In December 2012, we started to take control of the child support arrearage information process. Through a historic agreement with the Florida Department of Revenue, they began sharing their data on child support arrearage with the Office of Judges of Compensation Claims electronically.
The process for attorneys to obtain child support arrearage information changed little in the process. Before December, attorneys would send multiple requests for child support arrearage information in the process of preparing to negotiate or settle a case. Some of those requests would go to various clerks of courts pursuant to 60Q123(1)(a)5. or 60Q123(2)(a)6. Other requests went to the Department of Revenue (DOR).
In December 2012, we deployed a new form for requesting DOR information on child support arrearage. This form facilitated a change in the process. Beginning in December, requests for information about DOR records of arrearage began coming to the OJCC instead of DOR. The OJCC responses were facilitated by the DOR sharing their arrearage data with the OJCC through a data-sharing agreement. Each Thursday, the DOR computer shares its information with a database at the OJCC. The team that developed that sharing agreement also designed a tool for our mediators and Deputy Clerks to look-up the child support information.
Kudos go to our information technology (IT) department, for developing both the data-sharing and the search engine that facilitates our staff’s access. The Florida TaxWatch announced its Prudential Davis Productivity Awards in March. They recognized the merit and value of this effort by the OJCC IT department. The value is obvious, but you have not seen anything yet.
Most attorneys have come to accept that the balance reported by various clerks often were different from the amount reported by DOR. Most have also accepted that there may be no rhyme or reason in the results that are generated by these multiple arrearage requests. There are a variety of reasons for the potential variations of reporting within Florida.
Adaptation to these varieties somewhat, but not completely, prepares the attorney for the kind of variation that may be found when out-of-state reporting is received. Attorneys have become accustomed to seeking such information when the injured worker lives out-of-state after the work accident.
The next step in the OJCC system is to further consolidate the information sources, to simplify the tasks of our customers. We are working with the Clerks of Court. We believe that we will soon be able to bring the marketplace “one stop shopping” for Florida arrearage information. We do not foresee solving the challenges of out-of-state child support information. Therefore the solution upon which we are working will not be the be all and end all. We believe, however, that it will be a real improvement for our customers.
Our plan is to extend the scope of the request form that our customers send to the OJCC for arrearage information. The new scope will include request for all Florida child support arrearage information. Our mediators and clerks will have access to the clerk of courts data and the DOR data, so that our staff will look-up all pending child support in Florida records.
This will simplify the process for our customers. Today those customers may be sending three or more requests for information (DOR, Clerk in county of injury, Clerk in county of residence at time of settlement). Our new process will reduce that to one request to the OJCC in most instances.
This will obviously simplify and reduce the burden on the Clerks.
The totality of the benefit is greater than what first-glance reveals. Under the old paradigm, a claimant might request this data from DOR or the Clerks or both one day, and they would respond. The employer/carrier might request the data on the same injured worker from the same sources. The OJCC process precludes this duplication of effort, because when any party requests arrearage information, the results are transmitted to all parties in response. So, one asks and everyone learns.
The change that is coming will save everyone time, effort, and money. The change is inspired and progressive. We are leveraging our technology, purchased with your money, inspired by your business needs, to benefit you, our customers.
Tell us how we are doing. I welcome your comments and suggestions. David.langham@doah.state.fl.us.
