Child-Support Workers Ordered Hired : Finances: The county could lose nearly $1 million in funding by not implementing the federally mandated programs.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury to hire four full-time employees and 97 part-time employees to handle two federally mandated child-support programs.

Although the supervisors said they did not like the idea of expanding the staff at a time of sharp budget cuts, the county stands to lose nearly $1 million in federal funding if it does not implement the programs to collect support payments from absentee parents of children on welfare.

Officials estimated that federal funding losses could have exceeded the cost of the new staff by nearly $400,000 a year.

“The issue of losing the money was the key to me,” Supervisor Maggie Kildee said. “At least this way we’ll come out ahead.”

Bradbury said he plans to immediately begin hiring the new staff, which will include mostly clerical workers and paralegals.

“The board showed a lot of courage,” Bradbury said. “It’s a direct benefit to children.”

Under the two federal laws being enforced by the state, starting July 1, Bradbury’s office will be required to collect child support and medical insurance costs from absent parents of children on Medi-Cal and welfare.

One of the laws directs his office to review and update the child-support cases of welfare recipients if the file is more than 3 years old.

He said the programs are needed to make sure that parents are paying enough in child support and are intended to reduce the burden on the welfare system.

To implement the programs, Bradbury said child support cases will double to at least 1,000 a month--raising the total number of active cases to 45,000 by March.

Bradbury said the government is “losing a fortune” by supporting children when absent parents could pick up the tab. The programs give federal officials the means of recouping some of the money.

County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg suggested to the supervisors that they only hire 50 part-time workers to meet the requirements, costing the county about $300,000 a year.

But Bradbury said he could not implement the programs without four full-time and 97 part-time employees. He told the board to either authorize him to hire all the workers or simply ignore the mandates.

He told Wittenberg: “I appreciate your perspective, Richard. This does not give me flexibility.

“It cuts off my right arm, my left arm, my right leg. And then I stand on a block of ice and you tell me to get the job done. . . . I simply cannot do it.”

The board voted 4 to 0 to approve Bradbury’s request. Supervisor Susan K. Lacey abstained from the vote.

Bradbury has sought a ruling from the state attorney general on whether Lacey has a conflict of interest in voting on matters relating to the district attorney because her husband has a contract to perform legal services for the public defender’s office.

Supervisor John K. Flynn championed the issue, urging the board to hire the staff. He said the programs benefit the taxpayers by reducing the number of children receiving Medi-Cal and welfare.

“I think the district attorney has given us a serious proposal here,” Flynn said. “We are taking the burden from the taxpayers and moving it over to the absentee parents. We have to support him.”