Taking Care of the District’s Children The Need to Reform DC’s Child Support System August 2007 A Report by: DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Crowell & Moring LLP Kilpatrick Stockton LLP DC Appleseed Taking Care of the District’s Children: The Need to Reform DC’s Child Support System A Report by: DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Crowell & Moring LLP Kilpatrick Stockton LLP August 2007 DC Appleseed i Acknowledgements DC Appleseed would like to thank our Walter Smith, Josh Levinson, Desmond partners in this project, the wonderful pro Riley, Chris Laskowski, Mary Jane Goodrick, bono legal teams from Crowell & Moring Karen Schneider, James Jones, and Tawana LLP and Kilpatrick Stockton LLP. They Stewart. Special thanks to former DC participated in shaping and conducting Appleseed staff members Dorothy Smith the research, as well as drafting, editing, and Deborah Spitz who initially staffed and designing this report. Special thanks the Child Support Project. DC Appleseed to the team leaders at each firm: Stephen Interns Erica Ban, Sean Griffith, Leah Baskin, Svetlana Gans, and Laura Mow Greenglass, Sarah Schultz, Erica Stevens, from Kilpatrick Stockton, and Marc Fred Wyshak, and DC Appleseed Volunteer Efron and John McCarthy from Crowell Sandy Shapiro also contributed to & Moring. Members of the project team the research. from Kilpatrick Stockton include: Kevin Noble, Saadeh Al-Jurf, Stewart Fried, We would also like to thank Attorney Eric Sophir, Matt Olson, Jim Mecone and General Linda Singer, former Attorney Tracie Siddiqui. Members of the project General Robert Spagnoletti, Chief Deputy team from Crowell & Moring include: Attorney General Eugene Adams, Deputy Linda Bruggeman, Shauna Alonge, Denise Attorney General Benidia Rice, and the Giardina, Mike Russell, and Amy Laderberg management staff of the Office of the O’Sullivan. Their collective generosity Attorney General Child Support Services made this project possible. We would also Division for their willingness to work with like to thank Alicia Hogges-Thomas of us and for the time they spent helping us to Bryan Cave LLP for donating her time to better understand the child support system do research for us. in DC. Thanks are also owed to all of the court personnel, DC government officials, In addition we would like to thank the community service providers, policy members of the DC Appleseed Board experts, private attorneys, and parents who who helped guide this project, Shelley shared their knowledge and perspectives Broderick, Nicholas Fels, and BB Otero, with us. as well as board members Sheldon Cohen, Gary Epstein, and Amy Rifkind who We are grateful to Michael Bonfigli (www. provided feedback on early drafts. We bonfigliphoto.com) for permission to use also want to thank the members of our some of his photographs. Advisory Panel who answered questions and provided feedback at key points in Finally, DC Appleseed is grateful the process: Eric Angel, Curt Child, Chris to the Fannie Mae Foundation, the Hart-Wright, Jeff Johnson, Angela Jones, Meyer Foundation, and the Morris and Su Sie Ju, David Pate, Paula Roberts, Judith Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, whose Sandalow, and Priscilla Skillman. generous support helped make this report possible. Many thanks go to our colleagues at DC Appleseed for their feedback and support: ii Project Team Leaders Stephen Baskin, Partner, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP Judy Berman, Deputy Director, DC Appleseed Maura Boyce, Program Associate, DC Appleseed Marc Efron, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP Svetlana Gans, Associate, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP John McCarthy, Counsel, Crowell & Moring LLP Laura Mow, Partner, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP Walter Smith, Executive Director, DC Appleseed DC Appleseed is a non-partisan, non- Kilpatrick Stockton LLP is a full-service profit advocacy organization dedicated to international law firm with more than making the District of Columbia and the 500 attorneys in nine offices across Washington Metropolitan area a better the globe: Atlanta, Augusta, Charlotte, place to live and work. We work on issues Raleigh, Winston-Salem, New York, from health care to voting representation Washington, DC, London, and Stockholm. to education reform to environmental Kilpatrick Stockton attorneys call upon concerns to jobs and housing. Working their experience in various areas of law, with volunteer attorneys, business leaders including antitrust, litigation, corporate, and community experts, we identify the construction, intellectual property, issues, conduct research and analysis, make and telecommunications, to provide specific recommendations for reform, knowledgeable and proactive counsel to and advocate