[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59183-59184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28625]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Medical Child Support Working Group
AGENCY: Administration for Children and Families, DHHS.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (FACA), notice is given of the sixth and seventh meetings of the
Medical Child Support Working Group (MCSWG). The Medical Child Support
Working Group was jointly established by the Secretaries of the
Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) under section 401(a) of the Child Support Performance
and Incentive Act of 1998. The purpose of the MCSWG is to identify the
impediments to the effective enforcement of medical support by State
child support enforcement agencies, and to submit to the Secretaries of
DOL and DHHS a report containing recommendations for appropriate
measures to address those impediments.
DATES: The sixth meeting of the MCSWG will be held on Wednesday,
November 17, 1999 and on Thursday, November 18, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to
approximately 6:00 p.m., and on Friday, November 19, 1999 from 8:30
a.m. to approximately noon. The seventh meeting of the MCSWG will be
held on Monday, December 13, 1999 and on Tuesday, December 14, 1999,
from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 6:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Wyndham Bristol Hotel, 2430
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W, Washington, DC, 20037, 202-955-6400. All
interested parties are invited to attend these public meetings. Seating
may be limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve
basis. Persons needing special assistance, such as sign language
interpretation or other special accommodation, should contact the
Executive Director of the Medical Child Support Working Group, Office
of Child Support Enforcement, at the address listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Samara Weinstein, Executive
Director, Medical Child Support Working Group, Office of Child Support
Enforcement, Fourth Floor East, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington,
DC 20447 (telephone (202) 401-6953; fax (202) 401-5559; e-mail:
sweinstein@acf.dhhs.gov). These are not toll-free numbers. The date,
location and time for subsequent MCSWG meetings will be announced in
advance in the Federal Register. However, it is expected these will be
the last two meetings.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2) (FACA), notice
is given of meetings of the Medical Child Support Working Group
(MCSWG). The Medical Child Support Working Group was jointly
established by the Secretaries of the Department of Labor (DOL) and the
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under section 401(a) of
the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-200).
The purpose of the MCSWG is to identify the impediments to the
effective enforcement of medical support by State child support
enforcement agencies, and to submit to the Secretaries of DOL and DHHS
a report containing recommendations for appropriate measures to address
those impediments. This report will include: (1) Recommendations based
on assessments of the form and content of the National Medical Support
Notice, as issued under proposed regulation; (2) appropriate measures
that establish the priority of withholding of child support
obligations, medical support obligations, arrearages in such
obligations, and in the case of a medical support obligation, the
employee's portion of any health care coverage premium, by such State
agencies in light of the restrictions on garnishment provided under
title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1671-1677);
(3) appropriate procedures for coordinating the provision, enforcement,
and transition of health care coverage under the State programs for
child support, Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program; (4)
appropriate measures to improve the availability of alternate types of
medical support that are aside from health care coverage offered
through the noncustodial parent's health plan, and unrelated to the
noncustodial parent's employer, including measures that establish a
noncustodial parent's responsibility to share the cost of premiums, co-
payments, deductibles, or payments for services not covered under a
child's existing health coverage; (5) recommendations on whether
reasonable cost should remain a consideration under section 452(f) of
the Social Security Act; and (6) appropriate measures for eliminating
any other impediments to the effective enforcement of medical support
orders that the MCSWG deems necessary.
The membership of the MCSWG was jointly appointed by the
Secretaries of DOL and DHHS, and includes representatives of: (1) DOL;
(2) DHHS; (3) State Child Support Enforcement Directors; (4) State
Medicaid Directors; (5) employers, including owners of small businesses
and their trade and industry representatives and certified human
resource and payroll professionals; (6) plan administrators and plan
sponsors of group health plans (as defined in section 607(1) of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1167(1));
(7) children potentially eligible for medical support, such as child
advocacy organizations; (8) State medical child support organizations;
and (9) organizations representing State child support programs.
Agenda
The agenda for these meetings includes a discussion of the issues
to be contained in the MCSWG's report to the Secretaries containing
recommendations for appropriate measures to address the impediments to
the effective enforcement of medical child support as listed above. At
the May, 1999, meeting, the MCSWG formed four (4) sub-committees to
discuss barriers, issues, options, and recommendations in the interim
between full MCSWG meetings. At the next two meetings (August, 1999 and
October, 1999), the subcommittees presented their draft recommendations
to the full MCSWG for further discussion and consideration. At the
November, 1999, meeting, the four subcommittees will present additional
issues and amended recommendations to the full MCSWG for discussion and
consideration. At the December, 1999, meeting, the MCSWG will discuss
the recommendations in their report to the Secretaries.
Public Participation
Members of the public wishing to present oral statements to the
MSCWG should forward their requests to Samara Weinstein, MCSWG
Executive Director, as soon as possible and at least four days before
the meetings. Such requests should be made by telephone, fax machine,
or mail, as shown above. Time
[[Page 59184]]
permitting, the Chairs of the MCSWG will attempt to accommodate all
such requests by reserving time for presentations. The order of persons
making such presentations will be assigned in the order in which the
requests are received. Members of the public are encouraged to limit
oral statements to five minutes, but extended written statements may be
submitted for the record. Members of the public also may submit written
statements for distribution to the MCSWG membership and inclusion in
the public record without presenting oral statements. Such written
statements should be sent to the MCSWG Executive Director, as shown
above, by mail or fax at least five business days before the meetings.
Minutes of all public meetings and other documents made available
to the MCSWG will be available for public inspection and copying at
both the DOL and DHHS. At DHHS, these documents will be available at
the MCSWG Executive Director's Office, Office of Child Support
Enforcement (OCSE), Administration for Children and Families, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Aerospace Building, Fourth
Floor--East, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington, DC from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. Questions regarding the availability of documents from
DHHS should be directed to Andrew J. Hagan, OCSE (telephone (202) 401-
5375). This is not a toll-free number. Any written comments on the
minutes should be directed to Ms. Samara Weinstein, Executive Director
of the Working Group, as shown above.
Dated: October 27, 1999.
David Gray Ross,
Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 99-28625 Filed 11-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M
