Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) This rule and its supplemental rules
describe the process by which a child support enforcement agency (CSEA) enters
into a IV-D contract with a governmental entity or a private entity to provide
IV-D services and for the CSEA to receive federal financial participation (FFP)
reimbursement to offset the cost of the purchase of the services under a IV-D
contract. The principles of FFP reimbursement are described in rules
5101:12-1-60
and 5101:12-1-60.1 of the Administrative Code.
(B) The following terms and definitions apply
to this rule and its supplemental rules:
(1)
"Allowable cost" refers to a cost under a IV-D contract that meets the
following general criteria:
(a) The cost is
necessary and reasonable for the proper and efficient performance and
administration of the IV-D contract.
(b) The cost is allocable to the support
enforcement program under the provisions of 2 C.F.R., subtitle A, chapter II,
part 200 (12/26/2013) (circular A-87 of the federal office
of management and budget).
(c) The
cost is authorized or not prohibited under state or local laws or
regulations.
(d) The cost conforms
to any limitation or exclusion under the provisions of 2 C.F.R., subtitle A,
chapter II, part 200.
(e)
The cost is consistent with policies, regulations, and procedures of the
support enforcement program.
(f)
Unless otherwise provided for in 2 C.F.R., subtitle A, chapter II, part
200, the
cost is determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
(2) "Calendar quarter"
means one of the following three-month time periods:
(a) January first through March
thirty-first;
(b) April first
through June thirtieth;
(c) July
first through September thirtieth; or
(d) October first through December
thirty-first.
(3)
"Contractor" refers to a private or governmental entity with whom the CSEA
enters into a IV-D contract.
(4)
"Governmental entity" includes the following entities in the same county as the
CSEA:
(a) A court;
(b) A prosecutor or other law enforcement
official;
(c) A sheriff;
(d) A clerk of court;
(e) A recorder's office;
(f) A treasurer's office; or
(g) Any other public or governmental agency
or official.
(5)
"Initiated by the CSEA" or "CSEA initiated" refers to an activity that is
started by the CSEA, which includes but is not limited to:
(a) A complaint or motion filed by the CSEA,
including a complaint or motion in which the CSEA requests to be joined as a
party to the case; and
(b) A court
hearing or other proceeding before a magistrate that is the result of a timely
objection to an administrative recommendation, determination, decision, or
order issued by the CSEA.
(6) "IV-D case" means a case that has been
approved for IV-D services as described in rule 5101:12-10-01.1 of the
Administrative Code.
(7) "IV-D
contract" means a mutually binding, legal relationship obligating a private or
governmental entity to provide IV-D services in a IV-D case or perform other
administrative duties of the CSEA that pertain to a IV-D case in return for
payment by the CSEA. A IV-D contract is executed through the JFS 07018, "IV-D
Contract" (effective or revised effective date as identified in rule
5101:12-1-99
of the Administrative Code) and JFS 07037, "IV-D Contract Amendment" (effective
or revised effective date as identified in rule
5101:12-1-99
of the Administrative Code).
(8)
"IV-D contract documents" refers to the following forms (effective or revised
effective date as identified in rule
5101:12-1-99
of the Administrative Code):
(a) JFS 01728,
"Daily Time Sheet for Non-Dedicated Principal Staff";
(b) JFS 01729, "Monthly Time Sheet Summary
for Non-Dedicated Principal Staff";
(c) JFS 01730, "Dedicated Principal Staff
Exception Report";
(d) JFS 01731,
"Monthly Time Summary for Governmental Contractor";
(e) JFS 01772, "IV-D Contract Cover
Letter";
(f) JFS 02015, "IV-D
Contract Time Study";
(g) JFS
02151, "IV-D Contract Evaluation";
(h) JFS 07015, "Certification of Compliance
with Competitive Sealed Bid Requirements";
(i) JFS 07016, "IV-D Contract Security
Addendum";
(j) JFS 07018;
(k) JFS 07020, "Governmental Contractor IV-D
Contract Budget";
(l) JFS 07034,
"Governmental Contractor Monthly Expense Report";
(m) JFS 07035, "IV-D Contract Invoice";
and
(n) JFS 07037.
