Working With the Military in Child Support Matters

Course Description

Who Should Attend:

This course is appropriate for Domestic Relations Section (DRS) and Bureau of Child Support Enforcement (BCSE) staff who need a working knowledge of support case processing involving members of the United States (U.S.) military.

Overview and Focus:

The course focuses on how to work efficiently and effectively with military personnel, using procedures and methods consistent with the Federal and State statutes, regulations, and rules that govern military child support matters and the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program.

The original course was announced in the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) DCL-05-17 on July 13, 2005, and can be found at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/pubs/
training/working_with_military

The original course material has been modified to:

Facilitate online presentation.
Reflect updates of course material since 2005.
Include information specific to Pennsylvania.
Link to existing Pennsylvania resources to minimize duplication of materials.

Course Competencies:

The following are the primary topics addressed in the course.

Module 1: Overview of the Military presents the basic organization of the U.S. military and its branches, including:

Rules and regulations relating to CSE.
Military rank and pay grade structures.
Military resources that assist with CSE tasks.

Module 2: Military Locate Procedures reviews Title IV-D CSE locate procedures and identifies procedures that are unique to locating military personnel at the Federal, State, and local levels.

Module 3: Service of Process on Military Personnel presents the methods and procedures related to the service of civil process on U.S. military personnel located on U.S. installations, on ships in U.S. and non-U.S. waters, and at overseas locations.

Module 4: The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) discusses the SCRA and its effect on the establishment and enforcement of child support orders involving military personnel, including

When, to whom, and under what circumstances the SCRA applies.
Stay of proceedings provisions.
Affidavit of military service requirements.
Default judgment considerations.
Impact on statutes of limitations and maximum interest rates.

Module 5: Obtaining Evidence from the Military presents rules and procedures for obtaining evidence and information regarding paternity and child support proceedings for military personnel located within and outside the United States, including:

Genetic testing.
Financial records.
Medical enrollment.

Module 6: Military Establishment Procedures discusses strategies for establishing paternity and/or a child support order in cases involving a member of the military, including:

Rules and procedures governing the involvement of the military chain of command.
Interpretation of the military's Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) and establishment of an accurate income for support determination for the military party.
Verification of the availability of health care coverage for dependents of military personnel.

Module 7: Military Enforcement Procedures presents strategies for enforcing financial and medical child support obligations in cases involving a member of the military, including:

Rules and procedures governing the involvement of the military chain of command.
Income withholding options.
Military health care enrollment procedures.

Length of program:

Course is work at your own pace.

Course Level

PACSETI Online

PACSETI Online contains all courses available to participants by logging into the PACSETI LMS.

Currently, the following courses are available:

100-Level Online

These courses provide in-depth instruction on each of the case management processes (i.e. Case Initiation, Locate, Paternity Establishment, Financials, Enforcement, Case Closure, etc.) used in the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program. The courses allow the participant to work at their own pace using case studies. The courses are designed for less experienced CSE staff who require additional knowledge and understanding of individual CSE topics. The training is also appropriate for cross-training personnel in more than one CSE area of expertise.

Working With the Military in Child Support Matters

This course focuses on how to work efficiently and effectively with military personnel, using procedures and methods consistent with the Federal and State statutes, regulations, and rules that govern military child support matters and the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program