[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 232 (Wednesday, December 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67700-67701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30077]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

November 20, 2003.
    The Department of Labor (DOL) has submitted the following public 
information collection requests (ICRs) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork

[[Page 67701]]

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). A copy of 
each individual ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be 
obtained by contacting the Department of Labor. To obtain 
documentation, contact Darrin King on (202) 693-4129 (this is not a 
toll-free number) or E-Mail: [email protected].
    Comments should be sent to Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Employment standards 
Administration (ESA), Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503 (202) 395-7316 (this is not a toll-free number), 
within 30 days from the date of this publication in the Federal 
Register.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments which:
    [sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    [sbull] Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    [sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    [sbull] Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Employment Standards Administration.
    Title: Claim for Medical Reimbursement Form.
    OMB Number: 12156-0193.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit; and Not-for-profit institutions.
    Frequency: As needed.
    Type of Response: Reporting.
    Number of Respondents: 33,727.
    Number of Annual Responses: 134,908.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 22,394.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.
    Total Annual Costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing 
services): $163,239.
    Description: The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) 
administers the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 
8101, et seq., the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA), 30 U.S.C. 901 et 
seq., and the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation 
Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C. 7384 et seq. These Acts 
require OWCP to pay for covered medical treatment that is provided to 
beneficiaries, and also to reimburse beneficiaries for any out-of-
pocket covered medical expenses they have paid. Currently, respondents 
under BLBA use Form CM-915 (approved under OMB No. 1215-0052) to seek 
reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses they have paid, while 
respondents under the EEOICPA use Form EE-915 (approved under OMB No. 
1215-0197). OWCP is now seeking OMB approval for respondents under 
FECA, BLBA and EEOICPA using a new form (Form OWCP-915) for all three 
programs. Clearance of the OWCP-915 for use by beneficiaries from all 
three programs is a vital step in the unification of OWCP's separate 
medical bill processing systems under one contractor. The OWCP-915 
provides a standardized format for the beneficiary to bill OWCP for 
recovery of fees paid in connection with their treatment.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Employment Standards Administration.
    Title: Pharmacy Billing Requirements.
    OMB Number: 1215-0194.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; and Individuals or households.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Type of Response: Recordkeeping and Reporting.
    Number of Respondents: 17,295.
    Number of Annual Responses: 899,331.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 74,644.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.
    Total Annual Costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing 
services): $0.
    Description: The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) 
administers the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 
8101, et seq., the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA), 30 U.S.C. 901 et 
seq., and the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation 
Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C. 7384 et seq. These Acts 
provide, in addition to compensation for employment-related injuries 
and/or illnesses, medical benefits in the form of prescription drugs 
dispensed by pharmacies for treatment of the compensable injury or 
illness. To determine whether bills submitted by pharmacies for 
medicinal drugs, equipment and supplies are appropriate, the FECA, 
BLBA, and EEOICPA programs require that the providers billing the 
government supply certain information. The majority of pharmacy bills 
submitted to OWCP are now submitted electronically using one of the 
industry-wide standard formats for the electronic transmissions of 
billing data through nationwide data clearinghouses devised by the 
National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). This recent 
development has led OWCP to drop Form 79-1A as the required paper 
billing format for this information collection. However, since some 
pharmacy bills are still submitted using paper-based billing formats, 
OWCP will continue to accept the paper-based bills as long as they 
contain the required data elements needed to process the bills. The 
NCPDP Standardized Pharmacy Billing Data Requirements are the 
electronic billing format used by pharmacies throughout the country to 
request payment for prescription drugs through data clearinghouses. 
They identify the provider, claimant, prescribing physician, drug by 
NDC (National Drug Code) number, prescription volume and charge. 
Similar data elements are required to process paper-based pharmacy 
bills.

Ira L. Mills,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-30077 Filed 12-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-CH-M