Extension of Autism Services Demonstration Project for TRICARE Beneficiaries Under the Extended Care Health Option, 78342-78343 [2013-30670]

Download as PDF emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES 78342 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 248 / Thursday, December 26, 2013 / Notices Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. In general, all comments received will be posted without change to regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or social security numbers, should not be included. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Documentation prepared in support of this information collection request is available at www.reginfo.gov. Requests for additional information should be directed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, (Attention: PRA Office), 1700 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20552, (202) 435–9575, or email: PRA@cfpb.gov. Please do not submit comments to this email box. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title of Collection: Development of Metrics to Measure Financial Well-being of Working-age and Older American Consumers. OMB Control Number: 3170–XXXX. Type of Review: New collection (request for a new OMB control number). Affected Public: Individuals or households. Estimated Number of Respondents: 16,500. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,625. Abstract: Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Public Law No. 111–203, the Bureau’s Office of Financial Education is responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to improve the financial literacy of consumers that includes measurable goals and initiatives, in consultation with the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, consistent with the National Strategy for Financial Literacy. In addition, the Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans within the Bureau is charged with conducting research to identify methods and strategies to educate and counsel seniors, and developing goals for programs that provide seniors with financial literacy and counseling. The Bureau intends to collect quantitative data through surveys with working-age (age 18–61) and older American (age 62 and older) consumers in order to develop and refine survey instruments that will enable the Bureau to reliably and accurately measure adult consumers’ financial well-being. The primary anticipated data collection strategy is through internet-based surveys. The core objective of the data collection is to iteratively test, refine, VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:06 Dec 24, 2013 Jkt 232001 and produce valid and reliable measures of consumer financial well-being that will create a strong, standardized basis for setting measurable goals, and evaluating financial education strategies and programs. Request for Comments: The Bureau issued a 60-day Federal Register notice on August 8, 2013, (78 FR 48422). Comments were solicited and continue to be invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Bureau, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) The accuracy of the Bureau’s estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methods and the assumptions used; (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. Dated: December 19, 2013. Ashwin Vasan, Chief Information Officer, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. [FR Doc. 2013–30728 Filed 12–24–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Extension of Autism Services Demonstration Project for TRICARE Beneficiaries Under the Extended Care Health Option Department of Defense. Notice of demonstration. AGENCY: ACTION: This notice provides a 1-year extension of the Department of Defense (the Department) Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration Project (Autism Demonstration) under the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) for beneficiaries diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Under the demonstration, the Department implemented a provider model that allows reimbursement for Applied Behavior Analysis rendered by providers who are not otherwise eligible for reimbursement. DATES: The demonstration will continue through March 14, 2015. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Defense Health Agency, Health Plan Operations, 7700 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101, Falls Church, Virginia 22042. ADDRESSES: For questions pertaining to this demonstration project, please contact Mr. Richard Hart at (703) 681–0047. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 4, 2007, the Department of Defense published a notice in the Federal Register (FR) (72 FR 68130– 68132) of a TRICARE demonstration to increase access to ABA services. The purpose of the demonstration is to allow the Department to determine whether such a provider model increases access to services, the services are reaching those most likely to benefit from them, the quality of the services rendered meets the standard of care currently accepted by the community of providers, and whether State requirements for licensure or certification of providers of ABA services, where such exists, are being met. The effective date was 60 days following publication of the notice, and the demonstration was implemented on March 15, 2008, for a period of 2 years. Recognizing that the subject of ASDs is complex, in particular, with respect to the number of individuals diagnosed with ASD, the treatment of ASD that generally includes several years of behavior modification through educational services, and the ability of the provider community to increase the number of qualified providers, the Department published a notice in the FR (75 FR 8927–8928) on February 26, 2010, that extended the Demonstration through March 14, 