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December 14, 2021
SUBJECT: WASHINGTON MANDATORY CHILD SUPPORT MATCHING
Dear Insurer:
We are writing to provide information to insurance companies that do business in Washington about a new mandatory insurance claim reporting law.
On Jan. 1, 2022, Substitute House Bill 1416 takes effect, which requires insurance companies authorized to do business in Washington to report certain claims information to the Department of Social and Health Services’ Division of Child Support so that we can determine whether claimants owe past-due child support. An insurance company that issues either a one-time lump sum or an installment payment that is over $500 directly to a claimant for a bodily injury, wrongful death, workers' compensation or life insurance claim must report this information to the Division of Child Support. If we determine that a claimant has past-due child support, we will issue a notice directing the insurer to remit funds to us to apply to past-due child support.
Two insurance match programs are available to minimize the burden of exchanging information between child support agencies and insurers: the Child Support Lien Network and Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement Insurance Match program. Both programs match insurance claim data against individuals who owe past-due child support and offer insurers the following reporting options, at no cost:
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Option 1: If your company uses a service operated by an insurance claim data collection organization, authorize that organization to submit your claim information to CSLN or OCSE.
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Option 2: Send insurance claim data directly to one of the insurance matching programs, CSLN or OCSE (see below for direct contact information).
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Option 3: If your company is unable to report using one of the two preferred methods below, you may report claims information directly to the Division of Child Support.
When a match occurs:
- CSLN sends verified matches to WA DCS to issue an income withholding order or a lien to the insurer.
- WA DCS is notified by OCSE of a match and WA DCS may issue an income withholding order or child support lien to the insurer.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the hundreds of Washington insurers who have been participating in the WA DCS Insurance Intercept Program on a voluntary basis for more than a decade. Your partnership truly makes financial support a reality for so many families. Approximately $1.3 million is collected each year for children in Washington as a result of your participation.
For those companies who are not participating, we strongly encourage early participation. To learn more about the CSLN Insurance Match Program or the OCSE Insurance Intercept Program, please contact:
CSLN Customer Service at 1-888-240-7488 or
Ann Murray at amurray@childsupportliens.com.
Or
OCSE at insurancematch@acf.hhs.gov.
For more information specific to the WA DCS Insurance Intercept Program, please call 360- 664-5635 or email LSC@dshs.wa.gov.
I am confident the WA DCS Insurance Intercept Program, through our collaborative efforts with the insurance industry, will continue to serve as a valuable financial resource to the children and families we serve, and I look forward to expanding this essential public-private partnership.
Sincerely,
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