Meetings: Medical Child Support Working Group,

[Federal Register: March 31, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 61)]

[Notices]

[Page 15382-15383]

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

[DOCID:fr31mr99-97]

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration

Medical Child Support Working Group

AGENCY: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), notice is given of the second meeting 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 meeting of the MCSWG will be held on Tuesday, April 13, 1999, from 11 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Room N-3437, Conference Room A/ B/C, at the offices of the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. All interested parties are invited to attend this public meeting. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2) (FACA), notice is given of a meeting 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 (Pub.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 interim regulations; (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

[[Page 15383]]

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 this meeting includes a discussion of the form and content of the National Medical Support Notice (Notice) mandated by section 401(b) of the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act. The Notice is to be jointly developed and promulgated by the Secretaries of DHHS and DOL as a means of enforcing the health care coverage provisions in a child support order. As time permits, the MCSWG may discuss the other items to be included in its report to the Secretaries as listed above.

Public Participation: Members of the public wishing to present oral statements to the MCSWG should forward their requests to Samara Weinstein, MCSWG Executive Director, as soon as possible and at least four days before the meeting. Such request should be made by telephone, fax machine, or mail, as shown above. Time 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 meeting.

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 DOL, these documents will be available at the Public Documents Room, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-5638, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Questions regarding the availability of documents from DOL should be directed to Ms. Ellen Goodwin, Plan Benefits Security Division, Office of the Solicitor, Department of Labor (telephone (202) 219-4600, ext. 119). 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.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 25th day of March, 1999. Leslie Kramerich, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-7832Filed3-30-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-29-U