Notice2024-06904
Notice of Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area Redesignation for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in the State of Connecticut
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 2, 2024
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentIndian Health Service
Abstract
Notice is hereby given that the Indian Health Service (IHS) has decided to expand the geographic boundaries of the Purchased/ Referred Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation to include the counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, Tolland, and Windham in the State of Connecticut. The final PRCDA for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation now includes the Connecticut counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham. The sole purpose of this expansion is to authorize additional Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation members and eligible IHS beneficiaries to receive purchased/referred care (PRC) services.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 64 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22730-22731]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06904]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Indian Health Service
Notice of Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area Redesignation for
the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in the State of Connecticut
AGENCY: Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Final notice.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Indian Health Service (IHS)
has decided to expand the geographic boundaries of the Purchased/
Referred Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal
Nation to include the counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield,
Middlesex, New Haven, Tolland, and Windham in the State of Connecticut.
The final PRCDA for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation now includes
the Connecticut counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex,
New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham. The sole purpose of this
expansion is to authorize additional Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
members and eligible IHS beneficiaries to receive purchased/referred
care (PRC) services.
DATES: This expansion is effective as of the publication date of this
notice.
ADDRESSES: This notice can be found at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov">https://www.federalregister.gov</a>.
Written requests for information should be delivered to: CAPT John
Rael, Director, Office of Resource Access and Partnerships, Indian
Health Service, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop 10E85C, Rockville, MD
20857, or by phone at (301) 443-0969 (this is not a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The IHS provides services under regulations
in effect as of September 15, 1987, and republished at 42 CFR part 136,
subparts A-C. Subpart C defines a Contract Health Service Delivery Area
(CHSDA), now referred to as a PRCDA, as the geographic area within
which PRC will be made available by the IHS to members of an identified
Indian community who reside in the PRCDA. Residence within a PRCDA by a
person who is within the scope of the Indian health program, as set
forth in 42 CFR 136.12, creates no legal entitlement to PRC but only
potential eligibility for services. Services needed, but not available
at an IHS/Tribal facility, are provided under the PRC program depending
on the availability of funds, the relative medical priority of the
services to be provided, and the actual availability and accessibility
of alternate resources in accordance with the regulations.
The regulations at 42 CFR part 136, subpart C provide that, unless
otherwise designated, a PRCDA shall consist of a county which includes
all or part of a reservation and any county or counties which have a
common boundary with the reservation. 42 CFR 136.22(a)(6). The
regulations also provide that after consultation with the Tribal
governing body or bodies on those reservations included within the
PRCDA, the Secretary may from time to time, redesignate areas within
the United States for inclusion in or exclusion from a PRCDA. 42 CFR
136.22(b). The regulations require that certain criteria must be
considered before any
[[Page 22731]]
redesignation is made. The criteria are as follows:
(1) The number of Indians residing in the area proposed to be so
included or excluded;
(2) Whether the Tribal governing body has determined that Indians
residing in the area near the reservation are socially and economically
affiliated with the Tribe;
(3) The geographic proximity to the reservation of the area whose
inclusion or exclusion is being considered; and
(4) The level of funding which would be available for the provision
of PRC.
Additionally, the regulations require that any redesignation of a
PRCDA must be made in accordance with the procedures of the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553). 42 CFR 136.22(c). In
compliance with this requirement, the IHS published a proposed notice
of redesignation and requested public comments on January 19, 2024 (89
FR 3669). The IHS did not receive any comments in response to the
notice of proposed expansion.
In support of this expansion, the IHS makes the following findings:
1. By expanding the PRCDA to include Fairfield, Hartford,
Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, Tolland, and Windham Counties, the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation's eligible population will increase
by an estimated 32 Tribal members and AI/AN employees.
2. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has stated that these 32
individuals are socially and economically affiliated with MPTN.
3. The expanded PRCDA counties form a contiguous area with the
existing PRCDA. In addition to their AI/AN employees, MPTN's members
reside in each of the expansion counties. For these reasons, the IHS
has determined that the expansion counties are geographically
proximate, meaning ``on or near'', to the existing PRCDA.
4. The MPTN will use its existing Federal allocation for PRC funds
to provide services to the expanded population. No additional financial
resources will be allocated by the IHS to MPTN to provide services to
its PRC-eligible population.
An updated listing of the PRCDAs for all federally-recognized
Tribes may be accessed via a link on the IHS PRCDA Expansion website
(<a href="https://www.ihs.gov/prc/prcda-expansion">https://www.ihs.gov/prc/prcda-expansion</a>).
Public Comments: The IHS did not receive any comments in response
to the notice of proposed expansion.
Roselyn Tso,
Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-06904 Filed 4-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-P
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