(9) "IV-D services" has the same
meaning as in rule 5101:12-1-10.1 of the Administrative Code.
(10) "Law enforcement official" means
district attorneys, attorneys general, and similar public attorneys and
prosecutors and their staff.
(11)
"Non-federal share" has the same meaning as in paragraph (A)(3)(a) of rule
5101:12-1-50 of
the Administrative Code. The non-federal share is calculated by subtracting the
current FFP reimbursement rate, as defined in rule
5101:12-1-60
of the Administrative Code, from one hundred per cent. The remaining percentage
is the non-federal share.
(12) "Not
initiated by the CSEA" or "non-CSEA initiated" refers to an activity that is
not started by the CSEA, which includes but is not limited to:
(a) A court hearing or other proceeding held
as a result of a complaint or motion filed by a private attorney or any entity
other than the CSEA;
(b) An
activity performed by the CSEA in response to an action filed by a private
attorney or any other entity other than the CSEA including but not limited to
witness testimony, preparation of guidelines calculations, or responding to
subpoenas duces tecum; and
(c) An
action taken by a CSEA when the CSEA has not requested to be but is joined as a
party to the case.
(13)
"Private entity" means a company, organization, or individual that does not
meet the definition of "governmental entity."
(14) "Reasonable cost" in accordance with 2
C.F.R., subtitle A, chapter II, part 200, means a cost
that by its nature and amount does not exceed the cost that would be incurred
by a prudent person under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision
was made to incur the cost. Considerations include but are not limited to
whether:
(a) The cost is generally recognized
as an ordinary and necessary operating expense;
(b) Sound business practices and arms-length
bargaining have been utilized;
(c)
Market prices for comparable goods or services have been considered;
(d) The individuals involved in the IV-D
contract process have acted with prudence considering the individuals'
responsibilities to the CSEA; and
(e) The cost does not significantly deviate
from established practices of the CSEA.
(15) "Total IV-D contract cost" means one
hundred per cent of the cost of the services purchased or duties performed
under a IV-D contract.
(C) IV-D contracts.
(1) In accordance with section
3125.14 of the Revised Code, the
CSEA is required to enter into a IV-D contract with a court and law enforcement
official in the same county as the CSEA to provide for the enforcement of a
support order.
(2) If a court or
law enforcement official declines or fails to enter into a IV-D contract with
the CSEA, the CSEA must document any attempt to enter into a IV-D contract with
the court or law enforcement official and retain the documentation in
accordance with rule 5101:12-1-80.4 of the Administrative
Code.
(D) Types of IV-D
contracts.
The types of IV-D contracts that the CSEA may elect to enter
into include but are not limited to:
(1) A IV-D contract with a prosecutor in the
same county as the CSEA or a private attorney to provide legal
services.
(2) A IV-D contract with
a prosecutor in the same county as the CSEA to provide service of process,
including warrants for arrest.
(3)
A IV-D contract with the sheriff in the same county as the CSEA to provide
service of process, including warrants for arrest.
The CSEA may enter into a IV-D contract with a person or
private entity to provide service of process only when the CSEA determines that
the sheriff is unable to provide the resources necessary for service of process
in a timely manner.
(4) A
IV-D contract with a private entity to provide service of process, excluding
warrants for arrest.
(5) A IV-D
contract with a court or a clerk of court in the same county as the CSEA to
provide the duties of a clerk of court that are initiated by the CSEA.
(6) A IV-D contract with a court
in the same county as the CSEA to provide magistrate services. The CSEA may
elect to purchase:
(a) Only CSEA initiated
activities; or
(b) Both CSEA
initiated and non-CSEA initiated activities.
