DHS, DLS spar over child-support fund reporting while caseworkers warn of crushing caseloads

Connor Brown, a policy analyst with the Department of Legislative Services, presented the fiscal 2027 budget analysis for the Department of Human Services’ Child Support Administration (CSA), noting the budget rises $23.9 million (21.3%) to $136.1 million and that DLS identified five proposed deficiencies totaling about $3.7 million.

DLS flagged inconsistencies between DHS and Comptroller reporting on revenues and closing balances in the Child Support Reinvestment Fund (CSRF), and recommended committee narrative requesting a reconciliation of revenue, expenditures and balances for fiscal 2019–2026. DLS also recommended committee narrative requesting performance reports on the five federal incentive measures that determine federal incentive payments.

Interim DHS Secretary Gloria Brown Bernett and CSA staff acknowledged reporting issues and said DHS will work with DLS to reconcile data. Secretary Bernett said CSA collected and distributed $450 million in federal fiscal 2025 and highlighted recent operational changes: an updated driver's-license suspension program (moving referral from 60 to 120 days and exempting low-income noncustodial parents) and a statewide amnesty program that collected over $790,000 and reinstated 2,383 driver's licenses.

Erin Eastston, CSA chief of staff, said the transition fee for a Baltimore City child-support contract was paid in fiscal 2025 and explained some budget timing differences result from contract timing and federal- vs state-fiscal-year accounting. DHS disputed one DLS suggested reduction of $679,639 for non-custodial parent training contracts, saying those funds will expand re-entry services for formerly incarcerated parents and are not duplicative.

On workforce concerns, Charmaikica Moore, a Baltimore County child-support lead worker, told the committee that local caseworker caseloads range from about 900 up to 1,500 per worker and described how high caseloads increase investigations and backlogs, drive burnout, and undermine service delivery. "These are not files. These are families," Moore said, and she urged lawmakers to fund retention and pay improvements to stabilize the workforce.

DLS recommended committee narrative and additional reports; DHS said it concurred with many reporting recommendations and will continue to provide data and technical responses to the committee.