Article 4 - Program Costs

California Family Code — §§ 17701-17714

Sections (9)

Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 308, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)There is established within California’s child support program a quality assurance and performance improvement program, pursuant to which local child support agencies, in partnership with the Department of Child Support Services, shall monitor and measure program performance and compliance, and ensure the implementation of actions necessary to meet state and federal requirements and to continuously improve the quality of child support program services.

(b)Under the direction and oversight of the department, each local child support agency shall implement a quality assurance and performance improvement program that shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1)An annual planning process that incorporates statewide standards and requirements, and establishes local performance goals that the department and local agency agree are appropriate.

(2)The inclusion of local

performance goals and other performance-related measures in the local child support agency’s Plan of Cooperation agreement with the department.

(3)Implementation of actions necessary to promote the delivery of enhanced program services and improved performance.

(4)An ongoing self-assessment process that evaluates progress in achieving performance improvement and compliance with program requirements.

(5)Regular and ongoing oversight by the department, including onsite reviews and the provision of technical assistance.

(c)The department shall promulgate regulations to implement this section.

§ 17702

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 308, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)The department shall assess, at least once every three years, each county’s compliance with federal and state child support laws and regulations in effect for the time period being reviewed, using a statistically valid sample of cases. Counties found to be out of compliance shall be assessed annually, until they are found to be in compliance. The information for the assessment shall be based on reviews conducted and reports produced by either state or county staff, as determined by the department.

In addition, in order to meet federal self-assessment requirements, the department shall conduct an annual assessment of the state’s compliance, using a statistically valid statewide sample of cases.

(b)A county shall be eligible for the state incentives under Section 17704 only if the department determines that the county is in compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations or if the county has a corrective action plan in

place that has been certified by the department pursuant to this subdivision. If a county is determined not to be in compliance the county shall develop and submit a corrective action plan to the department. The department shall certify a corrective action plan if the department determines that the plan will put the county into compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. A county shall be eligible for state incentives under Section 17704 only for any quarter the county remains in compliance with a corrective action plan that has been certified by the department.

(c)Counties under a corrective action plan shall be assessed on a quarterly basis until the department determines that they are in compliance with federal and state child support program requirements.

§ 17702.5

Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 111, Sec. 7. Effective July 30, 2001.

(a)The Child Support Collections Recovery Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury, and shall be administered by the department for the purposes specified in subdivision (c).

(b)Except as otherwise provided in this section, the fund shall consist of both of the following:

(1)All public moneys transferred by public agencies to the department for deposit into the fund, as permitted under Section 304.30 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations or any other applicable federal statutes.

(2)Any interest that accrues on amounts in the fund.

(c)Upon appropriation by the Legislature, all moneys in the fund shall be used to make payments or advances to local child support agencies of the federal share of administrative payments for costs incurred pursuant to this article.

(d)Upon repeal of this section, the Legislature

intends that any moneys remaining in the fund shall be returned to the federal agency that provides federal financial participation to the department.

§ 17703

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 115, Sec. 165. (AB 1817) Effective January 1, 2020.

(a)A revolving fund in the State Treasury is hereby created to be known as the Child Support Services Advance Fund. All moneys deposited into the fund are for the purpose of making a consolidated payment or advance to counties, state agencies, or other governmental entities, comprised of the state and federal share of costs associated with the programs administered by the Department of Child Support Services, inclusive of the payment of refunds. In addition, the fund may be used for the purpose of making a consolidated payment to a payee, comprised of the state and federal shares of local assistance costs associated with the programs administered by the Department of Child Support Services.

(b)Payments or advances of funds to counties, state agencies, or other governmental agencies and other payees doing business with the state that are properly chargeable to appropriations or other funds in the State Treasury, may be made by a Controller’s warrant drawn against the Child Support Services Advance Fund. For every warrant so issued, a remittance advice shall be issued by the Department of Child Support Services to identify the purposes and amounts for which it was drawn.

