Sending National Medical Support Notice to Defense Management Data Center

POLICY INTERPRETATION QUESTIONS

PIQ-05-05

DATE: December 21, 2005

TO: State IV-D Directors Tribal IV-D Directors

FROM: Margot Bean Commissioner Office of Child Support Enforcement

SUBJECT: Sending the National Medical Support Notice (NMSN) to the Defense Management Data Center (DMDC).

BACKGROUND: PIQ-02-03, issued December 20, 2002, states that “if the employer does not provide health care coverage for employee dependents, there would be no need for the IV-D agency to send the NMSN for those employees. However, the IV-D agency should make appropriate notation in the individual case record of the unavailability of health care coverage through that employer.” The PIQ was silent on procedures for sending the NMSN to the Department of Defense’s DMDC concerning health coverage.

QUESTION: Do states need to send National Medical Support Notices to the Defense Management Data Center for children of military personnel if they can determine the status of the children as eligible, enrolled or not enrolled in the Defense Enrollment and Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)?

ANSWER: No. Regulations at 45 CFR 303.32(a) require use of the NMSN to enforce health care coverage where appropriate. If the children’s status can be determined through the DMDC/FCR match or by contacting the DEERS Telephone Center listed in IM-96-02, that would eliminate any need for states to send the NMSN to DMDC for dependents of military personnel. The IV-D agency should make appropriate notation in the individual case record indicating where it obtained the children’s status. This policy does not apply to the Department of Defense civilian personnel; for civilian employees the states must continue to send the NMSN to DoD.

cc: ACF Regional Administrators
Regional Program Managers