Notice2025-11866
Notice of Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area Re-Designation for the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation
Primary source
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Published
June 27, 2025
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 Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation ("Chippewa Cree Tribe" or "Tribe") to include the Montana County of Cascade. The final PRCDA for the Chippewa Cree Tribe now includes the Montana counties of Cascade, Choteau, Hill and Liberty. The sole purpose of this expansion is to authorize additional Chippewa Cree Tribal members and beneficiaries to receive Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) services.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 122 (Friday, June 27, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 122 (Friday, June 27, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27644-27645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11866]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Indian Health Service
Notice of Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area Re-Designation
for the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation
AGENCY: Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Indian Health Service (IHS)
has decided to expand the geographic
[[Page 27645]]
boundaries of the Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the
Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation (``Chippewa Cree
Tribe'' or ``Tribe'') to include the Montana County of Cascade. The
final PRCDA for the Chippewa Cree Tribe now includes the Montana
counties of Cascade, Choteau, Hill and Liberty. The sole purpose of
this expansion is to authorize additional Chippewa Cree Tribal members
and beneficiaries to receive Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) services.
DATES: This expansion is effective as of the date of publication 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: CDR Tracy
Sanchez, Acting Director, Office of Resource Access and Partnerships,
Indian Health Service, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop 10E85C, Rockville,
MD 20857.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CDR Tracy Sanchez, Acting Director,
Office of Resource Access and Partnerships by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a9fddbc8cad087fac8c7cac1ccd3e9c0c1da87cec6df"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="93c7e1f2f0eabdc0f2fdf0fbf6e9d3fafbe0bdf4fce5">[email protected]</span></a>, or by phone at (301) 443-3216 (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 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 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 notice of proposed redesignation and
requested public comments on December 17, 2024 (89 FR 102150). The IHS
did not receive any comments in response to the notice of proposed
redesignation.
In support of this expansion, the IHS makes the following findings:
1. By expanding the PRCDA to include Cascade County in the State of
Montana, the Chippewa Cree Tribe's PRC-eligible population will
increase by an estimated 251 Tribal members.
2. As part of their expansion request, the Chippewa Cree Tribe
submitted a resolution from the Tribe's governing body. The resolution
explains that the expansion is intended to serve their members living
in Cascade County, Montana, and it describes those members as being
socially and economically tied to the Tribe's reservation. The IHS
therefore finds that the Tribal members within the proposed, expanded
PRCDA are socially and economically affiliated with the Chippewa Cree
Tribe.
3. The expanded PRCDA county forms a contiguous area with the
existing PRCDA. Members of the Chippewa Cree Tribe reside in the county
proposed for inclusion in the expanded PRCDA. Through their expansion
request, the Tribe described how close Cascade County, Montana is to
their reservation and explained that it is close enough for their
members residing there to return frequently to the Tribe's reservation
for ceremony and participation in Tribal elections. For these reasons,
the IHS has determined the additional county proposed for inclusion
herein to be geographically proximate, meaning ``on or near,'' to the
Tribe's reservation.
4. Through the Chippewa Cree Tribe's request to expand its PRCDA,
the Tribe has indicated that the PRC program can continue providing the
same level of care to the PRC eligible population if the PRCDA is
expanded as proposed, without requiring additional funding from the IHS
or reduction of the current medical priority level.
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.
P. Benjamin Smith,
Acting Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-11866 Filed 6-26-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4166-14-P
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