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| [December 21, 2004] |
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New Child Support Payment Service at idaho.gov Benefits Kids, Parents and the State
BOISE, Idaho --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 21, 2004 -- The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's recently launched child support online payment service at http://idaho.gov has created a win-win-win situation in the Gem State. Primarily designed to reduce payment processing times so children receive their funds faster, the Web-based service also gives parents a convenient payment option to avoid late fees and has eliminated the state's risk of receiving bad checks.
The Department of Health and Welfare partnered with Access Idaho, the state's official Web administrator, to develop the service. The system is available in both English and Spanish, and Idaho Child Support Services customers can make Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit or debit card payments though Access Idaho's secure payment server. The system also provides a payment history for the last five transactions.
Last fiscal year, Idaho Child Support Services collected and distributed more than $154 million for Idaho children. The Department of Health and Welfare anticipates parents in up to one-third of the state's 113,000 child support cases will use the online payment option.
"We are always looking for ways to make child support payments easier on parents," says Vickie Vanderwerff, who headed the project for the Department of Health and Welfare's Child Support Services. "This can be particularly helpful for parents who work long hours or travel a lot. Children depend on these payments for the necessities of life. By providing parents with options, we can be more successful in collecting child support money for them."
To use the service, parents enter their child support client identification number, social security number, and an Access Idaho user name and password. The user name and password can be set up quickly at no charge on the login page.
Unlike paper checks, which are not recorded as paid until they clear, online payments are guaranteed funds and considered as paid immediately at any time of day or night. Parents who pay online do not have to worry if their payments are on time, and Health and Welfare is free from expending human resources and money "chasing" delinquent accounts.
Since no taxpayer money was earmarked for developing and maintaining the service, online customers are charged a nominal fee for each transaction to cover associated costs. The service fee does not apply to check, money order, and wage withholding payment options.
About Access Idaho
Access Idaho is the state of Idaho's official Web portal (http://idaho.gov) and provider of electronic government solutions for the state. The network manager for the portal is Idaho Information Consortium, a subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).
About NIC
NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 1,500 state and local agencies that serve more than 51 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.
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