When used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates:

Act means the Social Security Act, and the title referred to is title IV-D of that Act.

Agent of a Child means a caretaker relative having custody of or responsibility for the child.

Applicable matching rate means the rate of Federal funding of State IV-D programs' administrative costs for the appropriate fiscal year. The applicable matching rate for FY 1990 and thereafter is 66 percent.

Assigned support obligation means, unless otherwise specified, any support obligation which has been assigned to the State under section 408(a)(3) of the Act or section 471(a)(17) of the Act, or any medical support obligation or payment for medical care from any third party which has been assigned to the State under 42 CFR 433.146.

Assignment means, unless otherwise specified, any assignment of rights to support under section 408(a)(3) of the Act or section 471(a)(17) of the Act, or any assignment of rights to medical support and to payment for medical care from any third party under 42 CFR 433.146.

Attorney of a Child means a licensed lawyer who has entered into an attorney-client relationship with either the child or the child's resident parent to provide legal representation to the child or resident parent related to establishment of paternity, or the establishment, modification, or enforcement of child support. An attorney-client relationship imposes an ethical and fiduciary duty upon the attorney to represent the client's best interests under applicable rules of professional responsibility.

Birthing hospital means a hospital that has an obstetric care unit or provides obstetric services, or a birthing center associated with a hospital. A birthing center is a facility outside a hospital that provides maternity services.

Central authority means the agency designated by a government to facilitate support enforcement with a foreign reciprocating country (FRC) pursuant to section 459A of the Act.

Central registry means a single unit or office within the State IV-D agency which receives, disseminates and has oversight responsibility for processing incoming interstate IV-D cases, including UIFSA petitions and requests for wage withholding in IV-D cases and, at the option of the State, intrastate IV-D cases.

Controlling order State means the State in which the only order was issued or, where multiple orders exist, the State in which the order determined by a tribunal to control prospective current support pursuant to the UIFSA was issued.

Country means a foreign country (or a political subdivision thereof) declared to be an FRC under section 459A of the Act and any foreign country (or political subdivision thereof) with which the State has entered into a reciprocal arrangement for the establishment and enforcement of support obligations to the extent consistent with Federal law pursuant to section 459A(d) of the Act.

Department means the Department of Health and Human Services.

Director means the Director, Office of Child Support Enforcement, who is the Secretary's designee to administer the Child Support Enforcement program under title IV-D.

Federal PLS means the Parent Locator Service operated by the Office of Child Support Enforcement pursuant to section 452(a)(9) of the Act.

Form means a federally-approved document used for the establishment and enforcement of support obligations whether compiled or transmitted in written or electronic format, including but not limited to the Income Withholding for Support form, and the National Medical Support Notice. In interstate IV-D cases, such forms include those used for child support enforcement proceedings under the UIFSA. Form also includes any federally-mandated IV-D reporting form, where appropriate.

Initiating agency means a State or Tribal IV-D agency or an agency in a country, as defined in this rule, in which an individual has applied for or is receiving services.

Intergovernmental IV-D case means a IV-D case in which the noncustodial parent lives and/or works in a different jurisdiction than the custodial parent and child(ren) that has been referred by an initiating agency to a responding agency for services. An intergovernmental IV-D case may include any combination of referrals between States, Tribes, and countries. An intergovernmental IV-D case also may include cases in which a State agency is seeking only to collect support arrearages, whether owed to the family or assigned to the State.

Interstate IV-D case means a IV-D case in which the noncustodial parent lives and/or works in a different State than the custodial parent and child(ren) that has been referred by an initiating State to a responding State for services. An interstate IV-D case also may include cases in which a State is seeking only to collect support arrearages, whether owed to the family or assigned to the State.

IV-D Agency means the single and separate organizational unit in the State that has the responsibility for administering or supervising the administration of the State plan under title IV-D of the Act.

Medicaid means medical assistance provided under a State plan approved under title XIX of the Act.

