D S S   P R E S S   R E L E A S E

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2006

Contact: Ana Compain-Romero
(573) 751-4815

Child Support Payments Go Electronic

Jeffreson City - Families that receive Child Support payments will soon see a change in the way they receive those payments as the Family Support Division (FSD) transitions from paper checks to a new electronic system featuring the SecuritE Card.  Beginning July 31st, the Family Support Payment Center (FSPC) will begin issuing SecuritE Cards to child support recipients.  The cards will first be issued in Cole County and be phased in statewide over the next several months. 

"I'm really pleased to provide this improved method of service to our Child Support clients.  The card provides more security, more convenience, and more timely payments than paper checks,” said FSD Director Janel Luck.  “In addition, the new process answers Gov. Blunt’s calls to improve efficiency and use technology effectively, ultimately saving an estimated $2 million in administrative costs." 

Once a SecuritE Card is issued, all support payments will then be electronically transferred from the Payment Center to the individual’s SecuritE Card.  The SecuritE Card is a debit MasterCard® and provides a safer, more convenient way to receive and manage support payments.  Like any MasterCard® product, the SecuritE Card can be used to make purchases at businesses that honor debit cards, to request cash back when making purchases and to withdraw cash from an ATM or bank teller up to the amount on the card. The SecuritE Card is not a credit card, so it will not include a line of credit.

Each month, clients will receive a monthly statement listing all account activity including deposits, purchases and withdrawals.  Once an individual receives their SecuritE Card, they will be able to access account information at any time online at www.securitecard.com or by calling 1-877-368-0023.

FSD officials say the SecuritE Card will eliminate many of the challenges associated with the paper check method including lost or stolen checks, costly check cashing fees and postal service delays.  It will also allow the Payment Center to continue issuing support payments to individuals who forget to report a change in address.

The SecuritE Card’s tentative rollout schedule plan is as follows:

Phase	Target Date for SecuritE Cards	First Three Digits of Zip Code	Post Office Location
Pilot Phase 1	31-Jul-2006	651	Jefferson City
Pilot Phase 2	Sep-2006	644 654 655	St. Joseph Rolla Rolla
Phase 3: Statewide Rollout	Oct-2006	634 635 636 638 645 640 641 650	Hannibal Kirksville Flat River Sikeston St. Joseph Kansas City Kansas City Jefferson City
Phase 4: Statewide Rollout	Oct-2006	633 637 639 646 647 648 652 653 656 657 658	St. Charles Cape Girardeau Poplar Bluff Chillicothe Harrisonville Joplin Columbia Sedalia Springfield Springfield Springfield
Phase 5: Statewide Rollout	Nov-2006	630 631	St. Louis St. Louis