effective solutions. Our companies at every stage of the business experienced staff organizes project teams cycle. Kilpatrick Stockton has also been and leverages thousands of hours of pro nationally recognized for its commitment bono time. to pro bono service. In 2006, the firm delivered 30,000 hours of pro bono work, Crowell & Moring LLP is a full-service law valued at $9.2 million. firm with more than 350 lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, corporate, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and more. Based in Washington, DC, the firm also has offices in California, New York, London, and Brussels. The firm contributes more than 21,000 hours annually on pro bono matters -- a more than $4 million investment - and has twice been honored as Pro Bono Firm of the Year in Washington, DC. iii DC Appleseed Staff and Board of Directors Staff: Judy Berman, Deputy Director Maura Boyce, Program Associate Mary Jane Goodrick, Anacostia Watershed and River Restoration Project Director James Jones, Senior Program Associate Chris Laskowski, Program Associate Desmond Riley, Director of Development Karen Schneider, HIV/AIDS Project Director Walter Smith, Executive Director Tawana Stewart, Office Manager Board of Directors*: Chair: Richard B. Herzog, Harkins Cunningham LLP Vice-Chair: Patricia A. Brannan, Hogan & Hartson LLP Vice-Chair: Gary M. Epstein, Latham & Watkins LLP Secretary: Deborah M. Royster, Pepco Holdings, Inc. Treasurer: Peter D. Ehrenhaft, Harkins Cunningham LLP Past Chair: Daniel M. Singer, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Past Chair: Nicholas W. Fels, Covington & Burling LLP Executive Committee: Jon S. Bouker, Arent Fox LLC Executive Committee: Lois J. Schiffer, Attorney Katherine S. Broderick, UDC David A. Clarke School of Law Patrick S. Campbell, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Deborah Chollet, Mathematica Policy Research Sheldon S. Cohen, Farr, Miller & Washington, LLC Annemargaret Connolly, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Bert T. Edwards, Office of Historic Trust Accounting Curtis Etherly, Coca-Cola Enterprises Bottling Companies James H. Hammond, Jr., Deloitte & Touche LLP Robert F. Levey, Journalist Edward M. Levin, Legal Consultant iv DC Appleseed Board of Directors continued John W. Nields, Howrey LLP James Rathvon, DLA Piper USA LLP Gary Ratner, Citizens for Effective Schools, Inc. Amy Rifkind, Arnold & Porter LLP Michael C. Rogers, MedStar Health Margaret Singleton, DC Chamber of Commerce Stanley M. Spracker, Levine School of Music Lawrence R. Walders, Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP Roderic L. Woodson, Holland & Knight LLP *Affiliations listed only for purposes of identification v Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................ii ■ Part I: Summary .......................................................................................................11 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................13 Summary of Findings and Recommendations ..........................................................60 Improving Services to Parents ................................................................................19 Improving the Role of the Court ...........................................................................22 Improving Administration of CSSD .......................................................................23 ■ Part II: Background ..................................................................................................27 Methodology ...............................................................................................................29 Report Structure .........................................................................................................32 History and Statutory Framework of the Child Support System ..............................34 Introduction ............................................................................................................34 Overview ..................................................................................................................34 Paternity Establishment ..........................................................................................35 Enforcement & Collection .....................................................................................36 Interstate Enforcement & Collection ....................................................................37 Medical Support ......................................................................................................38 Arrears and Modification of Orders ......................................................................39 Interagency Collaboration ......................................................................................40 State Flexibility