Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION:

Information collection notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Defense Health Agency announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES:

Consideration will be given to all comments received by December 27, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

Mail: DoD cannot receive written comments at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Comments should be sent electronically to the docket listed above.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on this proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection instruments, please write to the Defense Health Agency, ATTN: Zelly Zim, 8111 Gatehouse Road, 229D, Falls Church, VA 22042 or call 571-232-1551.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: TRICARE Young Adult Application; DD Form 2947; OMB Control Number 0720-0049.

Needs and Uses: The Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11), Section 702, aligns TRICARE Program eligibility by providing a means to extend the age of eligibility of TRICARE dependents from age 21 or 23 up to age 26 to allow the purchase of extended dependent medical coverage across existing TRICARE program options (Select and Prime). This is consistent with the intent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the implementing Health and Human Services regulations, and the limitations of Chapter 55 of Title 10. Section 702 allows qualified adult children not eligible for medical coverage at age 21 (23 if enrolled in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher learning approved by the Secretary of Defense) and are under age 26 to qualify to purchase medical coverage unless the dependent is enrolled in or eligible to purchase employer sponsored insurance per section 5000A(f)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or is married. The dependents shall be able to purchase either the TRICARE Prime or Select benefits depending on if they meet specific program requirements and the availability of a desired plan in their geographic location.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Annual Burden Hours: 677 hours.

Number of Respondents: 2709.

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Annual Responses: 2709.

Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes.

Frequency: On occasion.