2012, and again on December 27, 2011 (76 FR 80903) through March 14, 2014. Based on the favorable subjective response from parents of TRICARE beneficiaries who participated in the ABA tiered delivery model under the ECHO Autism Demonstration and responded to TRICARE Management Activity satisfaction surveys, the Department published a Proposed Rule on December 29, 2011 (76 FR 81897– 81899) that would add coverage of the ABA tiered delivery model under ECHO for ASD as a non-medical ‘‘Other service,’’ as that term is used in Title 10, U.S.C., Section 1079(e). However, the publication of a final rule and transition of the Autism Demonstration to a permanent benefit under ECHO was placed on-hold due to pending resolution of the ongoing litigation and separate legislative efforts addressing coverage of autism-related services under TRICARE, and the interim E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM 26DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 248 / Thursday, December 26, 2013 / Notices emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES coverage of ABA as a TRICARE Basic Program benefit. Under the added authority of the 1year ABA Pilot Program established by section 705 of NDAA for Fiscal Year 2013 (the ‘‘ABA Pilot’’), a new interim TRICARE ABA reinforcement benefit for Non-Active Duty Family Members (NADFMs) was implemented on July 25, 2013, as a separate interim benefit from the coverage of medical benefits currently provided under the TRICARE Basic Program to both ADFMs and NADFMs with ASD, and separate from the Autism Demonstration services available by law only to ADFMs enrolled in their Service’s Exceptional Family Member program and otherwise eligible for ECHO. In accordance with Congressional direction concerning the purposes of the ABA Pilot, TRICARE will include an assessment of the feasibility and advisability of establishing a beneficiary cost share for the treatment of ASD. TRICARE will submit an interim Report to Congress (RTC) in December 2013 and a final RTC after the July 2014 ABA Pilot completion date, to include: an evaluation of the beneficiary cost shares; a comparison of providing various ABA services under the TRICARE Basic Program, ECHO (including the Autism Demonstration for ADFMs) and the separate ABA Pilot (for NADFMs); recommended changes in legislation; and additional information as appropriate. The Department has determined that continuation of the demonstration for an additional 1 year is both in the best interest of TRICARE beneficiaries diagnosed with an ASD, and necessary to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery model employed by the demonstration. Continuation of the Autism Demonstration will also provide additional information needed to make a formal decision regarding the use of that delivery model in the long-term. The demonstration continues to be authorized by Title 10, United States Code, Section 1092. Dated: December 19, 2013. Aaron Siegel, Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2013–30670 Filed 12–24–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001–06–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:06 Dec 24, 2013 Jkt 232001 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No. ED–2013–ICCD–0114] Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; State Educational Agency Local Educational Agency, and School Data Collection and Reporting under ESEA, Title I, Part A Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education (ED). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing collection of information. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 27, 2014. ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED–2013–ICCD–0114 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, LBJ, Room 2E115, Washington, DC 20202–4537. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions related to collection activities or burden, please call Tomakie Washington, 202–401–1097 or electronically mail ICDocketMgr@ ed.gov. Please do not send comments here. We will ONLY accept comments in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 78343 data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: State Educational Agency Local Educational Agency, and School Data Collection and Reporting under ESEA, Title I, Part A. OMB Control Number: 1810–0581. Type of Review: Revision of an existing collection of information. Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 53,198. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,702,675. Abstract: Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, and its regulations contain several existing provisions that require State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools to collect and disseminate information. The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) covers these activities, which are currently approved by OMB under control number 1810–0581 through March 2014. In addition, in 2011, ED invited each SEA to request flexibility on behalf of itself, its LEAs, and schools, in order to better focus on improving student academic achievement and increasing the quality of instruction (ESEA flexibility). The opportunity for SEAs to request ESEA flexibility also included activities covered by the PRA. Those information collection activities consisted of the information an SEA must develop and submit to ED to request this flexibility, information that an SEA provided in an Accountability Addendum, and the information an SEA that receives ESEA flexibility must annually report to ED. Approvals of ESEA flexibility requests have occurred in several iterations: Window 1, for which SEAs submitted requests in November 2011; Window 2, for which SEAs submitted requests in February 2012; Window 3, for which SEAs E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM 26DEN1