(7) A IV-D contract with a court in the same
county as the CSEA for probation officer services to provide enforcement duties
that target only individuals placed on probation for non-payment of child
support when the enforcement duties of the probation officer are:
(a) Specifically for the purposes of assuring
regular and continuing payments of child support; and
(b) Not generally a part of a probation
officer's routine of monitoring the whereabouts and activities of an
offender.
(8) A IV-D
contract with a private entity to provide collection services.
In accordance with section
3125.30 of the Revised Code, the
private entity shall forward any payments collected under the IV-D contract to
child support payment central, within the office of child support (OCS), within the Ohio
department of job and family services, no later than one day after the receipt
of the payments.
(E) Requirements when the CSEA enters into a
IV-D contract with a court for magistrate services and the CSEA elects to
purchase both CSEA initiated and non-CSEA initiated activities.
(1) The court shall certify that all court
hearings are conducted in compliance with Title IV -D of the Social Security
Act, Pub. L. No. 93-647, 88 Stat. 2351 (1975),
42 U.S.C.
651 (8/22/1996), as amended up until the
effective date of this rule, and the rules in division 5101:12 of the
Administrative Code.
(2) A court
hearing is defined as a hearing or other proceeding held as a result of a
complaint or motion filed for the following reasons, including but not limited
to:
(a) Establishment of paternity;
(b) Establishment and modification of a child
support order or medical support order;
(c) Enforcement of a support order;
and
(d) Collection of a support
obligation.
(3) No party
may be charged court costs for a court hearing unless the court costs are
required by state law. If court costs are assessed and collected, the
contractor shall report the collection as income on the JFS 07020.
(4) The CSEA shall certify that each case
listed on the JFS 07035 was an active, open IV-D case on the date that the
court hearing was held.
(F) Limitations when the CSEA intends to
enter into or enters into a IV-D contract with a prosecutor or private attorney
to provide legal services as described in section
3125.17 of the Revised Code:
(1) The CSEA shall not enter into a IV-D
contract with a prosecutor or his or her employees as a private attorney during
the prosecutor's term of office.
(2) The prosecutor or private attorney shall
not represent the CSEA on matters in which that prosecutor or private attorney
participated as a CSEA administrative officer making administrative
determinations or issuing administrative orders.
(G) Competitive sealed bid and proposal
requirements for a IV-D contract with a private entity.
(1) A CSEA administered by a county
department of job and family services (CDJFS) that intends to enter into a IV-D
contract with a private entity may elect to use either the competitive sealed
bid process described in section
307.86 of the Revised Code, or
the competitive sealed proposal process described in section
307.862 of the Revised Code
(2) A CSEA not administered by a
CDJFS that intends to enter into a IV-D contract with a private entity shall
use the competitive sealed bid process described in section
307.86 of the Revised
Code.
(3) A CSEA that is not
administered by a CDJFS or a CSEA that is administered by a CDJFS that elects
to use the competitive sealed bid process shall comply with all competitive
sealed bid requirements, including but not limited to the following:
(a) The standards for competitive sealed
bidding, as described in sections
307.86,
307.861,
307.87,
307.88,
307.89,
307.90,
307.91, and
307.92 of the Revised
Code;
(b) The standards for
acquisition, county standards of conduct, contracting with small and minority
business, women's business enterprise, and labor surplus area firms,
procurement methods, competition, and purchase threshold, as described in
Chapter 5101:9-4 of the Administrative Code; and
(c) The standards for procurement,
competition, acquisition threshold, contracting with small and minority
business, women's business enterprise, and labor surplus area firms, contract
cost and price, awarding agency review, and bonding requirements, as described
in 45 C.F.R. 92.36 (4/19/1995).
(4) The CSEA shall complete and submit to OCS
the JFS 07015 to either certify that the CSEA is in compliance with applicable
state and federal laws regarding the competitive sealed bid requirements or
indicate that the CSEA, if administered by a CDJFS, has elected to use the
competitive sealed proposal process.