[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69129-69130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28305]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employee Benefits Security Administration


Proposed Revision of Information Collection: Comment Request 
National Medical Support Notice--Part B

AGENCY: Employee Benefits Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (the Department), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and 
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program 
helps to ensure that the data the Department collects can be provided 
in the desired format, that the reporting burden on the public (time 
and financial resources) is minimized, that the public understands the 
Department's collection instruments, and that the Department can 
accurately assess the impact of its collection requirements on 
respondents.
    Currently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is 
soliciting comments concerning a revision to the information 
collections contained in the National Medical Support Notice--Part B. A 
copy of EBSA's information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by 
contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice.

DATES: Comments must be submitted to the office shown in the ADDRESSES 
section on or before January 10, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments regarding the ICR and burden estimates 
to G. Christopher Cosby, Office of Policy

[[Page 69130]]

and Research, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20210. Comments may be submitted in writing to the above address, via 
facsimile to (202) 219-4745, or electronically to the following 
Internet e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 609(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 
1974, as amended (ERISA), requires each group health plan, as defined 
in ERISA section 607(1), to provide benefits in accordance with the 
applicable requirements of any ``qualified medical child support 
order'' (QMCSO). A QMCSO is, generally, an order issued by a state 
court or other competent state authority that requires a group health 
plan to provide group health coverage to a child or children of an 
employee eligible for coverage under the plan. In accordance with 
Congressional directives contained in the Child Support Performance and 
Incentive Act of 1998 (CSPIA), EBSA and the Federal Office of Child 
Support Enforcement (OCSE) in the Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) cooperated in the development of regulations to create a 
National Medical Support Notice (NMSN or Notice). The Notice simplifies 
the issuance and processing of qualified medical child support orders 
issued by state child support enforcement agencies, provides for 
standardized communication between state agencies, employers, and plan 
administrators, and creates a uniform and streamlined process for 
enforcement of medical child support obligations ordered by state child 
support enforcement agencies. The NMSN comprises two parts: Part A was 
promulgated by HHS and pertains to state child support enforcement 
agencies and employers; Part B was promulgated by the Department and 
pertains to plan administrators pursuant to ERISA. This solicitation of 
public comment relates only to Part B of the NMSN, which was 
promulgated by the Department. In connection with promulgation of Part 
B of the NMSN, the Department submitted an ICR to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review, and OMB approved the 
information collections contained in Part B under OMB control number 
1210-0113. OMB's approval of this ICR is scheduled to expire on October 
31, 2012.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Department is currently soliciting comments on the information 
collections contained in the National Medical Support Notice--Part B. 
The Department is particularly interested in comments that:
     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;
     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;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     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., by 
permitting electronic submissions of responses.

III. Current Actions

    This notice requests comments on a revision to the ICR included in 
Part B of the NMSN. The Department is planning to make conforming 
changes to Part B of the NMSN reflecting changes HHS plans to make to 
Part A of the notice that were the subject of a 60-day public comment 
notice published by HHS in the Federal Register on June 28, 2010 (75 FR 
36658). HHS has informed the Department that it received comments 
requesting HHS and the Department to synchronize their OMB approval 
dates (HHS's approval expires on March 31, 2011) and make the same 
revisions to data elements on Parts A and B of the NMSN. In response to 
these comments, the Department and HHS plan to make simultaneous 
submissions to OMB revising Parts A and B of the NMSN. A summary of the 
Department's ICR and its current burden estimates follows:
    Agency: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of 
Labor.
    Title: National Medical Support Notice--Part B.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection of 
information.
    OMB Number: 1210-0113.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit; Not-for-profit institutions.
    Respondents: 432,995.
    Responses: 10,754,484.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 896,207.
    Estimated Total Burden Cost (Operating and Maintenance): 
$5,807,421.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the ICR; they will 
also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: November 3, 2010.
Joseph S. Piacentini,
Director, Office of Policy and Research, Employee Benefits Security 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-28305 Filed 11-9-10; 8:45 am]
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