CalWORKs Policy Handbook - Department of Human Services ...

County of San Bernardino Human Services
INTERIM INSTRUCTION NOTICE #12-057
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
SUBJECT: Access to the Paternity Opportunity Program (POP) Database
DISTRIBUTION: CalWORKs and Medi-Cal FILE: CWPHB – In Front of Handbook
MCPHB – In Front of Handbook
REFERENCE: ACL 11-82, POP Letter
11-02
OBSOLETE: When Handbook is
Updated
Overview Current regulation states when legal paternity has been established in the
case of an unmarried father and mother, referral to the Local Child Support
Agency (LCSA) for paternity establishment is not required. A declaration
signed by both the unmarried biological father and mother filed with the state
Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is considered verification that
legal paternity has been established for the child.
The Paternity Opportunity Program (POP), administered by DCSS,
processes declarations of paternity and records information in the POP
database. Information obtained from the POP database is considered
verification that legal paternity has been established for that child.
Objective DCSS has provided access to the POP database to authorized county
personnel. The Transitional Assistance Department (TAD) will pilot the use
of the POP database to verify the establishment of paternity for the
CalWORKs and Medi-Cal programs. The object of the pilot is to:
Promote customer service,
Reduce the number of unnecessary referrals to LCSA, and
Reduce workload impact for both TAD and DCSS.
Pilot Period The POP database pilot period begins October 1, 2012 and will continue until
December 31, 2012. An expansion of the pilot will be determined based on
review of the results of the initial pilot.
Pilot offices The POP database access will be piloted in the following TAD offices:
03 – Yucca Valley,
04 – Redlands,
07 – Del Rosa, and
79 – Twenty-Nine Palms.
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