April 22, 2012 - kcseakcsea.org/uploads/Enforcer_March_2012.pdf · On February 7, 2012, ... Kansas...

The Enforcer March 1, 2012

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March 9, 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

PAGE 2 Message from the President PAGE 3 CSE New Faces PAGE 4 2011 – 2012 Scholarship Winner PAGE 5-9 Process Improvement Highlights PAGE 10 Legislation Update PAGE 11-13 Nomination Information PAGE 14-15 Conference Registration Form PAGE 16-19 KCSEA Board Information Addendum Scholarship Application

WWW.KCSEA.ORG

Don’t forget the scholarship

deadline is

April 22, 2012

Have some office photos

that you’d like to see in

the next edition of the

Enforcer? Send them to

Brandon Donohue or

Jessica Twombly!!!

Be an Early Bird!!

Sign up for conference

by 3/30/12 and be

entered in the drawing

for a free SUITE!

http://www.kcsea.org/


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Message from the President Submitted by Nicolette Bennett,

KCSEA President

2012 KCSEA Conference is just 3 months away. The beginning of 2012, we were adjusting to having 4

regions instead of 6. Statewide specialization brought new procedures to many staff. Central Office

provided training materials. Many staff are now certified to draw DNA samples. Finance specialists have

proven that it really does make sense to have fewer people activating debts for consistency and accuracy.

Establishment case workers have much lower caseloads to ensure they are able to focus on aggressively

obtaining agreed orders. Double credit for obtaining agreed orders shows how important these new

procedures are. Establishment attorneys are able to focus on more complex cases and spend more time

negotiating agreed orders. Calling customers directly rather than relying on snail mail communicates our

commitment to working with customers and reduces the time it takes to obtain an agreed order. Getting

money into households more quickly can have a tremendous impact on so many children.

On February 7, 2012, the Kansas Payment Center discontinued issuing paper checks for child support,

providing debit cards when electronic deposit to a checking or savings account had not been requested.

There is an Early Intervention Unit to contact parties about new support orders. Legal staff no longer

receive new referral s for outgoing intergovernmental cases. Kansas’ IV-D Director, Trisha Thomas,

brought a new perspective to Kansas CSE, promoting synergy by teaming with Contractor staff to improve

CSE statistics in Kansas. Increasing federal incentive dollars will help bring an update child support

computer system to better provide services for CSE customers. The Kansas Child Support Enforcement

Manual is being revised as you read this.

Looking at the quality and experience Kansas CSE staff bring, we have the people needed to achieve the

goals set for us. A challenge? Absolutely. Join me in helping to make a difference in the lives of so many

children in Kansas and children across the globe that benefit from the services we provide by coming to

KCSEA’s 2012 Conference ‘Child Support Stampede’ June 7-8, 2012 at the Topeka Ramada Inn. To receive

the conference room rate of $69 + applicable taxes, please mention the KCSEA Conference when you call

the hotel directly at 785-234-5200 or 1-800-432-2424.


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Melissa Johnson was born and raised in Erie, Kansas. She attended Kansas

State University and graduated in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in

Agribusiness. From there she attended Washburn University School of law,

graduating in 1999.

After graduation she worked as an associate in the law firm on Henshall,

Pennington and Brake in Chanute, KS. In January, 2001 she was sworn in as

the Neosho County Attorney and also served as county counselor. She remained in that position

until September, 2006 when she accepted a position as CSE establishment attorney in the

Parsons SRS office handling Labette, Montgomery and Wilson counties. In March, 2008 she

transitioned to an alternate work week with SRS and also worked part-time for the Columbus

YoungWilliams office handling enforcement for Bourbon County. In June, 2010 she left SRS and

became a full-time employee of the Topeka YoungWilliams office handling enforcement in

Jackson, Jefferson and part of Shawnee counties. Finally, in September, 2011 she accepted the

position as Senior Attorney in CSE Central Office. In this position she is responsible for all CSE

personnel actions, some appellate work, Tribal issues and any Interstate problems. Melissa is

married and has three boys, ages 8, 5, and 2, and one daughter, age 6.

Chris Kellog was born in upstate New York, but grew up in Salina, Kansas. He

attended Kansas State University, earning both a Bachelor and Master of Arts

degree in Spanish. While in law school, Chris served as student editor-in-chief

of the ABA's Family Law Quarterly and as a law clerk for the District Court of

Shawnee County, Kansas. After graduating with honors from Washburn

University School of Law in 2004, Chris served as a staff attorney for the United

States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City.

