[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41434-41435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19602]


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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 fourth 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 Thursday, August 12, 
1999, from approximately noon to approximately 6:30 p.m., and on 
Friday, August 13, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Parlor H, on the sixth floor of 
the Palmer House Hilton and Towers, 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL, 
60603. All interested parties are invited to attend this public 
meeting. Seating may be limited and will be available on a first-come, 
first-served 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 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: 
[email protected]). 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(a)(2) 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 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 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 this August, 1999, meeting, the four 
sub-committees will present their initial issues and recommendations to 
the full MCSWG for further discussion and consideration.

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 requests 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

[[Page 41435]]

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 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 Groups, as shown above.

    Dated: July 26, 1999.
David Gray Ross,
Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 99-19602 Filed 7-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M