CPS-CSS 0970- 0416_Final_Supporting Statement_Part A_052722_es_060122

2023 Current Population Survey-

Child Support Supplement

OMB Information Collection Request

0970-0416

Supporting Statement

Part A – Justification

June 2022

Submitted By:

Office of Child Support Enforcement

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessity

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) requests renewal with minor changes of the Current Population Survey-Child Support Supplement (CPS-CSS or the Child Support Supplement). The CPS-CSS, last conducted in 2020, continues the data series the government started in 1979 in response to a recommendation by the Conference on Issues in Federal Statistical Needs Relating to Women. As in prior years, the Census Bureau, through an Inter-agency agreement with OCSE, will collect the information on child support , as a supplement to the monthly Current Population Survey. This next collection will take place during the month of April 2023. 

For information about proposed minor changes for 2023, see sections A12 and A15.

The activities associated with this information collection are authorized by 13 U.S.C. 182, which allows the Secretary of Commerce to conduct surveys necessary to furnish annual and other interim current data on the subjects covered by the census and Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, which authorizes the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services to sponsor the CPS-CSS.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

The CPS-CSS obtains information on characteristics of parents eligible to receive child support and the types of financial arrangements made to support their children who have a parent living elsewhere. To enhance the usefulness of these data, these items are asked of individuals who are also interviewed in March when the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. (This is the same procedure used in the April 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 surveys.) The ASEC asks detailed questions about income that are used to calculate poverty. The combination of data from these two supplements yields a detailed socioeconomic picture of parents eligible to receive child support and their families.

Collection of the CPS-CSS provides a nationwide assessment of the need for and effectiveness of the child support program, assisting OCSE in aligning the child support program to meet the needs of the families it serves. These data assist legislators and policymakers in determining how effective their legislative efforts are to strengthen child support enforcement and improve the lives of families eligible for child support.

Policymakers are interested in this information as it impacts efforts to reduce the reliance of low-income families on public assistance programs, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The effectiveness of child support enforcement effects the amount of public assistance these families receive.

Failure to collect accurate and up-to-date details on child support may result in the misapplication of child support enforcement efforts in areas that have little or no return for the resources used. Such actions may not only waste resources used on such efforts but may also preclude the allocation of resources to more successful enforcement efforts.

OCSE uses the survey to understand the population it serves. It shares its analysis with state child support agencies through informal communications and presentations at conferences. It shares its analysis of the survey with the public through blogs and reports that are posted on its website. The most recent report describing the population it serves is posted here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/characteristics_cps_and_their_children.pdf

The Census Bureau publishes a report based on the CPS-CSS, which is posts on its website. The most recent report using the CPS-CSS is published here: https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-269.pdfIt

The Census Bureau also provides public use microdata from the survey and data documentation to the public via its website. These data can be found here:

https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/cps/cps-supp_cps-repwgt/cps-childsupport.html

The Child Support Supplement is divided into sections that address specific child support issues. The following outline the structure of the proposed 2023 questionnaire and discuss the sections of the Social Security Act to which OCSE must respond:

Section 1. Universe Questions and Roster of Agreements. The universe questions determine which children have a parent living elsewhere and create a roster of child support-eligible children. It also determines which adults, regardless of sex, are eligible respondents.

The remainder of Section 1 assembles a roster of all agreements for all child support-eligible children beginning with the agreement covering the youngest child. The questions on the roster make distinctions between legal and other types of agreements within the household and determine which, if any, children are covered by the same agreement.

Section 2. History of Most Recent Support Agreement. This section asks parents a series of questions about the history of their most recent support agreement, including when it was first established and whether it has been changed.

Section 3A. Support Agreement and Behavior. This section asks parents about the frequency and amount of child support that was supposed to be paid in the prior year, as well as the frequency and amount of child support that was actually paid in the prior year. This section responds to Section 15 of the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 to Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, which mandates that each state set up a commission on child support, whose function is to determine success in securing child support. The health insurance questions included in this section address Section 16 of the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 to Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, which requires that the state child support enforcement program petition for the inclusion of medical support as part of child support when reasonable for the absent parent to do so.

Section 3B. Reasons For No Agreement. This section addresses the reasons the custodial parent may not have a legal agreement or award.

Section 4. Help Getting Support. This section addresses the requirement that the OCSE measure the extent that child support enforcement activities are employed. In addition, OCSE must measure the type of aid given and the additional amount of child support received in conjunction with such efforts.

Section 5. Agreement About Custody and Visitation, and Section 6. Parent-Child Contact. These sections respond to Section 15 of the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984, where the state commission must also determine parental involvement by focusing on the issues such as the enforcement of interstate obligations and visitation by the noncustodial parent.

Section 7. Family History. This section collects information about the marital history of the custodial parent.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

The Census Bureau uses personal visits and telephone interviews, as well as computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) and computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) to conduct the survey. These methods are the most appropriate collection tools given existing technology. The Internet as a reporting option is under review, but is not yet a feasible option for a complex demographic survey such as the CPS-CSS.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

OCSE consulted with other government agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau, and determined that the CPS-CSS is the only source of current national data that meets mandated information requirements. No other survey replicates the statistical reliability and child support content provided by the CPS-CSS data. The March ASEC does collect information on receipt of child support and TANF; however, it does not obtain the depth and scope of the information collected by the CPS-CSS. To avoid duplication of data collection and reduce the respondent burden, this supplement is only collected in households that were interviewed in both March and April. The information collected in April is then matched to that obtained in March. The combined files maximize the amount of data available while minimizing costs and burden to the respondent.

