[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6634-6635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2382]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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

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 a proposed public information collection and 
seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited 
on: (a) Whether the new collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the

[[Page 6635]]

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 April 11, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations on the information 
collection should be sent to Office of the Assistant Secretary of 
Defense (Health Affairs) TRICARE Management Activity, Skyline Five, 
Suite 810, 5111 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22041-3206, Attn: 
Ms. Gita Uppal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection, please write to the above address or 
call Ms. Uppal, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health 
Affairs), TRICARE Management Activity at (703) 681-0039.
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: TRICARE Plus Enrollment 
Application, DD Form 2853 and TRICARE Plus Disenrollment Request, DD 
Form 2854; OMB Number 0720-0028.
    Needs and Uses: These collected instruments serve as an application 
for enrollment and disenrollment in the Department of Defense's TRICARE 
Plus Health Plan established in accordance with Title 10 U.S.C. 
sections 1099 (which calls for a healthcare enrollment system) and 1086 
(which authorizes TRICARE eligibility of Medicare Eligible Persons and 
has resulted in the development of a new enrollment option called 
TRICARE Plus) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs 
Policy Memorandum to Establish the TRICARE Plus Program, June 22, 2001. 
The information collected hereby provides the TRICARE contractors with 
necessary data to determine beneficiary eligibility and to identify the 
selection of a health care option.
    Affected Public: Individuals or household.
    Annual Burden Hours: 2,933.
    Number of Respondents: 25,065
    Responses Per Respondent: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 7 minutes.
    Frequency: On occasion.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Collection

    The Department of Defense established TRICARE Plus as an enrollment 
option for persons who are eligible for care in Military Treatment 
Facilities (MTF) and not enrolled in TRICARE Prime. TRICARE Plus 
provides an opportunity to enroll with a primary care provider at a 
specific MTF, to the extent capacity exists. This is a way to 
facilitate primary care appointments at an MTF when needed. TRICARE 
Plus enrollment will help MTFs maintain an adequate clinical case mix 
for Graduate Medical Education programs and support readiness-related 
medical skills sustainment activities. In order to carry out this 
program, it is necessary that certain beneficiaries electing to enroll/
disenroll in TRICARE Plus complete an enrollment application/
disenrollment request. Completion of the enrollment forms is an 
essential element of the TRICARE program. There is no lock-in and no 
enrollment fee for TRICARE Plus.

    Dated: January 19, 2005.
Patricia Toppings,
Alternative OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense
[FR Doc. 05-2382 Filed 2-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-M