(c)The amounts to be transferred to the Child Support Services Advance Fund at any time shall be determined by the department, and, upon order of the Controller, shall be transferred from the funds and appropriations otherwise properly chargeable.

(d)Refunds of amounts disbursed from the Child Support Services Advance Fund shall, on order of the Controller, be deposited in the Child Support Services Advance Fund, and, on order of the Controller, shall be transferred therefrom to the funds and appropriations from which those amounts were originally derived. Claims for amounts erroneously deposited into the Child Support Services Advance Fund shall be submitted by the department to the Controller who, if the claims are approved, shall draw a warrant in payment thereof against the Child Support Services Advance Fund.

(e)All amounts increasing the cash balance in the Child Support Services Advance Fund, that were derived from the cancellation of warrants issued therefrom, shall, on order of the Controller, be transferred to the appropriations from which the amounts were

originally derived.

§ 17704

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 308, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)For the 1998–99 fiscal year the department shall pay to each county a child support incentive payment. Every county shall receive the federal child support incentive. A county shall receive the state child support incentive if it elects to do both of the following:

(1)Comply with the reporting requirements of Section 17600 while federal financial participation is available for collecting and reporting data.

(2)Comply with federal and state child support laws and regulations, or has a corrective action plan certified by the department pursuant to Section 17702. The combined federal and state incentive payment shall be 13.6 percent of distributed collections. If the amount appropriated by the Legislature for the state incentives is less than the amount necessary to satisfy each county’s actual incentives pursuant to this section, each county shall receive its proportional share of incentives.

(b)(1) Beginning July 1, 1999, the department shall pay to each county a child support incentive for child support collections. Every county shall receive the federal child support incentive. The combined federal and state incentive payments shall be 13.6 percent of distributed collections. In addition to the federal child support incentive, each county may also receive a state child support incentive. A county shall receive the state child support incentive if it elects to do both of the following:

(A) Comply with the reporting requirements of Section 17600 while federal financial participation is available for collecting and reporting data.

(B) Be in compliance with federal and state child support laws and regulations, or have a performance improvement plan certified by the department pursuant to Section 17702.

(2)(A) For purposes of paragraph (1),

the federal incentive component shall be each county’s share of the child support incentive payments that the state receives from the federal government, based on the county’s collections.

(B)(i) Effective July 1, 1999, and annually thereafter, state funds appropriated for child support incentives shall first be used to fund the administrative costs incurred by local child support agencies in administering the child support program, excluding automation costs as set forth in Section 10085 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, after subtracting all federal financial participation for administrative costs and all federal child support incentives received by the state and passed on to the local child support agencies. The department shall allocate sufficient resources to each local child support agency to fully fund the remaining administrative costs of its budget as approved by the director pursuant to paragraph (9) of subdivision (b) of Section 17306,

subject to the appropriation of funding in the annual Budget Act. No later than January 1, 2000, the department shall identify allowable administrative costs that may be claimed for reimbursement from the state, which shall be limited to reasonable amounts in relation to the scope of services and the total funds available. If the total amount of administrative costs claimed in any year exceeds the amount appropriated in the Budget Act, the amount provided to local child support agencies shall be reduced by the percentage necessary to ensure that projected General Fund expenditures do not exceed the amount authorized in the Budget Act.

(ii) Effective July 1, 2001, and annually thereafter, after allowable administrative costs are funded under clause (i), the department shall use any remaining unallocated incentive funds appropriated from the prior fiscal year which are hereby reappropriated to implement an incentive program that rewards up to 10 local child support agencies in each

year, based on their performance or increase in performance on one or more of the federal performance standards set forth in Section 458 of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 658), or state performance standards set forth in subdivision (a) of Section 17602, as determined by the department. The department shall determine the number of local agencies that receive state incentive funds under this program, subject to a maximum of 10 agencies and shall determine the amount received by each local agency based on the availability of funds and each local child support agency’s proportional share based on the performance standard or standards used.

(iii) Any funds received pursuant to this subdivision shall be used only for child support enforcement activities.

