Scss-2026 - child support services - states

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded $97.314 million to the Social Services South Carolina Department on October 1, 2025, for child support services, with the award period ending September 30, 2026, under the Child Support Services program (CFDA 93.563).

The program funds establishment and enforcement of child support obligations, location of absent parents, establishment of paternity, and collection of child, spousal, and medical support. The award is structured as a block grant combining federal matching funds and incentive payments earned through state performance against federally defined metrics. States receive quarterly distributions based on estimated support-enforcement service needs under approved Title IV-D State Plans. The department administers the award across all 46 South Carolina counties and subordinate administrative jurisdictions, with administrative oversight centered at 1535 Confederate Avenue, Columbia, South Carolina. The Social Services South Carolina Department passes sub-award distributions to 46 county-level Clerk of Court units and county Sheriff's Departments for case management, service of process delivery, and court support functions. Sub-awards obligated June 13, 2026, distributed to county recipients range from $28,397.16 (one sheriff's service-of-process allocation with no identified sub-grantee) to $1.792 million (County of Richland, combining clerk of court unit costs, sheriff service of process, and clerk service of process components). The largest individual county allocations include Richland ($1.792 million), Greenville ($1.418 million), Charleston ($1.378 million), Horry ($841.485 million), and Lexington ($691 thousand). Smaller rural counties receive allocations ranging from approximately $85,000 to $250,000. Sub-grantees include 46 distinct county governments and one specialized sheriff's office entity (Charleston County Sheriff's Office), each providing Title IV-D case administration and enforcement services to the state social services system. The award is subject to audit by the DHHS Office of Inspector General and state audit entities under 45 CFR Part 75; data reliability of performance metrics is monitored by the Office of Child Support Enforcement as mandated by the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998.