[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 99 (Monday, May 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32112-32113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12779]


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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 date for the ninth 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 ninth meeting of the MCSWG will be held on Thursday, June 8, 
2000, from 10:30 pm to approximately 12:30 pm.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the sixth floor conference room 
of the Aerospace Building, 901 D Street, SW, 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: 
[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 (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

[[Page 32113]]

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 review approval of 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 three meetings (August, 1999, October, 1999, and 
November, 1999), the sub-committees presented their draft 
recommendations 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 
the March, 2000 meeting, the MCSWG reviewed for approval the draft 
report. At this meeting, the MCSWG will review and approve the final 
report.
    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 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 the 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: May 16, 2000.
Frank Fuentes,
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 00-12779 Filed 5-19-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M