[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50819-50820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24369]


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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 fifth 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 Monday, October 4, 1999 
and on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 6:00 
p.m., and on Wednesday, October 6, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to 
approximately noon.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Conference Center of the 
Quality Inn Iwo Jima, 1501 Arlington Boulevard (US Route 50) at Fairfax 
Drive, Arlington, Virginia, 22209, telephone number (703) 524-5000. 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: 
[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

[[Page 50820]]

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 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 October, 1999, meeting, the four 
sub-committees will present their 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 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 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: September 14, 1999.
David Gray Ross,
Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 99-24369 Filed 9-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M