 340:25-5-176, when
the Child Support Services IV-D Program (CSS) has the cooperation
of a deceased alleged biological father's relatives, CSS establishes
parentage of the child(ren) through genetic testing of the relatives as
necessary according to the standards and provisions of Oklahoma’s
Uniform Parentage Act, 10 O.S. § 7700-501-7700-511.
2) The CSS state's attorney may request a court order allowing the use
of any previous genetic test specimen pursuant to 10 O.S. §§ 7700-
508 and 509. When a relative does not volunteer to participate in
genetic testing, CSS does not file a forced probate court action to
establish paternity against a deceased, alleged biological father.
3) If Oklahoma has information that the state Medical Examiner’s (ME)
office is holding the deceased alleged parent’s biological material, OK
attorneys submit an Application for Writ of Assistance to the ME’s
office requesting the biological material be released to the vendor lab.
When Parentage Is Not an Issue
In cases where parentage is not an issue, and there is a child support
order, when CSS discovers that a deceased non-custodial parent has an
estate, CSS may file a creditor’s claim in probate court listing the amount of
child support arrears. Except for medical debts owed for the last illness,
funeral expenses, and estate administration costs, CSS advocates that
child support arrears have priority over other estate debt. If the noncustodial
parent is an heir in a probate proceeding, an entry of appearance
and request for distribution can be filed before the distribution of the estate.
As a creditor of the non-custodial parent, CSS has the right to step in the
non-custodial parent’s shoes and collect the non-custodial parent’s estate
proceeds (58 O.S. § 331, 58 O.S. § 122, 58 O.S. § 591).
It is outside the scope of CSS to take a forced probate court action.
Therefore, when there is no estate to file a child support claim after genetic
testing is completed, CSS advises custodial parents that they may submit
the genetic test results to the Social Security Administration to apply for
death benefits that the child may be eligible to receive from the deceased
father.
Intergovernmental Services
CSS has elected under federal regulations to offer customers a limited
service iii solely for paternity establishment when the alleged non-custodial

parent is deceased. (See CSS administrative rule OAC 340:25-1-1.2 (b)
(1).) When receiving an intergovernmental referral requesting full services
for a deceased non-custodial parent, CIC will not process the referral, and
CSS will return the packet to the requesting state.
If none of the genetic testing options are available, CSS cannot proceed
with paternity establishment on a deceased NCP, and the case will be
closed.
North Dakota
North Dakota adheres to their Trial Court Administration Policy 505, which
governs the management of “Probate, Supervised Trust, Guardianship /
Conservatorship, Criminal, Foster Care, Spousal Support, And Cases
Involving Current Monthly Child Support Obligations.” Sections 9 and 10 of
this policy provide specific guidance regarding the child support order and
arrears when an obligor dies.
Section 9, Subsection F: Death of Obligor
Unless otherwise specified by court order, the current child support
obligation will terminate upon the obligator's death. Documentation of
the obligor's death must be filed with the support order.
Section 10: Arrears of Deceased Obligor
The arrears of the deceased obligor may be designated as
uncollectible if the current child support obligation has been
terminated and any probate of the obligor's estate opened in North
Dakota has been closed.
When Paternity Is an Issue
When paternity is an issue, and when good cause is shown under North
Dakota’s Uniform Parentage Act, iv the court may order genetic testing of a
deceased individual, or the court may order the following individuals to
submit specimens for genetic testing: a) the parents of the man; b) siblings
of the man; c) other children of the man and their mothers; and d) other
relatives of the man as necessary.
New York
The New York internal document Death of a Putative Father or Noncustodial
Parent to an Order of Support v for CSS staff provides general

information, suggestions, and best practices for providing child support
services after the death of a non-custodial parent (or other party or child)
while ensuring that child support legal counsel is consulted.
Death of a Putative Father or Non-custodial Parent
When the death of a putative father or non-custodial parent is reported,
there are several actions to take to verify the death, such as determining
the date and location of death and the last known address, as well as
whether an estate was filed, and obtaining a copy of the death certificate.
When Paternity Is an Issue
Legal counsel first determines if posthumous paternity establishment is
supported by the facts of a particular case (FCA § 519). A proceeding to
establish paternity may be commenced or continued by an authorized
person after the death of the putative father if:
• The putative father was the petitioner in the paternity proceeding; or,
• The putative father acknowledged paternity of the child in open court;
or,
• A genetic marker or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test had been
administered to the putative father before his death; or,
• The putative father has openly and notoriously acknowledged the
child as his own.
When Paternity Is Not an Issue
When paternity is not an issue, New York will make reasonable efforts to
determine if an estate has been filed for the non-custodial parent and, if so,
whether an executor or administrator has been appointed. A claim will be
filed against the estate for support arrears as deemed appropriate if:
• The non-custodial parent’s is death verified; and,
• An estate is identified; and,
• Support arrears of $500 or more is owed.
General
Various other considerations should be handled as appropriate, such as:

• Payments received after the non-custodial parent’s death, such as
overpayments, refund checks, tax refund offset, property execution;
• Interest on a judgment; and
• Providing a Social Security number after death if needed by the
custodial parent.
Conclusion
Upon review of these three states, it appears that if appropriate, they
provide essentially the same services when a putative father or noncustodial
parent dies—current child support ceases. Other actions may be
taken depending on the laws of the state.
i NPRM: Standards for Program Operations - Processing Cases and Distributing Collections. (n.d.). The Administration for
Children and Families. Proposed Case Closure Criteria – Section § 303.11 (b)(3). https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/policyguidance/nprm-standards-program-operations-processing-cases-and-distributing-collections
ii Code of Federal Regulations, Case Closure," Case Closure Criteria – Section § 303.11 (b)(3)(4) [81 FR 93564, Dec. 20, 2016,
as amended at 85 FR 35207, June 9, 2020] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-303#303.11
iii Oklahoma CSQuest: Limited Services: Paternity Establishment and Deceased NCPs, October 9, 2023, and Limited Services:
Deceased NCPs and Family Studies, September 29, 2023.
iv North Dakota’s Uniform Parentage Act, Chapter 14-20-32 & 14-20-33, page 8. https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t14c20.pdf
v New York State, Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Center for Child Well-Being, Division of Child Support
Enforcement, September 29, 2016, Death of a Child or a Party to an Order of Support: Questions and Answers, Death of a
Putative Father or Non-custodial Parent. Unpublished internal document
Laurel Eaton retired as the Programs Manager for the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Learning in 2016
after 46 years with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services—38 of those years with or related to
Child Support Services. She also spent time with IV-A, Food Stamps, Medical, and public relations. Two of
her most gratifying moments during her tenure were being a part of the three-member team writing the first
Advanced Planning Document regarding the Oklahoma Support Information System (OSIS) in 1983 and
being the Project Manager for the certification of OSIS in the mid-1990s. After retirement, she returned as a
Project Coordinator with the University of Oklahoma, Center for Public Management, contracted to Child
Support Services. Ms. Eaton is currently the program manager for this contract.
Liz Wilson is the Deputy Director for Operations in the Child Support Services Division in the Oklahoma
Department of Human Services (CSS). She oversees legal, policy, contracts, and 30 district offices through
three regional administrators. She has a B.A. from Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, and a J.D. degree
from Oklahoma City University School of Law. She’s a member of the Family Law Section of the Oklahoma
Bar Association and the National Child Support Engagement Association member, a Certified Public
Manager, and a Hope Science Navigator. Liz is now in her 33rd year with CSS. She is committed to staff
training, has developed materials, and has presented continuing legal education and caseworker
workshops locally and at state and national levels.