In 1993, OCSE published a certification guide, which addresses the functional requirements for child support enforcement systems. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to determine (1) whether HHS’ certification guidance addresses the system provisions in the Family Support Act of 1988 and implementing regulations, (2) whether HHS has consistently administered the certification process, and (3) the certification status of the state systems. To document the certification process, we obtained and analyzed OCSE’s guidance for certifying child support enforcement systems. Specifically, it used the same types of teams, the same guidance that was discussed earlier, and the same method for certification reviews. While OCSE published many standardized certification reports on the results of its certification reviews, we noted three types of exceptions with the reporting process. Current Status: Many Systems Not Certified, More Reviews Scheduled

As of March 31, 1998, OCSE had either certified or conditionally certified 25 of 54 child support enforcement systems, representing approximately 38 percent of the reported average national caseload for fiscal year 1995. Some states have had several levels of review. Conclusions

OCSE’s certification guidance addresses the system requirements of the Family Support Act of 1988 and HHS’ implementing regulations, and OCSE has administered the certification process consistently across states.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) certification process for state child support enforcement systems, its administration of the process and the certification status of the state systems.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) certification guidance issued by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) addresses the system requirements of the Family Support Act of 1988 and HHS' implementing regulations; (2) analysis of the certification process shows that OCSE has administered this process consistently across states since it began certifying child support enforcement systems in 1993; (3) it has used the same guidance for certification reviews and conducted reviews that were similar in scope and length for each level of certification; (4) while OCSE published many certification reports on the results of its certification reviews, its reporting was not always consistent; (5) as of March 31, 1998, OCSE had either certified or conditionally certified 25 of the 54 child support enforcement systems; and (6) OCSE had also conducted 13 additional reviews and was preparing certification reports for those systems.