Upon completion of his clerkship in New York, Chris returned to Salina where he joined the firm

of Kennedy Berkley Yarnevich & Williamson, Chartered. There, he focused on domestic law, civil

litigation and bankruptcy. After spending about five years in private practice, Chris made the

decision to return to government service with SRS as a CSE attorney in Leavenworth. After a


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short time in that position, Chris was given the opportunity to move to Central Office to serve as

policy counsel for the CSE Program. He is primarily responsible for legislation, KPC and Call

Center oversight and assisting in overall administration of the CSE Program.

Chris enjoys working with SRS and CSE where he has the opportunity to practice law while

making a real difference in the lives of Kansas children. Chris has been married for 13 years. He

and his wife, Becky, have two children. Chris is active in his church and the Boy Scouts of

America where he serves as Cub Master for his son’s Cub Scout pack.

KCSEA is proud to be able to award a scholarship for $750.00 due to the generosity of its members and sponsors. This year’s winner is Jordan Fisher, the daughter of Court Trustee Lee Fisher. Jordan has been involved in many activities including student council, Big Brother/Big Sisters, and Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat. She also plays volleyball and golf and played in the band as well as singing. Jordan’s career path is taking her into the field of dentistry. It is her goal to help families in western Kansas filling in in an area where there is a shortage in the area of dental needs. Jordan states that her goal is to provide affordable access to regular dental checkups for less fortunate families and that “adequate oral healthcare” for rural Kansans is a priority for her.

Further, Jordan credits her parents for making sure she had regular dental visits and feels that having a healthy smile gave her more confidence. She believes that “having a healthy smile and feeling good about one’s teeth can help with a person’s sense of self-esteem”. KCSEA members and sponsors wish Jordan the best of luck in her future.


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The Process Improvement Maker (PIM) groups have been working diligently to move forward with ideas to improve efficiency in our program. Our overarching goal is that all child support workers are well trained, that everyone has the resources needed, we focus on the basics along with customer service, and that federal accountability measures are emphasized (PEP, cases under order, current support, arrears, and cost effectiveness).

The goal of the Outreach PIM is to identify and implement changes in procedures and programs to improve Outreach to CP’s, NCP’s, Employers, Hospitals and others in our Community. What we have worked on so far:

Unknown father cases – a subgroup was put together and worked on procedures, forms

and a checklist to review cases where NCP is Unknown. This list was sent out to each

caseworker so they can review these cases for possible closure or referrals.

Employer Survey – a subgroup created survey to be sent out to employers. The purpose

of the survey is to find out from the employers where we can improve to better serve the

employers.

Early Intervention for CP/NCP – Early Intervention is a program I learned about from

Nebraska Child Support. The idea is to contact all CP’s and NCP’s when Journal Entries

are added to our system. We will attempt to call each CP/NCP and provided general

information to try and avoid common misconceptions and problems in the future. The

Early Intervention Unit began making phone calls at the beginning of February.

Other things on our list to tackle include: Paternity Pamphlets/High School Outreach and

Recreations License Brochure.


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The Enforcement PIM is gathering and exploring ideas to improve the quality and effectiveness of the CSE program. There are currently three subgroups meeting independently:

1. Legislative- The actions CSE can take are limited by Kansas law. This group is gathering ideas for possible future legislative changes to strengthen CSE’s ability to enforce support orders.

2. General Enforcement Training- This group is working to define enforcement roles (caseworker, legal) and to standardize enforcement processes to the extent possible.

3. Most Wanted- This group is working on creating a CSE Most Wanted website accessible from our public CSE site. They are defining eligibility requirements, determining the best way to present the information, and deciding who will be responsible for maintaining the website. We are always looking for new ideas to improve the quality of enforcement. If you have any specific ideas, please contact Tyler Caleb (Effective 3/2/12 Tyler has resigned)

The goal of the Establishment PIM is to identify and implement changes to improve the overall quality of the Kansas CSE Program and to discover ways to increase our number of cases under order, and paternity establishment. Creating more uniform establishment policies is a big part of that. There are currently two sub-groups working on different topics for the Establishment PIM. Training Criteria – This group, led by Kaye Long, has developed the criteria for the Establishment worker’s duties. Paternity – This group is being led by Amy Burgoon. Now that we are moving toward IVD PEP, we are discussing how the CPAT screen will need to be coded to be in compliance, and what will need to be done in order for documents to download correctly, etc.


