However, when only five states were able to meet this date, the Congress extended the deadline by 2 years, to October 1 of this year. Developing these systems requires completion of a difficult, complex series of tasks. The federal government must also oversee the process through state visits, review of planning documents, and a final, on-site certification once a state requests it. Many states have made progress in their automation projects, and officials report tangible benefits from their systems. Benefits reported by state program and systems personnel include an improved ability to locate noncustodial parents through the ability of automated systems to interface with other state and federal databases, improved tracking of paternity establishment and enforcement actions, an increase in dollars collected, and a decrease in the amount of time needed to process payments achieved through greater worker efficiency and productivity.
Benefits do, however, come at a high price.
According to both state and federal officials, at least some states will be unable to make next month's deadline. Irrespective of the specific numbers, however, it seems clear that on October 2, the challenge of implementing these systems nationwide will, to a great extent, remain. The first was OCSE's delay in setting systems requirements. Private industry and all levels of government acknowledge the importance of defining requirements because of the substantial payoff later in developing systems that are cost-effective, completed on time, and meet users' needs. Originally expected in 1990, final requirements were not established until June 1993.