Medicaid agency means the single State agency that has the responsibility for the administration of, or supervising the administration of, the State plan under title XIX of the Act.

Non-IV-A Medicaid recipient means any individual who has been determined eligible for or is receiving Medicaid under title XIX of the Act but is not receiving, nor deemed to be receiving, title IV-A under title IV-A of the Act.

Office means the Office of Child Support Enforcement which is the separate organizational unit within the Department with the responsibility for the administration of the program under this title.

One-state remedies means the exercise of a State's jurisdiction over a non-resident parent or direct establishment, enforcement, or other action by a State against a non-resident parent in accordance with the long-arm provision of UIFSA or other State law.

Overdue support means a delinquency pursuant to an obligation determined under a court order, or an order of an administrative process established under State law, for support and maintenance of a minor child, which is owed to or on behalf of the child, or for the noncustodial parent's spouse (or former spouse) with whom the child is living, but only if a support obligation has been established with respect to the spouse and the support obligation established with respect to the child is being enforced under State's IV-D plan. At the option of the State, overdue support may include amounts which otherwise meet the definition in the previous sentence but which are owed to or on behalf of a child who is not a minor child. The option to include support owed to children who are not minors applies independently to the procedures required under §302.70 of this chapter.

Past-due support means the amount of support determined under a court order or an order of an administrative process established under State law for support and maintenance of a child, or of a child and the parent with whom the child is living, which has not been paid. Through September 30, 2007, for purposes of referral for Federal tax refund offset of support due an individual who is receiving services under §302.33 of this chapter, past-due support means support owed to or on behalf of a qualified child, or a qualified child and the parent with whom the child is living if the same support order includes support for the child and the parent.

Political subdivision means a legal entity of the State as defined by the State, including a legal entity of the political subdivision so defined, such as a Prosecuting or District Attorney or a Friend of the Court.

Procedures means a set of instructions in a record which describe in detail the step by step actions to be taken by child support enforcement personnel in the performance of a specific function under the State's IV-D plan. The IV-D agency may issue general instructions on one or more functions, and delegate responsibility for the detailed procedures to the office, agency, or political subdivision actually performing the function.

Qualified child, through September 30, 2007, means a child who is a minor or who, while a minor, was determined to be disabled under title II or XVI of the Act, and for whom a support order is in effect.

Record means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.

Regional Office and Central Office refer to the Regional Offices and the Central Office of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, respectively.

Responding agency means the agency that is providing services in response to a referral from an initiating agency in an intergovernmental IV-D case.

Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Spousal support means a legally enforceable obligation assessed against an individual for the support of a spouse or former spouse who is living with a child or children for whom the individual also owes support.

State means the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.

The State plan means the State plan for child and spousal support under section 454 of the Act.

State PLS means the service established by the IV-D agency pursuant to section 454(8) of the Act to locate parents.

Tribunal means a court, administrative agency, or quasi-judicial entity authorized under State law to establish, enforce, or modify support orders or to determine parentage.

Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) means the model act promulgated by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and mandated by section 466(f) of the Act to be in effect in all States.

[47 FR 57280, Dec. 23, 1982, as amended at 50 FR 19647, May 9, 1985; 50 FR 23958, June 7, 1985; 50 FR 31719, Aug. 6, 1985; 53 FR 5256, Feb. 22, 1988; 54 FR 32308, Aug. 4, 1989; 56 FR 8002, Feb. 26, 1991; 57 FR 30429, July 9, 1992; 58 FR 41437, Aug. 4, 1993; 59 FR 66249, Dec. 23, 1994; 61 FR 67240, Dec. 20, 1996; 64 FR 6247, Feb. 9, 1999; 68 FR 25303, May 12, 2003; 73 FR 74919, Dec. 9, 2008; 75 FR 38641, July 2, 2010; 75 FR 81906, Dec. 29, 2010; 81 FR 93560, Dec. 20, 2016]