[Federal Register: February 11, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 28)]
[Notices]               
[Page 6919-6920]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11fe99-104]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Pension and Welfare 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(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (FACA), notice is given of the first 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 first meeting of the MCSWG will be held on Wednesday, March 
3, 1999, from 3:00 p.m. to approximately 6:00 p.m.; on Thursday, March 
4, 1999, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 3:00 p.m.; and on Friday, 
March 5, 1999, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 12:00 noon.

ADDRESSES: The events of the first day of the Meeting (March 3, 1999), 
will be held in the Snow Room, Room 5051, fifth floor, at the Wilbur 
Cohen Building, 300 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C.; and the 
events of March 4 and 5, 1999, will be held in Room 800, eighth floor 
of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave., SW, 
Washington, D.C. All interested parties are invited to attend this 
three day 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: 
sweinstein@acf.dhhs.gov). 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(d) of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2) (FACA), notice 
is given of the first 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, arrearages 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) organizations representing State child support programs.
    Agenda: The agenda for this first meeting includes opening 
ceremonies and orientation of the members (March 3), program briefings, 
discussions (March 4), and business related to the operation of the 
MCSWG (March 5).
    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 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

[[Page 6920]]

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. 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 5th day of February 1999.
Leslie Kramerich,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Pension and Welfare Benefits 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-3388 Filed 2-10-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-29-P