Nov. 4, 2008 — Those in Lassen County who get child support checks should have no issue in getting them on time during the month of November. Contrary to Lassen County Director Elizabeth Hyde’s concern that the state’s Los Angeles massive conversion could affect some people and prevent them from getting their checks on time. California Director of Department of Child Support Services David Maxwell-Jolly said the impact should be negligible.

A fact sheet sent to the paper by Maria Caudill, of CSS, states that payments received on Friday, Nov. 7 to the State Disbursement Unit will be processed on Nov. 12 because of the Veterans Day holiday.

In the Oct. 21 issue of the paper, Hyde said the conversion process for most counties to the State Child Support System takes about a weekend. It usually has little to no effect on the rest of the system when this happens. Hyde said that because such a large portion of the state’s population resides in L.A. County, it would take more time.

Since the system is so heavily integrated, the SCSS will have limited to no access from Oct. 31-Nov. 11.

Hyde also reported anyone receiving child support money out of L.A. will have to wait two weeks before receiving money, whereas everywhere else will only have to wait about five days.

Maxwell-Jolly claims this information is incorrect because payments will continue to be processed but Lassen County customers may have to wait a couple of extra days for their money. Hyde said L.A. customers would have to wait up to two weeks but Hyde said it is more like 10 days.

Hyde emphasized that her office would work hard to service customers but it may be on a more limited basis, which Caudill said was incorrect but at the same time wrote in the fact sheet, “The DCSS has been working with local child support agencies to assist them in preparation of these limited function days. On these days, local offices will use more manual procedures until the CSE is available.”

She also wrote that the impact of the LA transition would be minimal on local offices statewide. When asked if Hyde did the right thing in informing Lassen County customers that there may be a delay, Caudill said the state couldn’t say the conversion process would be 100 percent fool proof.

Caudill also claims Hyde’s statement that Lassen County might lose phone support during the conversion is incorrect. She claims “local child support agencies will need to alter some operating procedures to accommodate limited system access at times during the conversion. However, child support customers will still be served.

People who use a service to receive their money without a check, such as direct deposit, will receive their money faster than those who receive checks. Hyde said checks would take 5-7 days longer, as they will have to go through the mail. Checks processed on Nov. 12 and then mailed may not arrive until Nov. 19.

Lizelda Lopez from the California Health and Human Services Association disagreed that mail could take that long.

“Sacramento is not that far from Lassen County so I have a hard time believing mail can take five to seven days and not the typical two or three days,” said Lopez, who just snorted after being told how the mail must come to Reno and up the Highway 395 corridor. There have been times when semi-trailers, including mail trucks have not been allowed to continue to Susanville because of weather conditions such as extremely high winds.

Hyde explained that the positive side of this massive conversion is that L.A. County is the last one to be brought onto the system. She said in her report to the county board that hopefully this will mean better and more efficient child support cases for both custodial and non-custodial parents.

“Most of the benefits are actually going to be to the non-custodial parents,” Hyde said, “because historically, if the parent that has the child moves from county to county, then different cases have been opened up in every one of those counties. With the statewide system, then you can bring those cases back together.”

She said with this system, they could reduce the number of cases involving child support that’s owed that’s never paid, which Hyde referred to as being in arrears.

Hyde explained that anyone receiving child support money out of L.A. would have to wait two weeks before receiving money, whereas everywhere else will only have to wait about five days. Hyde said her department has worked hard to get the word out about the delay, particularly because of the impact around the holidays.

Hyde explained that this is one of the most ambitious undertakings in her 25 years with the SCSS, and it will eventually help the system work more smoothly.