Summary: Testimony was given concerning the results of an ongoing evaluation of Federal, State, and local efforts to collect child support from absent parents. Since its beginning in 1976, the Child Support Enforcement Program can point to significant accomplishments. By the end of fiscal year 1982, total collections had tripled to almost $1.8 billion, 2.1 million support orders were established, paternity was determined for more than 800,000 children, and the program had helped to locate more than 3 million absent parents. However, problems still remain in collecting child support payments. GAO has examined the paying habits of 222 absent parents and has found that they frequently do not pay child support. Although the program is a Federal, State, and local partnership, the local jurisdictions are the principal program managers and exercise discretion in selecting the methods of contacting obligors and determining appropriate enforcement actions. There are few collection standards for the enforcement of child support orders and, in the cases that it examined, GAO found that action to collect past due child support was for the most part nonexistent, and enforcement techniques used were limited. Local agencies were more likely to use enforcement techniques involving the court system rather than less expensive and faster administrative measures. The most effective collection technique, the withholding of support payments from wages, was used rarely. GAO also found that there was poor control over case files and records at most of the locations visited.
