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County staff brief committee on Title IV-D child support contracts, cite 66% federal reimbursement and timing issues
Summary
Health and Human Services staff told the committee that annual Title IV-D cooperative agreements (about $10.5 million) allow the county to recover up to 66% of child-support administration costs; staff described contract restructuring and state deadlines that delayed signatures and said the contracts will appear on full council next Tuesday.
County staff briefed the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services and Aging Committee on March 19 about the annual Title IV-D cooperative agreements that fund child support services.
Marcos Cortez (Office of Child Support Services) said the Title IV-D agreements are mandated by the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services regulations and enable the county to seek federal reimbursement for eligible child-support expenses. Richard Wyler, the child support business manager, said the set of contracts can total about $10.5 million and that federal reimbursement can cover up to 66% of eligible costs; the remainder is paid from the county HHS levy.
Wyler explained the year’s timing issues were driven by operational changes at juvenile court: the court restructured magistrate coverage (moving from six magistrates dedicated to child support to a broader set of 12 magistrates handling multiple case types), which required new contract structures and delayed delivery of final budgets and contracts to county contracting staff. Wyler said the county needed to sign the agreements by March 31 to secure reimbursement for the first quarter (January–March).
Committee members asked how the various contracts (juvenile court, clerk's office, domestic relations, cashier) relate to enforcement and whether the agreements are producing measurable results. Wyler said magistrates handle enforcement while clerks and cashier functions handle paperwork and payments; Tiffany Dobbins Braselton, director of the Office of Child Support Services, said collections surged during pandemic stimulus periods but have declined since, and staff plan improved outreach and marketing to make payment access easier. She also cited grant-funded efforts such as the SAVES (Safe Access for Victims' Economic Security) grant to support domestic-violence-related access to child support.
No committee motion was taken on the contracts; staff said the Title IV-D agreements will be placed on the full council agenda next Tuesday for a first-reading suspension so the county can meet the state’s March 31 reimbursement deadline.
