Problems persist with Michigan's child support computer system as the federal government prepares to inspect the system and decide whether to certify it.
   After years of delays and federal penalties, the state Family Independence Agency declared the Child Support Enforcement System operational in September.
   But critics dispute whether a statewide system exists, and even state officials concede that part of the system used by attorneys and prosecutors was not working until just two months ago.
   To request certification from the federal government, Michigan needed to have a statewide system up, which it did, said Maureen Sorbet, a spokeswoman for the Family Independence Agency.
   Not everything had to be completed, she said. "That's how we could go ahead, even though we're still working on the legal module."
   The Detroit News reported last year that more than $6.3 billion in Michigan child support was unpaid. Nearly half of it was owed in Wayne County, which has about one-third of the state's more than 700,000 active child support cases.
   Under a temporary federal government waiver, Michigan has two diverse child support computer systems that are linked together and have cost more than $414 million. Eventually, the entire state is to shift to the system used in Wayne County. Building and operating the system could cost another $500 million by 2007, Sorbet said.
   Rob Cohen, a spokesman for the U.S. Office of Child Support Enforcement, said federal officials will visit Michigan this month and again in June to inspect the system. If the system gets certified, Michigan will have six months to make more improvements or face further sanctions, Cohen said.
   Geraldine Jensen, president of the Association for Children for Enforcement of Support Inc., said complaints about the system remain constant.
   "When you call them, they always blame the computer when they can't do anything," Jensen said.
   Judge Mary Beth Kelly, co-chief of the Wayne County Circuit Court with responsibility for child support, said the situation is improving.
   "Bugs that we're experiencing are being worked out on a daily basis," she said.

Detroit News

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