Impact of Adding Revenue Canada Databases Under FOAEA—Part 1 Tracing For Locating Persons
Final Report

2004-FCY-10E

9.0   TRACE COMPLETION DATA

9.1   Number of Completed Traces Based on FOAEA Results

An analysis of the outcome of trace results sent by the FOAEA Unit concluded that seven payors and nine employers were accurately traced using FOAEA data. Using the total number of files that included payor residential addresses and employer trace results as a baseline, this suggested a completion rate for payors of 2.3 percent (7/304) and for employers of five percent (9/168). However, it is possible that the success rate would have been higher, if it had been possible to accurately estimate whether trace requests were specifically designated for employers or payors.

Table 31   Number of FOAEA trace results leading to location of payor or employer

Number of successful residential addresses Percentage of files with payor returns
7 2% (7/304)

Number of successful employer addresses Percentage of files with employer returns
9 5% (9/168)

CCRA supplied most of the successful data and all of the employer data.

Table 32   Source departments of completed traces
Type of trace Source department Total
HRDC CCRA
Payor 6 1 7
Employer 0 9 9
Total 6 10 16

9.2   Types of Verification Used for Trace

All the successful trace completions were ascertained by a review of the running record; in five out of nine employer traces, a clearly specified Notice of Attachment (NOA) had been issued.

9.3   Payments Made as a Result of Successful Trace Completions

Ten of the sixteen successful traces resulted in payments to the FOAEA Unit. There was a higher rate of payments from the files that were traced through CCRA; in nine out of ten cases, payment came from files provided with successful data from CCRA.

The total number of payments up to the point of data analysis (in the period between November 1999 and January 2000) was $18,027. Payment results showed a range of payments from $104 to $6,984, with an average payment per case of $1,803. CCRA accounted for $17,027.00 or 94 percent of these payments.

Table 33   Level of payments resulting from FOAEA traces (with source departments)
Level of payments HRDC CCRA
$0-499   3
$500-999   3
$1,000-1,499 1  
$1,500-4,999   2
$5,000+   1

9.4   Reasons Why FOAEA Trace Data Did Not Result in the Successful Location of an Employer or Payor

It should be noted that the small number of FOAEA trace completions can be partially explained by the fact that the cases ultimately sent to the FOAEA Unit are those which had already been subjected to many search procedures over a length of time, and all of which had been unsuccessful. Because the most difficult cases are sent to the FOAEA Unit, it may not be realistic to expect a high rate of success from the federal search results.

In most cases, it was difficult to determine the specific reason why FOAEA data was not successful in concluding a trace. Whether and how FOAEA data was assessed at FMEP was not always evident, and in most cases, could only be ascertained by a review of the running record and by an overall assessment of the file and data at the time of the trace return.

Table 34 summarizes the reasons why trace results were not successful. This data was drawn from an overall assessment of all the trace data sent for each case and therefore does not necessarily correlate exactly with some of the data presented elsewhere in this report.

Table 34   General outcomes of trace
Outcomes Residential data Employer data
Trace results successful 7 (2%) 9 (3%)
No trace sent 11 (3%) 147 (47%)
Trace results appear not to be required at time of trace return 160 (51%) 3 (1%)
All trace results clearly outdated 110 (35%) 84 (27%)
Trace results not valid   2 (1%)
Trace results not clearly entered in FMEP fields 16 (5%) 53 (17%)
Cannot verify trace outcome   3 (19%)
Trace or file withdrawn 4 (1%) 7 (2%)
Other 7 (2%) 7 (2%)
Total 315 (99%) 315 (101%)

This data also indicates the number of files where trace conclusions could not clearly be drawn in relation to specific FMEP records (although data was reviewed in the running record).

An overall assessment of case files identified three main factors involved in the lack of trace data success. These were:

  • In the case of employer data there were a large number (47 percent of files) where there was simply no data returned by the FOAEA Unit in response to a request. Employer data is the most required data and was not adequately provided.
  • In 27 to 35 percent of the files, results were clearly outdated in comparison to data already generated and recorded on case files, either in FAMS or FMEP.
  • In the case of payor residential data, over half of the data received was not required or requested. This data could not be used, primarily because it was already on file. Not only was this data relatively useless, it contributed to data overload in the tracing systems.

Timeliness of data returns is obviously a factor in the degree to which trace results are outdated. Overall case data is continually changing, being revised or updated. The life of any one address may be only weeks or months. Even if an address is correct at one time, its life span may be extremely limited.

9.5   Characteristics of Successful FOAEA Traces

No generalizations can be made from the small number of cases that resulted in a successful FOAEA trace. However, these cases were analyzed for any obvious payor, recipient, case or trace history characteristics.

All of these cases took six or more months to trace (from FMEP request to Federal Closed or FOAEA return). Most of the successful cases (8/16) were initiated by FMEP between January and June 1999; 6 out of 16 cases were initiated between January and June 1998; and 2 out of 16 were launched between July and December 1999.

These cases exhibited characteristics that reflected the longer-term nature of cases or past difficulties in tracing. Half (8/16) had been enrolled in FMEP since 1996, and of these, one third (5/16) had been enrolled since 1992. Most of the files (13/16) had undergone at least one to three previous FOAEA searches and one had been the subject of four to seven searches. Ten out of 16 files had three or more active enforcements attached to the case, although only one license denial was recorded.

In terms of case group, 11 out of 16 cases were those where both payor and recipient lived in British Columbia; 4 out of 16 were RDI cases (the payor lives inside the province); and, 1 out of 16 were RDO (the payor lives outside the province). The proportion of RDI cases appears to have been slightly higher than the overall sample population.

At the same time, payors in this group had all made some form of payment to FMEP in the past. In 12 out of 16 cases, their "last payment"[7] had been made in the previous six months prior to the review of the file. In 5 out of 16 cases, past payments were described as being somewhat regular, however in 11 out of 16 cases payments had been very occasional or occasional only. All of the payors traced through FOAEA data had made at least some payment on their case.