[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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