The Office of Child Support Enforcement is a division of the Department of Finance and Administration and is charged with administering the child support enforcement program within the state.

On January 4, 1975, Congress enacted Public Law 93-647. The law amended Title IV of the Social Security Act (referred to as the Act) by creating a new Part D, “Child Support and Establishment of Paternity.” Child support programs are also referred to as IV-D programs because the authority for the program is located within the Social Security Act, Title IV, Part D.

The child support program is a state and federal partnership with the purpose of promoting parental responsibility, securing financial support for children from their noncustodial parent, enhancing family self-sufficiency, and preventing or reducing reliance on public assistance. Each state, several U.S. territories, and many Native American tribes administer a child support enforcement program.

In the State of Arkansas, the child support program becomes involved in the establishment and enforcement of child support and medical support based on an application for services by the physical custodian of a child; by referral when the custodial party and/or children are recipients of TEA (which includes Arkansas Work Pays), Medicaid (which includes Arkansas Works and ARKids 1^st A and B), or Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP); by referral when the noncustodial party is a recipient of SNAP; or based on a request for assistance from a child support program in another state, tribe, or country.

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Policy Manual is the official statement of policy used by staff in implementing the child support enforcement program in Arkansas.

The purpose of the OCSE Policy Manual is to set forth agency policy utilized in the implementation of the child support enforcement program.

Unless otherwise stated, the information in this manual pertains to cases in which enforcement services are provided.

Policy for the OCSE Policy Manual is developed and promulgated pursuant to State law.

The OCSE Policy Manual will be available on the OCSE website at www.childsupport.arkansas.gov until it is superseded. The superseded manual will be retained in agency files for three years as required by State law.

Definitions of common terms and acronyms used in this manual are as follows:

OCSE is state-administered and state-operated within the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA). Other sections of DFA that provide support services for OCSE include Administrative Services, Information Services, Personnel Management, Driver Services, Motor Vehicle, Revenue Legal Counsel, State Income Tax, State Procurement, Accounting, Budget, Intergovernmental Services, and Employee Benefits.

OCSE is the single and separate organizational unit responsible for administering the IV-D Program under the State Plan. The unit, supervised by the Administrator of OCSE, consists of Central Office, field offices, and the Arkansas Child Support Clearinghouse.

The Central Office for OCSE includes the Administrator and Management Staff who are charged with responsibility for specified areas. Operational functions are performed by Finance and Administration, Information Systems, Policy, Program Review, Communication and Outreach, General Counsel, Customer Service, Collections, and Program Support. The function of Central Office staff is to provide the necessary support services for field staff and to administer the program at the state level.

Under direction of the Operations Manager, Field Managers are responsible for supervising the Regional and Extension Office Supervisors. Regional and Extension Office Supervisors are responsible, under the direction of the Field Managers, for supervising the field staff. The field staff are responsible for locating noncustodial parents and obtaining the information necessary to initiate administrative procedures to enforce orders or support legal action pursuant and limited to the purpose of the IV-D Program. The field staff work closely with the legal staff to ensure appropriate information is available to support the necessary legal action to collect child and medical support or establish paternity. OCSE attorneys represent neither the custodial party nor noncustodial parent, but rather the State's interest in seeing that children are provided for financially.

As required by federal law, OCSE operates the Arkansas Child Support Clearinghouse, also known as the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), for the collection and disbursement of payments under child support orders in IV-D cases (enforcement) and non-IV-D cases (payment processing). The Clearinghouse also provides necessary technical assistance and information to employers to ensure the collection and disbursement of payments.

The Child Support Enforcement Program is supported by State General Revenue, fees collected from custodial parties and noncustodial parents, and federal funds.

The primary goal of OCSE is to work with parents and guardians to help establish and receive court-ordered child and medical support.

Child and medical support services are available to any individual, without regard to the person's state of residence, who has physical custody of a child and who applies for enforcement services. Recipients of TEA, certain mandatory Medicaid categories, and SNAP are automatically referred to OCSE for services from DHS.

OCSE provides the following services in cases that have been referred by DHS, referred from the child support program of another state, tribe, or country, or when a parent, guardian, or caretaker of a child has applied for services:

The availability of child and medical support enforcement services is publicized on a regular basis. This is accomplished through media announcements, brochures, presentations and participation by OCSE in various community events, and on the OCSE website. The information promotes the availability of child support services and provides resources where additional information may be obtained.

OCSE complies with applicable federal and state civil right laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, race, national origin, sex, or religion.