Intergovernmental Corner: Highlights from Latest Border Conference

By Elizabeth Stomski, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau

Another great Biannual Border Conference was held last November. Over 150 federal, state, and local child support workers from eight states, one tribal nation, and the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) met for one and one-half days in Indiana to discuss the current state of intergovernmental case processing throughout the country. The participating jurisdictions were: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Colorado, and the Ho-Chunk Nation. 

OCSE Region V map with star for regional office.

During the conference, each state had the opportunity to present a brief overview of its child support program and highlight any recent changes or large successes. The conference then conducted a session with intergovernmental case law updates covering cases across the country. Participants then worked through some difficult intergovernmental case processing scenarios with partners from other states to learn how each jurisdiction would handle the particular situation. The conference concluded with a federal update from OCSE. Most of the states at this Border Conference are a part of OCSE’s Region V, and the group was congratulated for being the first OCSE region that is fully up and running with the Electronic Document Exchange. 

Using the Electronic Document Exchange

By Sheila Waldrop, Case Management Policy Manager, Office of Child Support; Jillian Thelen, Child Support Specialist, Interstate Central Registry, Office of Child Support; and Elizabeth Stomski, Management Analyst, SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau

The Electronic Document Exchange (EDE) is a portal provided by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) that allows secure transmission of documents between states and counties. It can be used to transmit documents not only interstate, but also intrastate for responding to requests from other counties within the same state. Michigan began using EDE on August 24, 2018. EDE is currently used by 30 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Wisconsin will begin using EDE July 1, 2019. (See the map below for the states currently using EDE.)

EDE State Status map, last updated October 23, 2018, available on the Federal Child Support Portal.

Navigating International Case Processing under the Hague Convention

By Elizabeth Stomski, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau

The Hague Convention of 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (“Convention”) came into force in the United States on January 1, 2017. 

Countries displayed in blue have signed the Hague Convention’s treaty on International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (as of September 2018).

Modernization Upgrade to Intergovernmental Child Support Forms

By: Andrew Moore, Intergovernmental Policy Analyst, Michigan Office of Child Support

Andrew Moore

Prior to this year, intergovernmental child support forms had not been revised substantially since 2000. In September 2014, Public Law (P.L.) 113-183, the “Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act,” passed, requiring states to enact any amendments to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act “officially adopted as of September 30, 2008 by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws,” (UIFSA 2008).[1]

The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) accepted public comments regarding possible forms revisions and subsequently convened a federal-state work group in 2014 to analyze options for revising the forms. The work group primarily sought to ensure that revisions to the intergovernmental forms comport with UIFSA 2008 as required by P.L. 113-183. The work group also identified several important opportunities for improvement – gleaned from public comments. These improvements included: protecting personally identifiable information; addressing modern family structures, such as a couple in a same-sex marriage, by changing terminology where practical (e.g., establishing parentage instead of paternity); and reflecting advancements in communication methods and technology.

Collaboration within Michigan's Intergovernmental Community

Linda Bess

By: Linda Bess, Enforcement Officer at Calhoun County Friend of the Court

It has been my good fortune and privilege to have spent the majority of my 30+ year career at the Calhoun County Friend of the Court (FOC) working in the intergovernmental world (or interstate, as we used to call it, and “intergov,” as it is now known in its short form).

Using Technology to Ease Document Exchange in Intergovernmental Cases

As states prepared to pass the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA), the U.S. Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) began developing an application for states to electronically exchange child support documents and UIFSA forms. The Electronic Document Exchange (EDE) was released to the states in 2014, creating a secure way for states to efficiently exchange case information and supporting documentation in intergovernmental cases.

The Hague Convention and What it Means For the Child Support Program

Why do I keep hearing about this convention?

In early 2007, the Hague Conference on Private International Law called for a convention to improve cooperation between countries to effectively recover international child support and other family maintenance. In November of 2007, The Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (“the Convention”) released a list of recommendations and a uniform law for participating countries, all aimed at the collection and disbursement of international child support. The Convention was signed by all participating parties, including the United States (US); however, this would not be effective until further action was taken by the US Senate.