Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

Federal Register: December 31, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 251)

Notices

Page 80368-80369

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr31de08-36

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

Docket ID: DoD-2008-HA-0167

Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health

Affairs, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for

Health Affairs announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by March 2, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 1160

Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1160.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the

Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection instruments, please write to Lt. Col. Judith

Schulik, TRICARE Policy and Operations, TRICARE Management Activity, 5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 810, Falls Church, VA 22041, telephone (703) 681-0039.

Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Certification of non- contributory TRICARE supplemental insurance plan; OMB Control Number 0720-TBD.

Needs and Uses: Section 707 of the John Warner National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 added section 1097c to Title 10.

Section 1097c prohibits employers from offering financial or other incentives to certain TRICARE-eligible employees to not enroll in an employer-offered group-health plan. In other words, employers may no longer offer TRICARE supplemental insurance plans as part of an employee benefit package. Employers may, however, offer TRICARE supplemental insurance plans as part of an employee benefit package provided the plan is not paid for in whole or in part by the employer and is not endorsed by the employer. When such TRICARE supplemental plans are offered, the employer must properly document that they did not provide any payment for the benefit nor receive any direct or indirect consideration or compensation for offering the benefit; the employer's only involvement is providing the administrative support.

That certification will be provided upon request to the Department of

Defense.

Affected Public: Business or other for profit; Not-for-profit institutions.

Annual Burden Hours: 250.

Number of Respondents: 1,500.

Page 80369

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.

Frequency: On occasion.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Information Collection

Respondents are employers who make available non-contributory

TRICARE supplemental insurance plan to their employees. This new paperwork requirement is consistent with section 707 of the John Warner

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 which added

Section 1097c to Title 10. Per Section 1097c, employers may no longer offer TRICARE supplemental insurance plans as part of an employee benefit package. They may offer TRICARE supplemental insurance plans, however, provided the plan is not paid for in whole or in part by the employer and is not endorsed by the employer. When such TRICARE supplemental plans are offered, the employer must properly document that they did not provide any payment for the benefit nor receive any direct or indirect consideration or compensation for offering the benefit; the employer's only involvement is providing the administrative support. One certification must be completed per employer. It should be kept on file by the employer for as long as such plans are offered. The employer will provide the certification to the

Department of Defense upon request.

Dated: December 22, 2008.

Patricia L. Toppings,

OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

FR Doc. E8-31046 Filed 12-30-08; 8:45 am

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