Counties join automated child support system
Deadbeat parents in Pennsylvania now have a harder time running from their responsibilities. Since September 1997, counties have been hooking up to the Pennsylvania Automated Child Support Enforcement System (PACSES) to assist welfare recipients with collecting child support payments from disappearing parents.
The state Department of Public Welfare joined with Deloitte & Touche Consulting, Pittsburgh, to design a system that would tie the counties together. Previously, the different counties operated on separate systems and were overly dependent on paper records.
PACSES has automated many welfare-related functions, from initial sign-up to searches. Previously, departmental agents would make numerous phone calls in attempts to locate deserting parents. The system now performs automatic searches by tracking motor vehicle records and/or tax information. The agent is automatically alerted when relevant information is found.
PACSES also works in conjunction with employers across the state. Employers are required to report any new employees to the department within 20 days of hiring. The report is then electronically compared to PACSES records. If an employee is found to be behind on child support payments, the department can garnish his wages.
So far, Cumberland, Chester, Bucks and Montgomery counties have been linked to PACSES, and other counties are expected to follow shortly. PACSES presently is limited to the state, but it may eventually become part of a national tracking system to further federal welfare reform.