Insurance Intercept Services
The State of Rhode Island (RI) established the Child Support Lien Network (CSLN) in 1999 under a 1998 Federal OCSE grant to extract data from each delinquent child support obligor file into one accessible, easy-to-use database for the purpose of asset matching, specifically intercepting insurance settlements owed to delinquent child support obligors. A supplemental 1999 Federal OCSE grant extended CSLN to four other New England states. The grant has expired; however, states outside of New England may now join CSLN through the execution of this agreement with the State of RI as host state of the CSLN. Awarded the Best Practices award in 2001 the CSLN program has grown to 30 states and the District of Columbia with 3.8 million cases owing more than $80 Billion in past due support. Today over 1,800 insurers participate in CSLN resulting in over $150 million dollars collected annually.
CSLN provides a national web-enabled network seamless to state child support agencies and other users of the system. The objective is to perform data matching to increase support collections through the interception of insurance claim settlements before they are sent to a claimant who owes past-due child support. The network also provides Participating Child Support Agencies with the additional optional services to assist in the collection of past due support. Please see information on Real Property data match and Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM).
Based upon the legal authority already granted to child support programs, all states can benefit from becoming a member in CSLN. The CSLN is adaptable to all state child support laws, practices and procedures regarding the identification and location of assets and the issuance of liens or withholding orders against assets belonging to a delinquent obligor. CSLN is adaptable for use by states in implementing specific state law and mandates that require insurance claim interception, or in states where insurers cooperate voluntarily with child support agencies to exchange information. The electronic interface will be performed by CSLN and the insurance industry. CSLN members only have to react to the matched claims sent to them.
CSLN Operations
CSLN, in conjunction with Insurance Services Offices (ISO), matches the claims data of individuals who have pending casualty claims with delinquent obligors in child support matters. The system was originally implemented in the State of Rhode Island as a solution for their state's specific insurance claim intercept law. Due to its success as a solution, more states became interested and it subsequently expanded to include states across the country with Rhode Island becoming the host state for the system.
Under this system, CSLN serves as a valuable resource to both families and insurers. For children and families nationwide, CSLN identifies settlements that can be collected for past due child support. For insurers, CSLN provides an interface with one single database for insurance claim intercept. The impact on individual insurers is greatly minimized because with the CSLN process insurers are not required to perform individual data matches with states. With CSLN providing the quality assurance on the resultant matches, the insurers have only to react to the administrative liens and income withholding orders on a much smaller number of pending claims.
Child support agencies in each state post their delinquent child support obligor information in the CSLN network database, which is electronically matched daily with the claims registered by insurance companies with ISO ClaimSearch. When a claimant matches to a delinquent obligor, CSLN takes the relevant claimant information, including and after a quality assurance process is completed, CSLN then distributes the match to the CSLN member state with the claim updated information. The state or CSLN then follows up with the insurance company involved by filing the appropriate administrative notice of lien or income withholding against the future settlement.
This is where insurance companies can make a significant difference in so many children's lives. CSLN is asking states and the insurance industry to join forces with us. Our organization is requesting the partnership and cooperation of all states and insurers in this endeavor.
Contact the Child Support Lien Network for more information:888-240-7488
contact@childsupportliens.com