Through a competitive procurement process, AR OCSE hired an outside contractor in September 2003 to supplement Arkansas' current insurance identification and medical support enforcement efforts.

Services provided to AR OCSE include:

• Health insurance identification for IV-D dependents and their custodial and noncustodial parents through national commercial carrier matches
• Wage/new hire matches
• DEERS/Champus matches
• Medical support enforcement activities including NMSN generation, and NMSN employer response processing

The contract sought to increase the level of services provided to the children of Arkansas, while maintaining a cost effective program that meets federal requirements.

AR OCSE recognized that child support services are not always localized and may cross state lines. Often, a noncustodial parent may reside in a state different from the state where he/she works, or may live and work in a state different than the one in which his/her dependents reside. Without coordination among states' child support agencies, the provision of medical support services for interstate cases can be difficult or nonexistent.

As a result, in January 2005, the Arkansas Office of Child Support offered state/local IV-D child support agencies the ability to execute an agreement to join the MSSC, allowing each joining governmental child support entity the ability to receive the same types of medical support services available to AR OCSE.

Health Management Systems serves as the vendor providing services under the MSSC.