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The Establishment PIM group has a lot of other great ideas that may be worked on in the future. Some of those are:

How to handle NCP’s with no SSN, or using someone else’s SSN

NCP’s who are illegal aliens

Fast track JE’s Educate customers about the process (both CP and NCP)

Flyer that is sent out with new orders, different flyer when orders are modified with simple instructions

Presentations at local high schools regarding child support issues The Establishment PIM group will continue to work toward developing new, more efficient ways to do business; whether that is creating new processes, or sharing best practices that have been discovered

Our Special Projects PIM has accomplished a lot in the last several months. Some things we have already accomplished and some are on-going. We have been involved in pulling together and helping with the statewide specialization by creating PMP objectives to be used across the state. Once we identified the objectives for each area we referred to the Establishment and Enforcement PIM groups and supervising attorneys to finalize.

In order to make processes more streamlined the Special Projects PIM requested

examples of how each area works a case as well as the forms that are used in each area. This information we have referred onto the other PIM groups so they can look over each process and identify how we want to proceed in working cases and become more efficient.

Our group, CSE Receivables and the Kansas Payment Center (KPC) have completed the

stale dated refund project. Stale dated refunds are payments that have been refunded to the non-custodial parents due to overpaying their child support that have never been cashed. After 145 days KPC sends a letter along with a lost/stolen affidavit to the non-custodial parent asking that they cash the check in the next 30 days or if they no longer have the check, to fill out the enclosed lost and/or stolen affidavit and return to the KPC who will then reissue the refund to them. What we did was research to see which of those NCP’s currently owed a child support debt, if they did, CSE Receivables requested the money from KPC and applied it as a new


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payment. No court order was entered on the system so that the money would distribute equally among the NCP’s obligations per distribution. CSE Receivables requested 1369 payments. This project was a big success as we cleaned up a lot of undisbursed money and applied $83,906.70 to child support obligations.

On 2-7-12 all child support disbursements went electronic. Electronic Disbursements

provide a safer and easier way to receive child support, and help keep costs under control. Custodial parents have the option of receiving child support through Direct Deposit or a NOW debit card. CP’s who did not elect Direct Deposit or NOW Debit Card by February 7, 2012, automatically received a NOW Debit Card. A letter was sent with the NOW Debit Card instructing the custodial parent how to activate the card.

Our biggest on-going project is acquiring the same user profile for our CSE Contractors so

that they have access to what they need to do their jobs. To do this we changed our CSE Contractors user profile to the same as the collection officer’s user profile. This has taken cooperation from several areas, SRS IT, EAS, and our sister agencies to mention a few. We have gotten approval to allow our CSE contractors access to all screens except for two screens and we will continue to work to try to get that access. We are identifying the training that we are going to need to do so that once we have accomplished this endeavor everyone will be trained. Please feel free to email [email protected] if you have any ideas for the Special Projects PIM Group.

The Training PIM works closely with the other PIMS to help ensure staff have the tools available to be successful in their duties. Recently, many tools have been added to the CSE Toolbox: FINANCIAL DUTIES A ‘Finance Topics’ document has been posted to the CSE Toolbox for reference. Finance workers/sups will have a monthly conference call to discuss further issues that arise. The Finance Topics document will continually be updated with new information as it is decided upon. ENFORCEMENT DUTIES Enforcement Atty/Contractor Roles, Enforcement Field Worker Roles, and an Enforcement Referral check list have been added to the Toolbox (and were sent by email from CSE Training). The checklist needs to be used when referring any case for enforcement.

mailto:[email protected]


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ESTABLISHMENT DUTIES Agreed Order instructions, Establishment Referral Checklist, CRCH form, etc. have been posted in the CSE Toolbox. For staff who are inexperienced in the Agreed Order process, more experienced staff and/or legal staff are a resource when you have questions. The Establishment referral checklist needs to be used when referring any case for establishment. Other Updates to CSE Toolbox!! The Toolbox has been moved around to (hopefully) be more user friendly. There are now separate Finance, Est, and Enf sections, in which items/tools will be housed for easy reference. Duplicate instructions Establishment vs. Modification Referrals Preparing UIFSAs (Est & Enf) Legal Referral Guide Many more training guides/tools are forthcoming and will be shared with staff as they are ready.

