Family Formation-Government Style (my title)

United States Dept. of Human Services ^ | 9/27/03 | United States Dept. of Human Services

[TheSpottedOwl]

I found this information from a poster over on SPARC www.deltabravo.net , and thought I would pass it along. Stalin and Hitler would be so proud.

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ongoing.htm#ff-fpls-db

The Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS), TANF, and Medicaid Database PRWORA authorized HHS to retain data from the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) for TANF and child support enforcement research purposes. This is a rich source of wage and employment data, but does not include key program participation and demographic variables. The purpose of this project is to insure that all child support administrative data is used to the full extent of its statutory authorization to support child support management information and research uses. Some child support information is already part of a cross-program research initiative to match child support, TANF, and Medicaid data. This project examines how all child support data might be used in conjunction with the research initiative to understand child support performance. The FPLS is primarily a national data system to help States locate non-custodial parents, alleged fathers, and custodial parents so they can establish and enforce child support obligations. PRWORA expanded the data available in this system to include information on child support cases and wage and employment data on nearly all workers. The law also authorized HHS to retain samples of this data and use them for research likely to contribute to achieving the purposes of titles IV-A (TANF) or IV-D (Child Support Enforcement). Conference Committee language from the FY 2002 Appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that Welfare Reform Outcomes funds be used in part for the collection and use of "data administratively linking that National Database of New Hires (which is part of the FPLS), other child support enforcement data, TANF, and Medicaid records together." The design and implemention of the FPLS, TANF, and Medicaid data warehouse is a joint ASPE, ACF, and CMS project to monitor the progress of welfare reform. Child support data, TANF client data, and Medicaid client data will be merged into a research data warehouse that will assist with federal and state program oversight, research, statistical reporting, policy, and evaluation for the populations served by TANF, Child Support, and Medicaid. One major advantage of the data base is that it will help us understand program participation and interactions over time. For example, information on child support, medicaid participation, and earnings will help us understand individual and state differences in movement on and off TANF cash assistance and develop policies to increase family self-sufficiency.

Here's another interesting tidbit from the link:

Emerging Issues in Paternity Establishment This project will analyze legal, ethical, financial, and psychological challenges around paternity establishment, focusing on how the science of DNA testing may impact the child support enforcement system, family economic security, child well-being and the principles of family law that underlie child support practices. Potential changes to the paternity establishment process, particularly in response to challenges to paternity acknowledgements established without benefit of DNA testing, could have a major impact on the performance of the child support enforcement system as well as Federal and state child support financing. Given the potentially controversial nature of this project, it will be a low-profile project that will provide the Department with an analysis for internal use only. Background papers will be drafted in consultation with experts.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Check out this site. I wish the government would come up with an illegal alien locator, and leave citizens alone.