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601.2 TANF MANUAL 7/19 Page 2

601.2 REFERRAL OF CASE INFORMATION TO DIVISION OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT

Federal regulations specify that the local agency is responsible for reporting to the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) all identifying information regarding each absent parent including putative and legal fathers, to aid in the securing of support and establishing paternity for TANF cases. This information must be provided concurrent with action approving the application or adding a child to a case and is reported to DCSE. The information is collected on the Absent Parent screens in VaCMS. The collected information is transmitted or forwarded to DCSE upon case approval or action to add a child.

Copies of documents, such as paternity statements, birth verifications, and court orders or divorce decrees, if available, are to be submitted at the time of case approval by attaching the legal document or supplement to the "Document Transfer Cover Form," form number (032-03-0275) and sending it via the courier pouch to the DCSE district office serving your locality.

A. Referral of TANF Cases

All TANF children with at least one parent absent from the home, including unestablished paternity, must be referred to the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE).* This referral is to be completed for each absent parent (AP), including legal fathers and putative fathers (whether the putative father is living in the home or not).

A 501 must also be completed for SSI children with at least one parent absent from the home upon case application or action to add a child to an existing assistance unit. System coding prevents children with an 'Excluded Child' Participation Status (SSI or AG Recipient) on the TANF­ EDG Summary screen, to be transmitted to DCSE. This child will be considered Non-TANF and support collected for this child will be sent to the custodial parent.

Current support paid to DCSE and sent to the custodial parent for the SSI child will not display on the TANF Cases Current Collected Support report.

No referral to DCSE is to be completed for a deceased legal parent, a deceased putative father, TANF-UP parents, a court convicted legal parent living in the home who is doing unpaid community service, the caretaker's absent spouse who is not a parent of one of the children in the assistance unit, the absent parent of a child subject to the family cap provision, or the father of a child conceived by artificial insemination from an anonymous donor. In addition, no referral to DCSE is to be completed for an adoptive parent, a biological parent, or a putative father when there is a court-ordered termination of Adoptive Parent’s Rights for a child. The client's statement is acceptable verification of the parent's status (reason for absence, including death), unless there is reason to question the information provided.

* 45 CFR 235.70

TANF Transmittal 66