Dustin Whitaker, Tonya Brunson, Tammy Johnson and Amy Burgoon.

Not pictured Brenda Ellison


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SUMMARY OF CSE LEGISLATION

By Chris Kellogg

The Child Support Enforcement Program (CSE) of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) plans to introduce two bills in the 2012 legislative session. The first bill is a result of a federal mandate and will require that a new employee’s start date be reported to the state new hires directory (SDNH). Federal mandate also requires that a federally supplied definition of “new employee” be added. These updates will assist in locating NCPs as well as in establishing timely IWOs.

The second bill encompasses major changes to the current child support distribution scheme and updates to the Income Withholding Act (IWA). This legislation will change distribution of all child paid through the Kansas Payment Center (KPC) to a pro-rata distribution ensuring that all current support is paid first, making sure that all of a debtor’s children are supported and no one child is favored over another. Also, it will authorize the KPC to distribute child support according to the pro-rata distribution scheme, thereby eliminating an employer’s duty under the IWA to calculate how much support applies to each of a debtor’s orders. This portion of the legislation will have a delayed effective date, which will allow sufficient time to adopt rules and regulations and make system updates to implement these changes.

As part its second bill, CSE also plans to make the following changes to the IWA and other statutes, to be effective July 1, 2012: 1) authorize the use of income withholding to attach bonus payments; 2) clarify use of the IWA to collect support from unemployment benefits; 3) require all income withholding orders to be drafted on standard federal forms; 4) authorize employers to charge an additional $10 cost recovery fee for processing lump sum income withholding orders; and 5) eliminate the 4% cost recovery fee that CSE charges in nonpublic assistance cases by modifying the authorizing statute, K.S.A. 39-756(c). Each of these measures is designed to increase efficiency and increase the amount of child support available to Kansas children, without decreasing CSE’s current service level.


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2012 KCSEA EXCELLENCE AWARDS Distinguished Service Award – This award is for exceptional service in child support enforcement. This is a person that is consistent and strives to do the best they can do on a daily basis. Dependability and reliability can describe them; they volunteer for extra committees or assist with caseload coverage. They really go the extra mile. They are incredibly passionate about the Child Support Program. Customer Service Award - This award is given to the person who provides exceptional customer service on a consistent basis. This person is willing to assist customers regardless of who the case is assigned to. They are willing to do research, contact other SRS/Contractor staff, other program workers, etc. to help answer the customer’s questions. Guardian Angel Award – This Award is for an individual who has had a positive influence on child support policies, procedures, or processes. This can be at the Statewide, Regional, or Service Center level. Largest Lump Sum Collection – Collection must have taken place since July 2011. Please provide supporting documentation such as case number, docket number, CP/NCP and who was responsible for the collection (person or teams).

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


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Nomination Form on

next page!!!

Most Unique Collection Story – 1 – 2 page narrative of your story since July 2011. For example, have you had an NCP make a payment because they needed their passport to perform in the 2012 Rio Carnival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil? OR…Have you had an anonymous donor show up at the office asking to pay off someone’s child support, anyone’s?

Send us your story!


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Complete all the required information and please type or print neatly. Only one nomination per form allowed. All entries will be verified by the nomination committee.

Nominee Information Award to be given: _________________________________ Name of Nominee: _____________________________________________ Title of Nominee: ____________________________________________ Organization Name: ____________________________________________ Mailing Address: ____________________________________________ City: ___________ State: _____ Zip:_________ Phone:____________

Submitted By Your Name: _____________________ Job Title: ___________________________ Organization Name: __________________________________________________ Mailing Address: _____________________________________________________ City: ______________ State:_____ Zip: ________Phone: ___________________ Please list the name and telephone number of one person who can confirm, or second the information above and can provide additional information on your nominee if requested by the nomination committee. Name: _________________________ Organization: ____________________ Phone: ________________________

Please describe on additional pages why the person you are nominating should be awarded one of the 2012 KCSEA Excellence Awards. Include examples of

accomplishments signifying the award to be given.

