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Agency 300130
Child Support Services
RCW 43.17, .20B, Title 74 RCW

Request

$234,194,000

Net change from current biennium

$20,260,163

Increase

Percent change from current biennium

9.5%

Increase

Child Support Services administers Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, Child Support Enforcement, and the Non-Assistance Support Collection program. The Division of Child Support administers two programs designed to reduce the costs of public assistance. The Public Assistance Support Collection Program is responsible for collecting child support owed by parents for children who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Foster Care services. These collections reduce the financial burden to the taxpayers. The Non-Assistance Support Collection program is an assistance avoidance program that allows parents/custodians of dependent children to maintain financial independence. Child support collected under this program is passed directly to program participants.

The goal of the Child Support program is to ensure that responsible parents meet their obligation to support their minor dependent children, thereby reducing the burden on the taxpayer and providing those children necessary financial support and other essential child support services.

Links to Program Level Summary

Recommendation Summary, Strategies, and Performance Measures

Program Level Summary

Links to Category Level Detail

Child Support Field Operations

Child Support Headquarters

Recommendation Summary

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Dollars in Thousands

																																																					Annual FTEs																						General Fund-State												Other Funds					Total Funds
1995-97 Expenditure Authority																																																	1,361.0																							39,685														174,249					213,934
Total Maintenance Level																																																	1,426.7																							45,577														186,245					231,822
Difference from Current Biennium																																																	65.7																							5,892														11,996					17,888
Percent Change from Current Biennium																																																	4.8%																							14.8%														6.9%					8.4%
Performance Changes
State Directory of New Hires #																																																																								236														457					693
Paternity Establishment #																																																	1.1																							89														170					259
License Suspension #																																																	10.3																							640														1,242					1,882
General Inflation																																																																								(738)														(1,432)					(2,170)
Year 2000 Conversion Costs																																																																								581														1,127					1,708
Subtotal - Performance Changes																																																	11.4																							808														1,564					2,372
Total Proposed Budget																																																	1,438.1																							46,385														187,809					234,194
Difference from Current Biennium																																																	77.1																							6,700														13,560					20,260
Percent Change from Current Biennium																																																	5.7%																							16.9%														7.8%					9.5%

Performance Changes

State Directory of New Hires #
Effective no later than October 1, 1998, all employers are required to furnish, within 20 days, new hire data to the State Directory of New Hires. Currently employers under six Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes report new hires. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (federal welfare legislation) adds another 77 SIC codes. (General Fund-State, General Fund-Federal)
Paternity Establishment #
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (federal welfare legislation) requires states to establish parentage for 90 percent of the children in their child support caseload effective October 1, 1999 (up from 75 percent). This item funds increased outreach to local hospitals. (General Fund-State, General Fund-Federal)
License Suspension #
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (federal welfare legislation) requires states to have laws providing for holding, suspending, or restricting the use of driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses under specific circumstances in which child support is not paid. This item includes funding for the additional workload and hearings plus the estimated child support collections which may result. (General Fund-State, General Fund-Federal)
Year 2000 Conversion Costs
Funding is provided for modification of the agency's automated information systems to ensure correct date functioning through and beyond the Year 2000. These applications are for direct client service delivery support in the following areas: Refugee Assistance, Juvenile Rehabilitation, Office of Financial Recovery, Developmental Disabilities, Child Support, and the Social Service Payment System. (General Fund- State; General Fund- Federal)

Program Mission

The mission of the Child Support Services program is to improve the lives of children and benefit families and taxpayers by providing quality child support services in a fair and fiscally responsible manner.

Major Agency Strategies and Performance Measures

STRATEGY

• All children have paternity established.

Performance Measure (Based on Paternity Establishment Performance Change Item) Children in the Child Support caseload who had paternity established or acknowledged as a percentage of all Washington State children who were born out of wedlock.
	1993-95		1995-97		1997-99
	FY 94 Actual	FY 95 Actual	FY 96 Actual	FY 97 Estimate	FY 98 Proposed	FY 99 Proposed
Outcome	63%	70%	75%	80%	85%	90%

STRATEGY All children on the Child Support caseload receive financial and medical support from both parents.

Performance Measure (Based on Maintenance Level) Percentage of cases where child support is paid in part or in full.
	1993-95		1995-97		1997-99
	FY 94 Actual	FY 95 Actual	FY 96 Actual	FY 97 Estimate	FY 98 Proposed	FY 99 Proposed
Outcome	--	--	35%	36%	38%	40%

Performance Measure (Based on Maintenance Level) Total Child Support collections (all types) (dollars in thousands).
	1993-95		1995-97		1997-99
	FY 94 Actual	FY 95 Actual	FY 96 Actual	FY 97 Estimate	FY 98 Proposed	FY 99 Proposed
Outcome	$378,633	$410,055	$447,009	$478,077	$510,421	$543,373

Performance Measure (Based on Maintenance Level) Average monthly number of open child support cases.
	1993-95		1995-97		1997-99
	FY 94 Actual	FY 95 Actual	FY 96 Actual	FY 97 Estimate	FY 98 Proposed	FY 99 Proposed
Output	299,281	319,721	335,489	347,257	359,411	371,990

Performance Measure (Based on Maintenance Level) Average monthly collections (all types) per field staff FTE.
	1993-95		1995-97		1997-99
	FY 94 Actual	FY 95 Actual	FY 96 Actual	FY 97 Estimate	FY 98 Proposed	FY 99 Proposed
Efficiency	$31,775	$31,008	$32,230	$35,508	$36,574	$37,609

Program Level Summary

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Operating Budget: Summary by Object

					1994-95 Actual			1995-96 Estimated			1996-97 Estimated			1997-98 Proposed			1998-99 Proposed
Salaries And Wages				44,411,722			47,495,585			48,521,057			49,665,246			52,122,776
Employee Benefits				12,118,169			12,666,352			13,015,055			13,353,957			13,934,397
Goods And Services				36,350,199			36,950,115			34,015,934			36,710,624			41,779,234
Travel				336,767			406,630			336,406			356,000			373,420
Capital Outlays				1,233,444			5,499,698			96,000			6,200,000			446,000
Grants, Benefits & Client Services				1,740			7,747
Debt Service				711,590			1,088,722			570,000			135,441			135,441
Interagency Reimbursements				(2,103)			(4,641)
Intra-Agency Reimbursements				5,507,493			6,457,475			6,811,702			9,320,732			9,660,732

Annual Total				100,669,021			110,567,683			103,366,154			115,742,000			118,452,000