Absent Parent: Domestic Violence

Cooperation with DTA and the Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement (DOR/CSE) efforts is a requirement for TAFDC. The penalty for noncooperation is a reduction in TAFDC benefits (sanction). Cooperation or non-cooperation must be recorded on the Absence page in the Assessed Person Nonfinancials workflow. DOR/CSE determines if a client is cooperating with child support enforcement efforts or not. If you receive notice from DOR/CSE that the client is not cooperating, you must call the client to explain the child support process and answer any questions they have. You must also explore whether good cause for not cooperating exists or if they feel safe to cooperate. Consider asking a DV Specialist to assist you. This must be documented in a BEACON narrative. If you are not able to reach the client, schedule a case maintenance appointment to discuss this with them.

If a client agrees to cooperate, on the Absence page Cooperation tab you must:

  1. click the Yes radio button in the Child support cooperation field
  2. enter the date in the Cooperation and Referral date fields
  3. click the No radio button in the “Is the client claiming good cause” field in the Safety/Good Cause field
  4. ask the client: “Is there a history/threat of DV associated with the absent parent?” Click the Yes or No radio button to record their response and
  5. complete the other tabs on the Absence page with the client.

Note: If the client states they cannot cooperate, you must make a referral to a Domestic Violence (DV) Specialist, even if the good cause reasons don’t appear to apply to them.

If the client wishes to claim good cause for not cooperating, on the Absence page Cooperation tab:

  1. click the No radio button in the Child support cooperation field and
  2. complete the Safety/Good Cause field on the Cooperation tab with the client.

Important: If good cause is claimed, you must update the Cooperation tab immediately. DOR/CSE will not take any steps to establish a child support order unless and until good cause is removed from the Cooperation tab. You must also have the client complete and sign the I do not agree to cooperate and I am claiming good cause option under Cooperation on the Assignment of Support Rights, Cooperation with Child Support, or Good Cause Claim Form (TA-34/36), which is included in the printed application or reevaluation or generated using the Print Assign/Coop/Good Cause checkbox on the Absence tab. See Child Support Good Cause Claimed.

Completing the Safety/Good Cause Field

The Safety/Good Cause field is used to record all good cause claims for not cooperating with child support requirements.  It is also used to capture past or present DV associated with the absent parent.

When the client is claiming good cause, in the Safety/Good Cause field:

  1. click the Yes radio button in the “Is the client claiming good cause?” field
  2. enter the date in the Start date field
  3. in the Reason drop-down box, select one of the following:
    1. Adoption decision pending
    2. Adoption proceedings pending
    3. Conception result: incest/rape
    4. Physical/Emotional or DV risk
    5. Other (Describe the client’s good cause reason, if not listed above, in the Other reason field)
    6. Relative Caregiver
  4. ask the client: “Is there a history/threat of DV associated with the absent parent?” Click the Yes or No radio button to record their response. 

Note: A date should not be entered in the Scheduled end field until good cause is approved. Once approved, the Scheduled end date is to be no greater than the reevaluation end date, when good cause must be reviewed and documented in a BEACON narrative. However, when the good cause reason is incest/rape the end date is to be the child’s 18th birthday and it does not need to be reviewed. At reevaluation good cause does not need to be re-verified unless information is received that indicates a need to reconsider eligibility for good cause. For relative caregivers, good cause must be reviewed at each reevaluation, but it never needs to be verified.

When the good cause Reason selected is either Conception result: incest/rape or Physical/Emotional or DV risk, the client will appear on the statewide Absence Safety/Good Cause Review view and the DV Reviewed check box on the Safety/Good Cause field will be enabled.

Likewise, whenever the Yes radio button is clicked for reported history or the threat of DV by the absent parent against the client, the client will appear on the Absence Safety/Good Cause Review view and the DV Reviewed check box on the Safety/Good Cause field will be enabled, even if the client is not claiming good cause.

Reminder: If a good cause claim is Conception result: incest/rape, or Physical/Emotional or DV risk, make sure the Yes radio button in the domestic violence situation field is clicked on the Domestic Violence page in the Program Administration workflow.

Absence Safety/Good Cause Review View

Each day, DV Specialists and DV Coordinators must check the Absence Safety/Good Cause Review view, in their Assessed Person Potential Changes view to see all TAFDC clients statewide who appear on the view.

For each client, the DV Specialist and/or the DV Coordinator assigned to the TAO will document the receipt of the referral for the client on the view by writing a narrative in the Electronic Case Folder (ECF). They will review the absent parent domestic violence situation, Conception result: incest/rape or Physical/Emotional or DV risk claims and possible safety issues for the client following established DV Unit services.

Once the review is completed, the DV Specialist or DV Coordinator will check the DV Reviewed check box on the Safety/Good Cause field on the Absence page Cooperation tab. The client will no longer appear on the view. They will make a notation on the ECF Narrative tab regarding their review of the case as it relates to the information on the Safety/Good Cause field.  See Domestic Violence Specialists Narratives.

Note: Only DV Specialists, DV Coordinators and certain Central Office staff have security clearance to check the DV Reviewed check box.

Note: The checked DV Reviewed box does not necessarily mean DV Unit staff made contact with the client. It also is not a recommendation (by the DV Unit)  with regard to the client’s good cause claim.

End Date Entry Triggers DV Review

In instances where good cause for not cooperating with child support efforts no longer exists for a client, the case manager must enter a date in the End field on the Safety/Good Cause field.

If the prior good cause was based on Conception result: incest/rape or Physical/Emotional or DV risk, the DV Reviewed check box will be enabled when the End date is entered. The DV Specialist and/or the DV Coordinator assigned to the TAO will conduct another review of the case.  Once the review is completed and the DV Reviewed check box is checked, the client will no longer appear on the view.

The following are the Absence Safety/Good Cause Review view fields and explanation of their contents:

  • TAO: TAO to which the TAFDC case is assigned
  • Client Name: TAFDC Grantee
  • SSN: Grantee’s SSN or temporarily assigned number in the SSN field
  • Start: The date Good Cause was claimed and reviewed and entered on the Absence page
  • Reason: Is why the view is currently populated.  This can be either a new Good Cause claim entered on the Cooperation page; or it can be notification that Good Cause has been removed from the page and why.

Note: When the client’s TAFDC status is either closed or denied for more than 30 days, the client will automatically be removed from the Absence Safety/Good Cause Review view.