[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50304-50305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24172]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Pension and Water Benefits Administration
Medical Child Support Working Group
AGENCY: Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Department of
Labor.
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 fifth 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 meeting of the MCSWG will be held on Monday, October 4,
1999, and Tuesday, October 5, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 6
p.m., and on Wednesday, October 6, 1999 from 8:30 a.m. to approximately
noon.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Conference Center of the
Quality Inn Iwo Jima, 1501 Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50) at
Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22209, telephone number (703) 524-
5000. 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.
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 a 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 (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 interim regulations; (2) appropriate measures
that establish the priority of withholding of child support
obligations, medical support obligations, arrerages 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 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) organizers representing State child support programs.
Agenda
The agenda for this meeting includes a discussion of the issues to
be included in 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, 1, 1999, meeting the MCSWG formed four (4) subcommittees to
discuss barriers, issues, options, and recommendations in the interim
between full MCSWG meetings. At this October, 1999, meeting the four
subcommittees will present their initial issues and recommendations to
the full MCSWG for further discussion and consideration.
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
[[Page 50305]]
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 DHHS. At DOL, these documents will be available at the
Public Documents Room, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration,
U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-5638, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Questions regarding the
availability of documents from DOL should be directed to Ms. Ellen
Goodwin, Plan Benefits Security Division, Office of the Solicitor,
Department of Labor (telephone (202) 219-4600, ext. 119). 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.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th day of September, 1999.
Richard McGahey,
Assistant Secretary for Pension and Welfare Benefits.
[FR Doc. 99-24172 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-29-M