Case Assignment

DCSS-POL-08-1 v.4

1. OVERVIEW

1. The purpose of this policy is to provide staff and members of the public a working knowledge of how cases are assigned to a Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) office and a case manager.

2. APPLICABILITY

1. This policy applies to all Arizona IV-D program staff performing Title IV-D services.

3. POLICY

1. The DCSS assigns all cases to an office and a case manager according to a parent’s address or upon receiving a request in writing for a case to be assigned to a specific office.

4. CRITERIA

1. A case is assigned to an county/office as a local case under one of the following conditions:

1. The support recipient (SR) resides in Arizona and the support payor (SP) resides either in or outside Arizona. The case is opened and worked within the county where the SR resides and is assigned according to the SR’s residential zip code.
2. Neither the SR nor SP live in Arizona, and a IV-D application is received with an Arizona order; the case is assigned to the county of the Arizona order.
3. When the SR has an open IV-D case and relocates outside of Arizona and there is no other IV-D agency involved in the case, the case is assigned in the county where the SR last resided.

2. An initiating case is assigned to a county/office under the following conditions:

1. Long Arm – the SR resides in Arizona, the SP resides outside Arizona, and Arizona has personal jurisdiction over the SP.
2. Neither the SR or the SP resides in Arizona and there is an open case in the county of the court order.
3. Two State – the SR resides in Arizona, the SP resides outside Arizona, and Arizona is requesting child support services from another jurisdiction.
4. Three State – the SR resides in Arizona, the SP resides in the responding jurisdiction, and there is a court order(s) issued in another jurisdiction.

3. A responding case is assigned to a county/office under the following conditions:

1. Two State – the SP resides in Arizona, the SR resides in the initiating jurisdiction, and initiating jurisdiction has requested services through Arizona.
2. Three State – the SP resides in Arizona, the SR resides in the initiating jurisdiction, the initiating jurisdiction has requested services through Arizona, and there is a third jurisdiction where court order(s) was issued.
4. If there is no address in AZCARES for either SR or SP, a case will be assigned by the systems as a default case.

If the conditions are not met for each type of case, the case must be reviewed prior to case assignment.

5. PROCEDURE

1. This policy is supported by staff procedures, which identify how action related to this policy will be conducted, including responsibilities, time frames, and required actions.
2. Staff may access the Case Assignment procedures here

6. AUTHORITY

Federal Authority
45 C.F.R. §3037(d)(4)	Provision of Services in Intergovernmental IV-D Cases

State Authority
Arizona Child Support Guidelines	Arizona Child Support Guidelines 2022
A.R.S. § 25 - 502	Jurisdiction, venue and procedure; additional enforcement provisions
A.R.S. § 25 - 1221	Bases for jurisdiction over nonresident

Policy Revision Date: 4/23/2026

Policy Review Date: 4/23/2027

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