Texas Register, Volume 37, Number 35, Pages 6819-7008, August 31, 2012 Page: 6,834

(7) an entity, sometimes referred to as a "self-insurer", that
provides payment for losses ordinarily covered by an insurance com-
pany.
(g) Except as otherwise provided, "claimant" under this sub-
chapter means:
(1) any person asserting a claim for loss under coverage by
an insurer identified under subsection (f) of this section;
(2) a beneficiary of a policy issued by an insurer identified
under subsection (f) of this section;
(3) an annuitant of an annuity issued by an insurer identi-
fied under subsection (f) of this section; or
(4) a life insurance policy owner seeking to surrender or
terminate a policy to obtain cash value from the policy.
55.602. Child Support Lien Reporting Ne twrLk].
(a) The CSD [Offe of the A attorney General] has contracted
[contracts] with the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to
participate in the Child Support Lien Network (CSLN). CSLN provides
an insurer with two methods of matching: an Automated Data Match,
or an Interactive Lookup. An insurer subject to the requirements of this
subchapter [this matching process] may choose to provide or obtain
matching information using either or both the CSLN Automated Data
Match process and [or] the CSLN Interactive Lookup.
(b) As an alternative to an automated data match with
CSLN, an insurer can participate in a similar automated data match
with the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE).
An insurer may obtain information about the OCSE match pro-
gram, including enrollment in it, by going to the OCSE website
at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/ and opening "Insurance
Match Program" under "Federal/State Systems" on the website's main
page or the insurer may access the program directly at insurance-
match~@afc.hhs.gov. An insurer or agent of an insurer participating in
OCSE's automated, data match process may either submit information
on claims to OCSE or receive a file from OCSE containing informa-
tion about individuals who owe past-due support (delinquent obligor
information) and generate a match file to OCSE.
55.603. Automated Data Match.
(a) An insurer can conduct an automatic data match [electronic
interface] of its pending claims against a [the] list of delinquent child
support obligors maintained by the [through] Insurance Service Of-
fice (ISO). ISO is an industry service provider located[, headquar red]
in New Jersey[,] which provides [maintains] a claim search service
[system] to assist subscribing insurers in fraud detection. ISO can be
contacted by email at njsupport(@iso.com.
(b) An insurer participating in the automated data matching
process must give ISO permission to match the insurer's [its] claim
data with CSLN or OCSE. [SO may be contacted by email at njs-up-
ponrt@isocom.]
(c) CSLN matches its list of child support obligors daily
against the ISO claim data. ISO returns matches to OCSE to distrib-
ute to the State child support agency(ies) responsible for collecting
past-due support.
(d) A participating insurer will receive a notice of child sup-
port lien (or withholding instrument for a workers' compensation claim)
only on those claims that the insurer has registered with ISO and that
match the name of an obligor who owes past-due child support. Claims
information that does not match individuals who owe past-due support
is discarded.
55.604. Interactive Lookup.

(a) By accessing the CSLN data base an [An] insurer may
determine whether a [check the name of an individual insurance]
claimant owes past-due child support [to see if there are outstanding
child support obligations by accessing the CSLN database of child
support obligors].
(b) To register for access to this database, an insurer must:
(1) go to the CSLN [Child Suppot Lien Network] web
page at www.childsupportliens.com[/];
(2) click on the FAQ tab at the top of the web page and
select the question regarding registration;
(3) complete and electronically submit the registration
form and confidentiality statement.
(c) Secure access to the CSLN database will be approved once
[Once] the [insurer] registration information and confidentiality state-
ment have [has] been received and reviewed[, secure access to the data-
base of child support obligors wil4 be approved]. The insurer will be
notified by [via] e-mail of access approval and at that time will be pro-
vided with a[ This notice wi4 include the] user ID [that has been as-
signed], the web site address, and basic instructions.
(d) Unless the insurer is participating in the CSLN or OCSE
Automated Data Match, the insurer must query the database prior to
payment of the claim [should query the GSLNdatabase of ehild support
e.ligers as early as psible in the claims process, and shall query the
CSLN database not later than -5 days before a elaim is paid]. For
periodic payments, the query must only be prior to the initial payment.
(e) The insurer receives immediate notification of the status of
the match [.]
(1) if [If] there is no match, the insurer is informed, [.]
(2) if [If] there is a positive match, the insurer is informed
and provided the basic match data;[.]
(3) if [If] there are multiple possible matches within one
state, the insurer is asked to call CSLN to identify the correct obligor;[.]
(4) if [If] there are multiple possible matches within more
than one state, the insurer is notified that CSLN will work with the
insurer and the affected states to determine the appropriate course of
action.
(f) When an interactive match occurs, CSLN notifies the State
child support enforcement agency of a match. CSLN or the [The] State
child support agency will send a notice of child support lien (or, in the
case of a worker's compensation claim, a withholding instrument) to
the insurer.
(g) As an alternative to CSLN, a life insurance company can
use OCSE's web-based application, the Debt Inquiry Service (DIS), to
submit information about life insurance beneficiaries prior to making a
payout to determine if a beneficiary owes past-due support. The infor-
mation may be provided through individual look-ups or by uploading
a single file containing information about multiple individuals. The in-
formation provided by the life insurance companies is compared with
individuals who owe past-due child support. If there is a match, the life
insurance company receives the name of the State(s) where the individ-
ual owes past-due support and contact information for that State. If the
match identifies an individual subject to a child support order being en-
forced by the CSD, the life insurance company may either contact the
CSD or await notice from the CSD concerning the match.
(h) Apart from life insurance claims, the OCSE Debt Inquiry
Services portal does not provide enough information to satisfy the in-
surance data match requirements under this subchapter.

37 TexReg 6834 August 31, 2012 Texas Register