Child Support Lien Network (CSLN) Starts 10th Year by Adding 31st State and Passing $500 Million Mark

March 18, 2009 -

Rhode Island, the leader in insurance intercept, announced today that they have expanded the Child Support Lien Network to 31 states to collect past due child support payments from delinquent obligor parents who are about to receive a personal injury or workers compensation insurance settlement. Partnering with the State of Rhode Island are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nebraska (just added), North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginiamaking CSLN one of the largest consortiums in the nation.

As of January 2009, the Child Support Lien Network contained 3,730,896 delinquent obligor cases that owed $74 Billion in past due support. Statistics show that about 3% of delinquent obligors are involved in personal injury or workers compensation claims annually where there are lump sum settlement payouts. Intercepting insurance settlements on 3% of delinquent obligors translates into millions of dollars collected for past due child support every year.

The Rhode Island Child Support Lien Network, utilizing one large single database of delinquent obligors, electronically is interfaced with an insurer database containing millions of recently filed claims. When a match occurs, CSLN will validate and forward the claimant and insurer information to the participating state Child Support Office to place an administrative lien or income withholding order against the future payout to satisfy the child support arrears. At state option, CSLN can also file an instant electronic lien against the asset for the state member. CSLN provides a secure internet site for states to manage their received matches and obtain instant statuses on all matched claim activity.

The CSLN system was formed in 1998 by the State of Rhode Island as a solution for implementation of its own insurance claim intercept law. Recognizing how powerful an enforcement tool CSLN could be for others, Rhode Island quickly expanded the CSLN services to other states. In 2001 the U.S Health & Human Services Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement cited CSLN as a Best Practice and encouraged other states to join it. Even though many other states in the network did not have specific state mandates for insurance claim interception, through federal and state laws, all states have vast and powerful administrative enforcement powers, including the ability to access information and issue subpoenas for information and to place liens and levies against any asset an obligor may have to effect collection of past due support. For the majority of states in CSLN, thousands of settlements have been found and millions of dollars in collections have been realized based upon these powers and the cooperation of over 1,200 insurers in recognition of these powers. Insurers favor the CSLN process because it is so much less intrusive on their operations than the potential of individual state mandates and the many nuances that could occur if each state decided to independently pass insurance intercept legislation.

The Child Support Lien Network lead by the Rhode Island Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) continues to grow every year and hopes to become a national enforcement tool available for the discovery and collection of insurance proceeds to satisfy past due child support for all states. To date CSLN estimated collections exceed $500 million dollars helping children and families across the nation.

"In tough economic times like these it is all the more important that we all work together and Rhode Island and the CSLN project represent a public / private partnership providing support that otherwise would go uncollected. We are very proud of this program and positive difference we make in children''''s lives". - Sharon Santilli, Esq. RI Child Support Director