From a recent report by Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG):
SSA [Social Security Administration] could save approximately $151.2 million, annually, if the number of individuals receiving and/or reporting child support increases by 100,000. Alternatively, SSA could save approximately $302. million, annually, if the number of recipients receiving and/or reporting child support increases by 200,000. These dollar figures are conservative and are greatly reduced from figures we calculated assuming the results from 1999 SSA and Government Accountability Office studies are similar today
I think there are at least a couple of questions here. What would be the offsetting costs to state child support enforcement agencies? How willing would state child support enforcement agencies be to cooperate when cooperating won't necessarily save the states any money?
5 comments:
SSA has assisted child support agencies for years with both a parent locator service and computer interfaces with benefit amounts on wage earners and their dependents.
Congress would not be happy if the information flow only went in one direction.
Pursuing child support has been a requirement of receiving public assistance for years, but has never been a requirement for receiving SSI which is, of course, public assistance.
Agree with both above. One of SSI's basic elements is requiring the claimant to file for "any and all" other potential entitlement programs. Child support should be a MANDATORY filing requirement. Of course in the area my office is located, knowing who the father is could be a significant hurdle.
It's a moot point. At a recent hearing I asked the mother of the nine year old girl what good the money would do the child if awarded same. She said she didn't have enough time to spend with her child as she has 6 other children. I asked if she intended to use the money for baby sitting and she said yes. I asked how many fathers were involved and she said five. I asked if she received any child support and she placed her hand on her hip and said, "They all be incarcerated." Well, Bless her little heart..
I think the states would like it because they would get more money from fathers. Increased child support equals decreased State aid spending. Same reason SSA wants to do it--the more income a household has, the less state/ssa benefits the household can receive.
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