SALT LAKE CITY — An audit released Tuesday criticizes the agency that handles collecting child support payments for using outdated technologies.
At a hearing on Utah's Capitol Hill, several women with their own negative experiences with the Office of Recovery Services also criticized the agency, prompting lawmakers to announce the formation of a working group to address issues.
"It almost gives you false hope, because there’s this organization that you’re told is there to help you. Then you reach out to them for help and support and they tell you there’s nothing you can do," said Roshelle Pulsipher, who showed up to testify before the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon's report was independent of the women's criticism of ORS. It suggested the agency was using dated technology.
"Our review revealed significant design and management weaknesses in the ORS Information System (ORSIS). These deficiencies have led to inaccurate and unreliable data reporting, particularly for critical federal reports," the audit said.
In an interview with FOX 13 News afterward, Cannon said ORS' database is "lacking some key features we would expect to see in a functional database in the year 2025."
The audit also questioned what the Utah Department of Health & Human Services had done with millions of dollars earmarked for tech upgrades within ORS.
"These modernization initiatives primarily focused on migrating existing systems and redesigning user interfaces. These initiatives have not adequately addressed the fundamental data quality, structural, and analytical limitations within the system, representing a missed opportunity to achieve significant operational improvements," it said.
Beyond that, the hearing raised questions for lawmakers about communications between the agency and those who rely on ORS to get child support money. They were told ORS does not communicate much via email because of privacy concerns, relying on phone calls.
Pulsipher said it was a frustration she feels.
"My experience has been when I call in, they can’t answer my questions," she said.
In a response to the audit, Health & Human Services Executive Director Tracy Gruber said she would push for changes, but noted that the federal government has signed off on systems in place.
"The vast majority of the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) requirements are focused on transactional requirements around locating participants, initiating and maintaining cases, enforcing support orders, and collecting and disbursing child support, which support the mission of ORS to serve customers. While the ORSIS system is designed to fulfill these functions and has been affirmed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as performing those functions effectively, DHHS understands that the system is not as effective for performing data analytics functions highlighted in the audit," she wrote.
Gruber told FOX 13 News she would also seek to address customer complaints about not getting sufficient information. She has implemented a philosophy of "no wrong doors" when it comes to getting information out of what is the state's largest government agency.
"People should really be able to call our office and get answers to their questions. It’s concerning members of the public are not having that experience," she said.
Read the audit here:
