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PROPOSED INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT
Department: Office of the Chief Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Other Part(ies): Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (IDHFS)
Request: Requesting authorization to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the State of Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services on behalf of the Office of the Chief Judge for a Child Support Agreement between IDHFS and the Office of the Chief Judge on behalf of the Cook County Child Support Enforcement Unit which would provide the County with a $897,165.00 Intergovernmental Agreement under Title IV-D of the Social security Act. The Budget Department has received all requisite grant documents.
Goods or Services: Under the Agreement with IDHFS, Title IV-D cases involving poor, single parents with children for parentage and/or child support are initially heard by administrative hearing officers. The hearing officers’ function is to obtain the expedited agreement of the parties before them and avoid the matter going to a judge for determination on issues of parentage and support. This streamlining of the judicial process results in a more prompt and efficient resolution to parentage and child support disputes.
Agreement Number(s): 2017-55-028-K
Agreement Period: 7/1/2016 - 6/30/2017
Fiscal Impact: None
Accounts: NA
Summary: This intergovernmental Agreement funds the salaries and fringe benefits of eight (8) administrative hearing officers and seven (7) support staff. Each administrative hearing officer is paired with a courtroom to help never-married, poor, single parents with children reach agreement on matters related to paternity and child support issues in Title IV-D cases. If no agreement results, parties are entitled to a hearing before a judge. Approximately 22,000 cases per year are directed to the hearing officers for resolution.
Funds available under this agreement represent approximately 60 percent of funds allocated in recent previous agreements and are expected to last until February 2017. At that time, or upon expiration of the Agreement at 6/30/2017, whichever occurs first, the Intergovernmental Agreement program will be terminated.
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