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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 248 (Thursday, December 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78342-78343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30670]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Extension of Autism Services Demonstration Project for TRICARE 
Beneficiaries Under the Extended Care Health Option

AGENCY: Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of demonstration.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice provides a 1-year extension of the Department of 
Defense (the Department) Enhanced Access to Autism Services 
Demonstration Project (Autism Demonstration) under the Extended Care 
Health Option (ECHO) for beneficiaries diagnosed with an Autism 
Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Under the demonstration, the Department 
implemented a provider model that allows reimbursement for Applied 
Behavior Analysis rendered by providers who are not otherwise eligible 
for reimbursement.

DATES: The demonstration will continue through March 14, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Defense Health Agency, Health Plan Operations, 7700 
Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101, Falls Church, Virginia 22042.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions pertaining to this 
demonstration project, please contact Mr. Richard Hart at (703) 681-
0047.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    On December 4, 2007, the Department of Defense published a notice 
in the Federal Register (FR) (72 FR 68130-68132) of a TRICARE 
demonstration to increase access to ABA services. The purpose of the 
demonstration is to allow the Department to determine whether such a 
provider model increases access to services, the services are reaching 
those most likely to benefit from them, the quality of the services 
rendered meets the standard of care currently accepted by the community 
of providers, and whether State requirements for licensure or 
certification of providers of ABA services, where such exists, are 
being met. The effective date was 60 days following publication of the 
notice, and the demonstration was implemented on March 15, 2008, for a 
period of 2 years.
    Recognizing that the subject of ASDs is complex, in particular, 
with respect to the number of individuals diagnosed with ASD, the 
treatment of ASD that generally includes several years of behavior 
modification through educational services, and the ability of the 
provider community to increase the number of qualified providers, the 
Department published a notice in the FR (75 FR 8927-8928) on February 
26, 2010, that extended the Demonstration through March 14, 2012, and 
again on December 27, 2011 (76 FR 80903) through March 14, 2014.
    Based on the favorable subjective response from parents of TRICARE 
beneficiaries who participated in the ABA tiered delivery model under 
the ECHO Autism Demonstration and responded to TRICARE Management 
Activity satisfaction surveys, the Department published a Proposed Rule 
on December 29, 2011 (76 FR 81897-81899) that would add coverage of the 
ABA tiered delivery model under ECHO for ASD as a non-medical ``Other 
service,'' as that term is used in Title 10, U.S.C., Section 1079(e). 
However, the publication of a final rule and transition of the Autism 
Demonstration to a permanent benefit under ECHO was placed on-hold due 
to pending resolution of the ongoing litigation and separate 
legislative efforts addressing coverage of autism-related services 
under TRICARE, and the interim

[[Page 78343]]

coverage of ABA as a TRICARE Basic Program benefit.
    Under the added authority of the 1-year ABA Pilot Program 
established by section 705 of NDAA for Fiscal Year 2013 (the ``ABA 
Pilot''), a new interim TRICARE ABA reinforcement benefit for Non-
Active Duty Family Members (NADFMs) was implemented on July 25, 2013, 
as a separate interim benefit from the coverage of medical benefits 
currently provided under the TRICARE Basic Program to both ADFMs and 
NADFMs with ASD, and separate from the Autism Demonstration services 
available by law only to ADFMs enrolled in their Service's Exceptional 
Family Member program and otherwise eligible for ECHO.
    In accordance with Congressional direction concerning the purposes 
of the ABA Pilot, TRICARE will include an assessment of the feasibility 
and advisability of establishing a beneficiary cost share for the 
treatment of ASD. TRICARE will submit an interim Report to Congress 
(RTC) in December 2013 and a final RTC after the July 2014 ABA Pilot 
completion date, to include: an evaluation of the beneficiary cost 
shares; a comparison of providing various ABA services under the 
TRICARE Basic Program, ECHO (including the Autism Demonstration for 
ADFMs) and the separate ABA Pilot (for NADFMs); recommended changes in 
legislation; and additional information as appropriate. The Department 
has determined that continuation of the demonstration for an additional 
1 year is both in the best interest of TRICARE beneficiaries diagnosed 
with an ASD, and necessary to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the 
delivery model employed by the demonstration. Continuation of the 
Autism Demonstration will also provide additional information needed to 
make a formal decision regarding the use of that delivery model in the 
long-term. The demonstration continues to be authorized by Title 10, 
United States Code, Section 1092.

    Dated: December 19, 2013.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2013-30670 Filed 12-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
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