[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 155 (Thursday, August 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48973-48974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20283]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 
Affairs, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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    In accordance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Health Affairs announces the proposed extension of a public information 
collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments 
are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed extension of collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize 
the burden of the information collection on respondents, including 
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received October 10, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations on the information 
collection should be sent to TRICARE Management Activity, Special 
Contract Operations Office, 16401 E. Centretech Parkway, Attn: Linda 
Winter, Aurora, CO 80011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection, please write to the above address or 
call TRICARE Management Activity, Special Contract Operations Office, 
at (303) 676-3682.
    Title Associated with Form, and OMB Number: TRICARE Retiree Dental 
Program Enrollment Form, OMB Number 0720-0015.
    Needs and Uses: This information collection is completed by 
Uniformed Services members entitled to retired pay and their eligible 
family members who are seeking enrollment in the TRICARE Retiree Dental 
Program (TRDP). The information is necessary to enable the DoD-
contracted third party administrator of the program to identify the 
program's applicants, determine their eligibility for TRDP enrollment, 
establish the premium payment amount, and to verify by the applicant's

[[Page 48974]]

signature that the applicant understands the benefits and rules of the 
program.
    Affected Public: Individuals or household.
    Annual Burden Hours: 12,500.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes.
    Frequency: Once, at time of initial application.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Information Collection

    The TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (32 CFR 199.22) was implemented 
in 1998 based on the authority of 10 U.S.C. 1076c. Dental coverage 
under the program is available on a voluntary basis to retirees of the 
Uniformed Services entitled to retired pay and their family members. 
The initial Notice of Proposed Rule and proposed information collection 
was published in the Federal Register (62 FR 34032) on June 24, 1997. 
No comments were received concerning the information collection 
requirements at that time.
    The information collection requirements under this proposed 
extension are similar to those under the current collection. 
Information on the applicant, such as name, address, telephone numbers, 
retiree's social security numbers, is necessary for identification 
purposes, as is information on the family members to be enrolled. The 
form contains information on premium payment, types of enrollments, and 
enrollment periods, and a certification statement for the applicant to 
sign and date. The primary change in the proposed extension of the 
information collection is the elimination of the requirement for 
information on the applicant's chosen premium payment methodology if 
the applicant is not entitled to retired pay (e.g., a surviving 
spouse). The third party administrator of the program has found it 
unnecessary to continue the collection of this information on the 
enrollment form.

    Dated: August 2, 2000.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 00-20283 Filed 8-9-00; 8:45 am]
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