ODJFS Director Jacqueline Romer-Sensky today announced that measures aimed at correcting how past-due child support arrearages are distributed to former welfare recipients would be put in place this week.

The programming changes to the Support Enforcement Tracking System (SETS) mean that child support arrearages paid to families who enter the Ohio Works First cash assistance program on or after March 1 will be handled in compliance with federal requirements that took effect in October 2000.

Meanwhile, families who should have received arrearages between Oct. 1, 2000, and Jan. 31, 2001, will be sent letters this week informing them they will receive checks within 10 business days. About 8,800 cases will receive checks totaling about $1.3 million. Interest in excess of $10 will be paid. The same letters will go out to families who should have received February payments next week. Until further programming changes are put in place by September, the department will issue checks weekly to families whose arrearages are inappropriately collected.

"We sincerely apologize to families affected by delayed payments," Romer-Sensky said. "We fully understand that each check supports the needs of a child."

The department's next step will be to fulfill the administration's decision to exercise the option to return arrearages received prior to October 2000 to families who came on and left assistance between October 1997 and September 2000.

Also today, Romer-Sensky unveiled an action plan designed to bring continuous improvement to Ohio's child support system. As one part of that plan, Romer-Sensky has asked Auditor of State Jim Petro to conduct a performance audit of the state's child support system. The review, which will take 12-15 months, will examine all areas of the child support program including SETS and Child Support Payment Central.

The second part of that plan is the formation of a Child Support Shareholders Reform Group. The goal of the group will be to establish long-term priorities and develop strategies to improve the quality of services to custodial and non-custodial parents and employers. The group will be appointed by Romer-Sensky and will include representatives of the General Assembly, ODJFS, county child support enforcement agencies, county commissioners, the judicial system, advocacy groups and custodial and non-custodial parents. The group will be chaired by ODJFS Assistant Director Cheri L. Walter and Cuyahoga County CSEA Director Daryl Novak.

"We are committed to doing everything we can to improving Ohio's child support system," Romer-Sensky said. "With the help of Auditor Petro and the Shareholders Group, we will thoroughly examine the child support program. We know that changes don't always happen overnight, but we're working very hard on the mechanics of this system and we will continue that effort."

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For more information contact ODJFS Communications, (614) 466-6650.