Mail, Fax, or Email the completed form to: KCSEA AWARDS Ashley Dexter

Overland Park Service Center 8915 Lenexa Drive

Overland Park, KS 66214 Phone Number (913)826-7506 Fax # (913)826-7386


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Guest Speaker: RRReeexxx HHHaaavvveeennnsss

http://www.rexhavens.com/

http://www.rexhavens.com/


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2012 KCSEA CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM

JUNE 7-8, 2012 RAMADA INN, TOPEKA, KANSAS

http://www.topekaramada.com/ 800-432-2424

DEADLINE: May 25, 2012 ***EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 3/30/2012***

(Persons who register for conference by 3/30 will be entered in a drawing for a FREE suite at the Ramada for Thurs 6/7)

NAME: ___________________________________________________________ OFFICE/COMPANY: ________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________ CITY: _____________________________________________________________ STATE: _____________________________________ ZIP: __________________ PHONE #: _________________________________________________________ EMAIL ADDRESS:__________________________________________________ YEARS OF SERVICE IN CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT:______________ PLEASE CHECK ONE: KCSEA Membership Only (One Year): $10.00 Conference Registration Fee (includes One Year Membership): $50.00 Conference Speaker (Registration Fee waived) (Member) $10.00 Conference Speakers (Registration Fee waived) (Non-Member) $ 0.00

Mail registration form with fee made payable to: KCSEA c/o Amy Burgoon Child Support Enforcement 915 SW Harrison DSOB 8th Fl North Topeka, KS 66612

Refund Policy: There will be no refunds after May 25, 2012. Any registrations received after May 25, 2012 will be assessed an additional $5.00 fee. Insufficient Check Policy: In the event an insufficient check is received, the check must be made good with a money order or cash. In addition, that individual must pay by money order or cash for the following year’s membership and conference registration.

http://www.topekaramada.com/


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Back Row: Brenda Hays, Brandon Donohue, Jessica Twombly, Amy Burgoon (Treasurer), Nicolette Bennett (President), Ashley Dexter, Kim Woods, Ray Rodriguez, Marc White (President-Elect). Front Row: Sue Ratcliff, Jessica Lyne, Lisa Long-Horton (Secretary), Kelly Snow, and Cheryl Pittman. Not Pictured: Sarah Delgado, Chris Kellogg (Vice-President) and Marie Curran (Past President).


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KCSEA Board of Directors

2012-2014 OPEN BOARD OF DIRECTORS POSITIONS

There are 3 open Board of Directors Positions. The persons elected will serve 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.

2012-2013 OPEN OFFICER POSITIONS

President Elect – The person elected will serve 2012-2013. o This person will automatically serve 2013-2014 as President.

o This person will automatically serve 2014-2015 as Past President.

Vice President – The person elected will serve 2012-2013. Responsibilities Include

Monitor Legislative Actions

Follow trends in Child Support

Continuously build relationships with National, State, and Local Child Support Partners

Publicize KCSEA Membership

Present information to the KCSEA membership o Newsletter o Website o Annual Meeting of Membership

Plan Annual Meeting and Training Conference o Board Meetings occur about every six weeks o Board Members participate on various Conference Planning

Committees

Allocate the KCSEA budget

Meet Child Support Staff from across the state

HAVE FUN


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Terms

Board Member – Two Years

Officers o President Elect – One Year o President – One Year o Past President – One Year

If Elected for President Elect, you automatically become President and then Past President.

o Vice President – One Year o Treasurer – Two Years o Secretary – Two Years

Board Members cannot serve more than two consecutive terms; 4 years.

Officer positions are not limited to terms.

If this sounds like a good fit for you or someone you know please complete the nomination application provided below.


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2012 KCSEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICER NOMINATIONS

Position Applying for: ________________

Nomination Submitted by: Your Name: __________________________________________________ Title: __________________________________________________ Organization Name: ___________________________________________ Mailing Address: _____________________________________________ City: _______________________ State: ___________ Zip: ___________ Phone: _____________________ KCSEA Member Status: ___________ Yes, I am a current member of KCSEA ___________ No, I am not a current member of KCSEA Nominee Information: Name of Nominee: ____________________________ Job Title: _______________________________________ Organization Name: ________________________________ Mailing Address: ________________________________ City: _______________ State: _____ Zip: _______ Phone:____________ Your Signature: __________________________ Date: __________ Nominee’s Signature: ______________________ Date: __________

Please complete this form carefully; it requires the signature of both the person submitting the nomination and the nominee.

Upon Completion mail or email to: Ashley Dexter 8915 Lenexa Drive Overland Park, KS 66214

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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Send us your photos!!!

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