(c)Each county shall continue to receive its federal child support incentive funding whether or not it elects to participate in the state child support incentive funding program.

(d)The department shall provide incentive funds pursuant to this section only during any fiscal year in which funding is provided for that purpose in the Budget Act.

§ 17708

Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 755, Sec. 19. Effective October 12, 2001.

(a)This section shall apply to any county that elects to participate in the state incentive program described in Section 17704.

(b)Each participating county child support enforcement program shall provide the data required by Section 17600 to the department on a quarterly basis. The data shall be provided no later than 15 days after the end of each quarter.

(c)On and after July 1, 1998, a county shall be required to comply with the provisions of this section only during fiscal years in which funding is provided for that purpose in the Budget Act.

§ 17710

Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 474, Sec. 26. (AB 2882) Effective January 1, 2017.

(a)Each county shall be responsible for any administrative expenditures for administering the child support program not covered by federal and state funds.

(b)Notwithstanding subdivision (a), effective July 1, 1991, to June 30, 1992, inclusive, counties shall pay the nonfederal share of the administrative costs of conducting the reviews required under former Section 15200.8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code from the savings counties will obtain as a result of the reduction in the maximum aid payments specified in Section 11450. Effective July 1, 1992, to June 30, 1993, inclusive, the state shall pay the nonfederal share of administrative costs of conducting the reviews required

under former Section 15200.8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Funding for county costs after June 30, 1993, shall be subject to the availability of funds in the annual Budget Act.

§ 17712

Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 478, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000.

Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 17708, and to the extent funds are appropriated by the annual Budget Act, funds shall be provided to the Judicial Council for the nonfederal share of costs for the costs of child support commissioners pursuant to Section 4251 and family law facilitators pursuant to Division 14 (commencing with Section 10000). The Judicial Council shall distribute the funds to the counties for the purpose of matching federal funds for the costs of child support commissioners and family law facilitators and related costs. Funds distributed pursuant to this section may also be used to offset the nonfederal share of costs incurred by the Judicial Council for performing the duties specified in Sections 4252 and 10010.

§ 17714

Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 755, Sec. 20. Effective October 12, 2001.

(a)(1) Any funds paid to a county pursuant to this chapter prior to June 30, 1999, which exceed the county’s cost of administering the child support program of the local child support agency pursuant to Section 17400 to that date, hereafter referred to as “excess funds,” shall be expended by the county only upon that program. All these excess funds shall be deposited by the county into a special fund established by the county for this purpose.

(2)Performance incentive funds shall include, but not be limited to, incentive funds paid pursuant to Section 17704, and performance incentive funds paid pursuant to Section 14124.93 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and all interest earned on deposits in the special fund. Performance incentive funds shall not include funds paid pursuant to Section 17706. Performance incentive funds shall be expended by the county only upon that program. All performance incentive funds

shall be deposited by the county into a special fund established by the county for this purpose.

(b)All excess funds and performance incentive funds shall be expended by the county on the support enforcement program of the local child support agency within two fiscal years following the fiscal year of receipt of the funds by the county. Except as provided in subdivision (c), any excess funds or performance incentive funds paid pursuant to this chapter since July 1, 1992, that the department determines have not been spent within the required two-year period shall revert to the state General Fund, and shall be distributed by the department only to counties that have complied with this section. The formula for distribution shall be based on the number of CalWORKs cases within each county.

(c)A county that submits to the department a written plan approved by that county’s local child support agency for the expenditure of excess funds or performance

incentive funds shall be exempted from the requirements of subdivision (b), if the department determines that the expenditure will be cost-effective, will maximize federal funds, and the expenditure plan will require more than the time provided for in subdivision (b) to expend the funds. Once the department approves a plan pursuant to this subdivision, funds received by a county and designated for an expenditure in the plan shall not be expended by the county for any other purpose.

(d)Nothing in this section shall be construed to nullify the recovery and reversion to the General Fund of unspent incentive funds as provided in Section 6 of Chapter 479 of the Statutes of 1999.