Date of Adoption: July 10, 2000.

Purpose: The Division of Child Support seeks to revise its procedures for preparing and serving a support establishment notice under RCW 74.20A.055 or 74.20A.056. After the Division of Child Support enacted changes to the WAC regarding procedures for preparing and serving support establishment notices so as to give the physical custodian of the child full party status, DCS staff requested that the procedures be revised. DCS commissioned a quality improvement team to look at the process and the QIT has come up with suggestions on how the preparation and service of the support establishment notice can be streamlined, revised and improved. DCS believes the new method will be more efficient and easier to understand, and will result in better customer service for both custodial and noncustodial parents.

Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: WAC 388-14A-3100 How does the division of child support establish a child support obligation when there is no child support order?, 388-14A-3102 When the parents have signed a paternity affidavit, which support establishment notice does the Division of Child Support serve on the noncustodial parent?, 388-14A-3105 How does the division of child support serve support establishment notices?, 388-14A-3110 When can a support establishment notice become a final order?, 388-14A-3115 The notice and finding of financial responsibility is used to set child support when paternity is not an issue, 388-14A-3120 The notice and finding of parental responsibility is used to set child support when the father's duty of support is based upon an affidavit of paternity which is not a conclusive presumption of paternity, 388-14A-3125 The notice and finding of medical responsibility is used to set a medical support obligation when the custodial parent receiving medical assistance declines full child support enforcement services, 388-14A-3130 What happens if a parent makes a timely request for hearing on a support establishment notice?, 388-14A-3131 What happens if neither parent appears for the hearing?, 388-14A-3132 What happens if only one parent appears for the hearing?, 388-14A-3133 What happens when the noncustodial parent and the custodial parent both appear for the hearing?, 388-14A-3135 Late hearings, or hearing on untimely objections to support establishment notices, 388-14A-3140 What can happen at a hearing on a support establishment notice?, 388-14A-3200 How does DCS determine my support obligation?, 388-14A-3205 How does DCS calculate my income?; amending WAC 388-11-011, 388-11-100, 388-11-120, 388-11-150, 388-11-305 and 388-11-310; and repealing WAC 388-11-285, 388-11-290, 388-11-295, 388-11-400, 388-11-415, 388-11-420, 388-11-425, 388-11-430, and 388-11-445.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 34.05.220(1), 74.08.090, 74.20A.055, 74.20A.056.

Adopted under notice filed as WSR 00-10-096 on May 2, 2000.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 15, Amended 6, Repealed 10.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 15, Amended 6, Repealed 10.

Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 15, Amended 6, Repealed 10. Effective Date of Rule: October 1, 2000.

July 10, 2000

Edith M. Rice, Chief

Office of Legal Affairs

Reviser's note: The material contained in this filing exceeded the page-count limitations of WAC 1-21-040 for appearance in this issue of the Register. It will appear in the 00-16 issue of the Register.

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