Review of Undistributable Child Support Collections in Riverside County, California, from October 1, 1998, Through March 31, 2006

For the period October 1, 1998, through March 31, 2006, California did not, as required, recognize or report program income totaling $245,000 ($162,000 Federal share) for Riverside County's undistributable child support collections and interest earned on child support collections.  Undistributable collections result when a State receives a child support payment but cannot identify or locate the custodial parent or return the funds to the noncustodial parent.  The Office of Child Support Enforcement, within HHS's Administration for Children and Families, requires States to offset Child Support Enforcement program costs, for which they receive Federal matching funds, by recognizing and reporting undistributable collections and interest earned on collections as program income.   

We recommended that the State (1) report program income for undistributable collections that the county already recognized as abandoned, (2) monitor the county's progress in resolving the status of unclaimed child support collections and report as program income those collections recognized as abandoned, (3) ensure that the county uses the correct dates to age undistributed collections, and (4) report program income for interest earned on child support collections.  The State concurred with the findings and described how it was addressing the recommendations.