[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13979-13981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6407]


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

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 date for the eighth meeting of the 
Medical Child Support Working Group (MCSWG). The Medical Child Support 
Working Group

[[Page 13980]]

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 eighth meeting of the MCSWG will be held on Thursday, March 
30, 2000, from 1:00 p.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Office of Child Support 
Enforcement, in the 6th floor Auditorium, Aerospace Building, 901 D 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20447. 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 
accommodations, 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 this will be 
the last meeting.

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 (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 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-
payment, 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)); 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 review and approval of the 
MCSWG's report to the Secretaries continuing 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 three meetings (August, 1999, October, 1999, and 
November, 1999), the sub-committees presented their draft 
recommmendations to the full MCSWG for further discussion and 
consideration. At the January, 2000, meeting, the MCSWG discussed the 
recommendations to be contained in the report to the Secretaries. At 
this meeting, the MCSWG will review and approve the actual report.

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 am to 
5:30 pm. 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

[[Page 13981]]

Weinstein, Executive Director of the Working Group, as shown above.

    Dated: March 8, 2000.
David Gray Ross,
Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 00-6407 Filed 3-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-U-M