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Subject: Families First Child Support Cooperation

Policy 23.11 Date of Last Review: 12/03/2023 Effective Date: 12/15/2023 Date of Next Review: 12/03/2027 RDA: SW22 Page 3 of 4 Good Cause 1. There is no good cause reason for refusing to assign child support payments to TDHS. 2. Good cause for non-compliance with the requirement to cooperate with the IV-D Child Support Program may be granted in certain circumstances. See Families First Good Cause for Non-Compliance for good cause reasons and Families First Child Support Cooperation Procedures for additional information on determining good cause. Failure/Refusal to Cooperate with Child Support 1. When the caretaker refuses to cooperate with the IV-D Child Support Program at initial application, the application will be denied. • Prior to the denial, good cause must be discussed with the customer to determine if there is a good cause reason for refusal to cooperate. 2. When adding a child to an existing AU, cooperation is presumed to exist, and a referral will be made to the IV-D Child Support Program to determine whether or not the caretaker is in cooperation. 3. Once it has been determined that the caretaker is not in cooperation with the IV-D Child Support Program, without good cause, the Families First case must be closed. • If a minor parent who is a child in their parent’s AU refuses or fails to cooperate with child support, the AU will not be sanctioned. Cooperation must be encouraged, and the fiscal and social advantages of cooperation with the IV-D Child Support Program must be explained. Supporting Documents Families First Good Cause for Non-Compliance Families First Child Support Cooperation Procedures Tennessee Child Support Payment Information Page Definitions/Acronyms Term Definition AU Assistance Unit IV-D Child Support Program Title IV-D of the Social Security Act requires all states to have a child support program. The Child Support program is sometimes referred to as the IV-D program. If services from the local child support office are received, the child support case is an IV-D case. NCP Noncustodial Parent SDU State Disbursement Unit SSI Supplemental Security Income TDHS Tennessee Department of Human Services Supersedes Policy 23.10 Families First Child Support Cooperation, eff. date 02/15/2018.