PAYMENT PROCESSING

CS 540P Distribution of Discounted Settlements

06/99 Revised 03/07/22 Training Complete 03/21/22 Last Reviewed 07/10/25

42 U.S.C 657 and 654b, R527-330

 

Federal laws 42 U.S.C. 654b and 657 (see CS 535P Distribution of Collections and CS 537P Distribution of all Payments other than Discounted Settlements and Federal Tax Intercept Payments) and administrative rule, R527-330 dictate how the Office of Recovery Services/Child Support Services (ORS/CSS) must distribute and disburse payments. 

 

R527-330-2. Posting Priority of Payments Received:

 “(1)  ORS shall determine the debt to be credited in instances where the obligor has more than one child support case, and the obligor has not expressly designated that the payment go to a specific debt.

(2)  For child support services cases, if the obligor designates the debt where the payment should be posted, ORS shall honor the obligor's expressed intent and credit the payment to the designated debt.

(3)  Absent a specific designation, ORS shall apply payments in the following order:

(a)  pro-rated among the obligor's current support obligations; and then

(b)  divided equally among child support cases with arrears.

(4)  A payment credited to a child support case with arrears shall be applied to the oldest debt, and arrears owed to the family shall be paid before arrears owed to the state pursuant to the priority designations specified in 42 U.S.C. 657.

(5)  The provisions in this section do not apply to payments received from the following as they have their own disbursement protocols:

(a)  Federal Tax Refund Intercept Program; and

(b)  discounted settlements.” (Emphasis added.)

 

To meet these requirements, ORSIS has been programmed to automatically distribute payments appropriately.  The distribution rules for discounted settlement are slightly different than other support payments.  Accounting posts a discounted settlement payment with an override to the case number(s) which should be included in the approved settlement posting instruction. 

 

Discounted settlement payments are posted and applied only to those debt(s) coded for settlements.  When the case is coded for a discounted settlement ORSIS automatically distributes the payment as follows:

 

1.       Level 1 - Current Support:  When a settlement payment is received/receipted in the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), it is applied first to unpaid current support owing on the case(s). 

 

2.       Level 2 - Arrears Debts Coded with a Settlement Amount:  After current support has been paid, ORSIS identifies all arrears debts within the case coded for a discounted settlement.  Settlement payments distribute to the oldest debt in the following debt group priority up to the SETTLEMENT AMOUNT:

a.                   NADC (Non-IV-A) arrears debts;

b.                   DCNS (day-care non-State paid) arrears debts;

c.                   MNMC (non-IV-A medical) arrears debts;

d.                   COND (Non-IV-A conditionally assigned) arrears debts;

e.                   FSCN (Non-IV-A foster care);

f.                    YCOR (Youth Corrections);

g.                   FDHS (DHS Custody);

h.                   CSUP (Child Support – Child in Care);

i.                     PARM (Parent Responsibility Medical – State Hospital);

j.                     PARS (Parental Responsibility – State);

k.                   TEMP (temporarily assigned) arrears debts;

l.                     AFDC (IV-A) arrears debts;

m.                 MDMC (IV-A medical support) arrears debts;

n.                   DCST (day care-State paid) arrears debts;

o.                   FSCA (IV-E Foster Care);

p.                   YCOA (IV-E Youth Corrections); UDAA (Non-IV-A unassigned during assistance) arrears debts

q.                   FEES;

r.                    FSMN (Non-IV-E Foster Care Medical);

s.                    YCMN (Youth Corrections Medical); and,

t.                    FSMA (IV-E Foster Care Medical).

 

Any money remaining after paying current support and the arrears debts coded for settlement show up on the Funds Remaining Report.