Lead child support agent Steve Thackery shared the good news with the Rowan County Board of Social Services Tuesday afternoon.

The agency pulled in $640,000 in March, topping the previous record of $637,000.

Thackery attributes the record-breaking collection rate to the agency’s ability to access electronically filed income taxes and rapid refunds.

“We can intercept the refunds,” Thackery said.

Since July 1999, child collections for Rowan County have grown to $4.5 million.

Thackery said that already exceeds the previous yearly record of $4.3 million, established when Charlie Brown, now a district court judge, was in charge of collections.

Responding to a question from board member Lee Piper, Thackery estimated the collections involve about 4,300 Rowan County families and will benefit 7,500 children.

But despite improved collection efforts, about one-third of support payments still go uncollected, he said. In some cases, the individual has moved out of state, is in jail, dead or able to stay one step ahead of collection efforts.

About $80,000 of the money will find its way into county coffers to reimburse or pay for care.

Board member Zell Setzer asked about the “Most Wanted List” initiated by the state several years ago. Thackery said it sparked immediate results.

Chairman Frank Tadlock praised the work of department’s child support agents.

In other matters, the board:

• Rejected 3-2 a Setzer motion to support county commissioners’ position on the health department’s distribution of birth control devices to minors without parental notification.

Commissioners adopted a resolution for the General Assembly to change the legislation by requiring notification of parents. Tadlock voted with Setzer.

• Unanimously approved rules and procedures for the board. Setzer, who offered the new rules, said they are patterned after those used in Davie County.

Board member Marjorie Kinard asked why there should be a provision that would allow a majority of board members to call a meeting, circumventing the chairman. She said it appeared suspicious, but dropped her objection after board member Edwin Koontz said the provision has been in the regulations for years.

• Unanimously approved a model code for social services board members. Taken from a handbook for social services board members, it cites lofty goals and commitments.

A sentence from the page-long code reads: “I shall try to be a good board member: a believer, a planner, a doer, an interpreter, a prophet, a reformer, a builder, a friend, a good citizen.”

• Agreed to conduct its annual evaluation of Director Sandra Wilkes in May.
  
• Got an update on a new resident evaluation program from Lisa Holshouser. She described the new state requirements that will give the department a much more active role in evaluating nursing home or rest home patients who receive special assistance payments.

Beginning in January, a staffer will have to evaluate all special assistance patients in long-term care related to mental status and assess need for treatment or medication.

• Heard from Wilkes, who said the number of Medicaid clients will likely increase. She cited changes upcoming in guidelines for Medicaid and also for the new state Health Choice program.

She cited steady increases in the number of clients and costs for the Medicaid transportation program. A total of 640 clients were served in March at a cost of $25,772, up nearly $7,000 from the previous month.