The following person at the U.S. Census Bureau has been in continuous consultation concerning the development of the CPS-CSS:

Tim J. Marshall

Assistant Survey Director

Current Population Surveys

Associate Directorate Demographic Programs

U.S. Census Bureau

(301) 763-3769

Cell:  202-306-1254

A statement soliciting comments for improving CPS data collection is prominently placed in all Census Bureau publications that cite CPS data. A similar statement is included in the technical documentation that accompanies the microdata files.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

Not applicable.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

Twenty seven percent of all children and nearly 50 percent of poor children live in families who are eligible to receive child support.¹ Such large numbers of children living in these families requires that up-to-date information on their economic situations are available. Less frequent collection of data would delay analysis and could result in improper allocation of child support enforcement resources and increased reliance on public assistance.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

Not applicable.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register at 87 FR 6568 on February 4, 2022. The notice announced OCSE’s intention to seek OMB approval of the revised collection of information and provided 60 days for the public to submit written comments about this information collection activity. OCSE did not receive any comments.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

Not applicable.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

All information given by respondents to Census Bureau employees is held in strict confidence under Title 13, United States Code, Section 9. Each Census Bureau employee has taken an oath to protect the confidentiality of respondents’ data and is subject to a jail penalty and/or substantial fine if he or she discloses any information given to him or her. 

 

The Census Bureau will comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Paperwork Reduction Act requirements in terms of notice to the respondent. Each sample household receives an advance letter approximately one week before the start of the CPS initial interview (see Attachments B and C). The letter includes the information required by the Privacy Act of 1974, explains the voluntary nature of the survey, and states the estimated time required for participating in the survey. Interviewers must ask if the respondent received the letter and, if not, provide a copy and allow the respondent sufficient time to read the contents. Also, interviewers provide households with the pamphlet, The U.S. Census Bureau Respects Your Privacy and Protects Your Personal Information, which further states the confidentiality assurances under Title 13 associated with this data collection effort and the Census Bureau's past performance in assuring confidentiality (see Attachments D and E).  

Personal information collected includes name, address, telephone number, age or date of birth, email address, race, or ethnicity. Personal information is removed prior to delivery of the data product to OCSE. Race and ethnicity information is collapsed and/or suppressed per Census Bureau disclosure rules.

Census Bureau staff have received training on privacy and confidentiality policies and practices. Access to this information is restricted to authorized personnel only. Access to this information is being monitored, tracked, or recorded on FedRAMP-approved computer systems that are in compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and OMB Circular A-130. The delivery of data products to OCSE is done using encryption software to protect against unapproved use of the data.

Prior to delivery of the data to OCSE, the Census Bureau ensures that any PII or sensitive information abides by its rules and guidelines for protecting against disclosure of such information.  The Census Bureau performs non-disclosure techniques such as topcoding of continuous variables, collapsing, and suppression of any information deemed necessary.  For tabulation products, the bureau does not provide any information that would identify a population of less than 10,000.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

Not applicable.

12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

The approach used to estimate the annualized burden for 2023 differs from that used in previous years. In the past, all households in the supplement were asked an initial set of questions and then a much smaller number were asked the rest of the questions. Starting in 2023, the Census Bureau will pre-select households for the supplement based on the demographic information collected earlier in the Current Population Survey to improve data quality. The change reduces the overall number of respondents significantly (34,500 to 3,600) but increases the time per response from about 2 minutes to about 20 minutes. OCSE did not learn of this change until after the 60-day Federal Register notice was published, but the 30-day notice reflects this change, allowing for comments during this time.

The cost to respondents was calculated using the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job code for Social and Human Services Assistants [21-1093] and wage data from May 2021, which is $19.45 per hour. To account for fringe benefits and overhead the rate was multiplied by two which is $38.90. The estimated annualized cost to respondents for hour burden is $38.90 times 1,200 hours or $46,680. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211093.htm

ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATES

Information Collection Title	Total Number of Respondents	Total Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Total Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
Current Population Survey-Child Support Supplement	3,600	1	0.3333	1,200	$38.90	$46,680

13. Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers

There are no other burden costs imposed on the respondents.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

The cost of including the CPS-CSS questions is estimated to be $570,000 in fiscal year 2023 and is borne by the OCSE. This cost includes:

• Employee labor and materials for developing computer systems, screens, or reports to support the collection

• Employee labor and materials for collecting the information

• Employee labor and materials for analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, and/or reporting on the collected information

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

OCSE proposes minor changes to the 2023 information collection. We propose the following: delete 19 questions that are no longer considered necessary; revise the language in 5 questions; add 9 questions about customer satisfaction with the child support program; and add 2 questions about whether children were born while the parents were married. Please see Attachment A for a list all of survey questions that we propose to delete, revise, or add. Changes in burden estimates are due to the updates to the way the CPS-CSS will be conducted in 2023, as described in A12.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

The Census Bureau will conduct the CPS-CSS during the period of April 19 through 25, 2023. A report based on the data will be published and posted here: https://www.census.gov/topics/families/child-support.html. The expected publication date for this report has not been established.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

As previously approved for this supplement, the assigned OMB number and expiration date on the information collection will not be displayed.

The CPS-CSS is administered as part of the CPS monthly interview. However, the supplement has an OMB control number and expiration date that is different from the basic CPS interview. Different control numbers and expiration dates confuse respondents, so we do not wish to display the OMB control number and expiration date for the CPS-CSS. The OMB control number and expiration date for the CPS basic interview are included in the advance letter the Census Bureau sends to respondents.

18. Exceptions to the Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

Not applicable.

1 Timothy Grall. 2020. Child Support for Custodial Mothers and Fathers. Current Population Reports. P60-212. Issued by the Census Bureau in May 2020.

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