[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]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: 
[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. 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