Case Closure Background and Agency Responsibilities
In this Topic
Background
In 1989, the Federal OCSE created criteria for evaluating when a support case is eligible for closure. The intent was to identify and clarify case closure regulations that define conditions under which a state could close a case. Case closure does not eliminate the child support order or arrears. The purpose behind case closure is to terminate the court’s continuing supervision of a child support case and make the child support order and arrears payable directly to the obligee. Title IV-D services are no longer provided by the CWA, the Family Division, or the PCSE Unit. Closing a case does not prevent either party from reapplying for IV-D services.
The objective of case closure was for each state to balance good case management and workable administrative decisions while providing needed services. Ultimately, states benefit from satisfying that objective, because the receipt of incentive funding is tied to improvement in performance measures. Satisfying the objective also allows the components of the Child Support Program to focus efforts on establishing paternity and/or child support orders and collecting child support.
Note: Closing cases, when appropriate, helps states reduce the number of open cases and unworkable cases and improve performance on remaining cases, thereby increasing their share of incentive funding.
Federal Incentive Performance Measures
Incentive funding is performance-based, and the state’s share of the total available incentive dollars is affected by how each state performs. Each performance measure is expressed as a ratio. States can improve a ratio by increasing the numerator or by decreasing the denominator. Table 1 identifies the six federal performance measures used to determine incentives.
| Performance Measure | Ratio |
|
Establishment of paternity |
Total number of children in a IV-D caseload in the fiscal year who were born out of marriage, with paternity established or acknowledged / Total number of children in a IV-D caseload as of the end of the preceding fiscal year, who were born out of marriage. This is known as the IV-D PEP Total number of minor children in the state who are born out of marriage and for whom paternity has been established or acknowledged during the fiscal year / Total number of children in the state who were born out of marriage during the preceding fiscal year. This is known as the statewide PEP |
|
Establishment of support orders |
Number of IV-D cases with support orders / Total number of IV-D cases |
|
Collection of current support |
Total dollars collected for current support in IV-D cases / Total dollars owed for current support in IV-D cases |
|
Collection of arrears |
Total number of IV-D cases paying toward arrears / Total number of IV-D cases with arrears due |
|
Cost-effectiveness |
Total IV-D dollars collected / Total IV-D dollars expended |
Agency Responsibilities
Division of Family Development
The DFD is responsible for the coordination and oversight of Title IV-D activities. The DFD administers New Jersey’s welfare program, Work First New Jersey, through the CSSAs. In accordance with the Cooperative Agreement, the DFD and the Judiciary ensure that the functions of the Title IV-D CS Program are performed as federally required. Components of the Judiciary that are involved in the Title IV-D CS Program include the AOC, the Family Division, the Finance Division, and the Probation Division.
County Welfare Agencies
CWAs are responsible for the following major tasks related to case closure:
- Exhausting all location efforts and validating circumstances that make a case eligible for closure
- Closing the agency’s interest in a case according to state automated procedures (ensuring notice is sent 60 days before closing, where appropriate)
- Ensuring that the reason for closure complies with federal regulations
- Updating the state automated system with proper closing codes
Family Division (Superior Court)
The Family Division (Superior Court) is responsible for the following major tasks related to case closure:
- Validating circumstances that make a case eligible for closure
- Closing the agency’s interest in a case according to state automated procedures
- Ensuring that the reason for closure complies with federal regulations
Vicinage Finance Division
The Vicinage Finance Division is responsible for processing all support obligation/change adjustments.
Probation Child Support Enforcement Unit
The PCSE Unit (Superior Court) is responsible for the following major tasks related to case closure:
- Validating circumstances that make a case eligible for closure and ensuring all court actions have been conducted in accordance with applicable laws
- Closing the agency’s interest in a case according to state automated procedures (ensuring notice is sent 60 days before closing where appropriate)
- Ensuring that the reason for closure complies with federal regulations
Note: When the PCSE Unit is closing a case, it is merely terminating its interest (supervision) and amending the support order to a direct pay. The current obligation continues. This is not applicable to active TANF cases with current support orders.