99884 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 2024 / Notices 

at 11:59 p.m. EST. Specific dates will be 

announced at www.DietaryGuidelines. 

gov. 

• The public is invited to present 

virtual oral comments to HHS and 

USDA on Thursday, January 16, 2025, 

from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST; preregistration is required. Registration for 

oral comments will open on Monday, 

December 16, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. EST 

and close once capacity has been 

reached. Virtual oral comments can be 

pre-recorded or provided live virtually 

via videocast. More information on the 

oral comment opportunity will be 

available at www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Designated Federal Officer, 2025 Dietary 

Guidelines Advisory Committee, Janet 

M. de Jesus, MS, RD; Office of Disease 

Prevention and Health Promotion, 1101 

Wootton Parkway, Suite 420, Rockville, 

MD 20852; Phone: 240–453–8266; Email 

DietaryGuidelines@hhs.gov. Additional 

information is available at 

www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority and Purpose: Under section 

301 of Public Law 101–445 (7 U.S.C. 

5341, the National Nutrition Monitoring 

and Related Research Act of 1990, title 

III), the Secretaries of HHS and USDA 

are directed to publish the Dietary 

Guidelines for Americans jointly at least 

every five years. See 88 FR 3423, 

January 19, 2023, for notice of the first 

meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines 

Advisory Committee, the complete 

Authority and Purpose, and the 

Committee’s Task. The 2025 Dietary 

Guidelines Advisory Committee is 

formed and governed under the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92– 

463, as amended (5 U.S.C. app). 

Public Comments: Written comments 

from the public will be accepted once 

the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary 

Guidelines Advisory Committee is 

published online. The public will have 

60 calendar days to provide written 

comments to HHS and USDA; this 

public comment period closes on the 

60th day at 11:59 p.m. EST. Specific 

dates will be announced at 

www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. 

• Online (preferred method): Follow 

the instructions for submitting 

comments at www.regulations.gov. 

Comments submitted electronically, 

including attachments, will be posted to 

Docket HHS–OASH–2024–0017. 

• Mail: Mail/courier to Janet M. de 

Jesus, MS, RD, HHS/OASH/ODPHP, 

1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 420, 

Rockville, MD 20852. For written/paper 

submissions, ODPHP will post your 

comment, and any attachments, to 

www.regulations.gov. 

Oral Comments: HHS and USDA 

invite the public to present virtual oral 

comments on Thursday, January 16, 

2025. Pre-registration is required, and 

the number of commenters is limited 

based on time constraints. Registration 

for oral comments will open on 

Monday, December 16, 2024, at 1:00 

p.m. EST and will close once capacity 

has been reached. Oral comments will 

be confirmed on a first-come, firstserved basis. Oral comments will be 

limited to one representative per 

organization. All commenters’ remarks 

should be respectful and given in a 

manner that recognizes and protects the 

dignity of the proceedings. Oral 

comments should focus on the scientific 

review and evidence-based advice 

found in the Scientific Report of the 

2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory 

Committees. More information on the 

oral comment opportunity will be 

available at www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. 

Registration for Oral Comments: 

Requests to present oral comments can 

be made by going to 

www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. For 

registration to be accepted, a written 

outline or a summary of the intended 

oral comment will be required as part of 

the registration process. Please limit 

your written outline or summary to no 

more than 250 words. A confirmation 

email with instructions will be sent to 

confirmed speakers from 

DietaryGuidelines@hhs.gov. Confirmed 

speakers will have the option to submit 

a pre-recorded video to be played at the 

public meeting on January 16, 2025, or 

present virtual live oral remarks via 

videocast on January 16, 2025. To avoid 

technical difficulties, submission of a 

pre-recorded video is strongly 

encouraged. 

Paul L. Reed, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office 

of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29100 Filed 12–10–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4150–32–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Indian Health Service 

Notice of Proposed Purchased/ 

Referred Care Delivery Area 

Redesignation for the Iowa Tribe of 

Kansas and Nebraska 

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice advises the public 

that the Indian Health Service (IHS) 

proposes to expand the geographic 

boundaries of the Purchased/Referred 

Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the 

Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska 

(Iowa Tribe, or Tribe) to include the 

counties of Jackson in the State of 

Kansas, and Holt in the State of 

Missouri. The current PRCDA for the 

Iowa Tribe includes the Kansas counties 

of Doniphan and Brown, as well as 

Richardson County, Nebraska. Iowa 

Tribe members who reside outside of 

the PRCDA are eligible for direct care 

services; however, they are not eligible 

for Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) 

services. The sole purpose of this 

expansion would be to authorize 

additional Iowa Tribe members and 

beneficiaries to receive PRC services. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted by 

January 10, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Because of staff and 

resource limitations, we cannot accept 

comments by facsimile (FAX) 

transmission. You may submit 

comments in one of four ways (please 

choose only one of the ways listed): 

1. Electronically. You may submit 

electronic comments on this regulation 

to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ instructions. 

2. By regular mail. You may mail 

written comments to the following 

address ONLY: Carl Mitchell, Director, 

Division of Regulatory and Policy 

Coordination, Indian Health Service, 

5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop: 09E70, 

Rockville, Maryland 20857. 

Please allow sufficient time for mailed 

comments to be received before the 

close of the comment period. 

3. By express or overnight mail. You 

may send written comments to the 

above address. 

4. By hand or courier. If you prefer, 

you may deliver (by hand or courier) 

your written comments before the close 

of the comment period to the address 

above. 

If you intend to deliver your 

comments to the Rockville address, 

please call telephone number (301) 443– 

1116 in advance to schedule your 

arrival with a staff member. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

CAPT John Rael, Director, Office of 

Resource Access and Partnerships, 

Indian Health Service, 5600 Fishers 

Lane, Mail Stop: 10E85C, Rockville, 

Maryland 20857. Telephone (301) 443– 

0969 (This is not a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Inspection of Public Comments: All 

comments received before the close of 

the comment period are available for 

viewing by the public, including any 

personally identifiable or confidential 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 2024 / Notices 99885 

business information that is included in 

a comment. 

Background: 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 services 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 

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 is publishing this Notice and 

requesting public comments. 

The Iowa Tribe is located in White 

Cloud, Kansas, and operates their PRC 

program as a Tribal Health Program out 

of the White Cloud Health Center. The 

IHS and the Iowa Tribe estimate that 

approximately 77 Tribal members reside 

in Jackson County, Kansas, and Holt 

County, Missouri, and would become 

PRC eligible through the proposed 

redesignation and expansion of the 

Tribe’s PRCDA. 

If the Iowa Tribe’s PRCDA 

redesignation and expansion is finalized 

as proposed, the Tribe’s expanded 

PRCDA would overlap the PRCDAs of 

three other Tribes: the Sac and Fox 

Nation of Missouri in Kansas and 

Nebraska, the Kickapoo Tribe of Indians 

of the Kickapoo Reservation (Jackson 

County, Kansas), and the Prairie Band of 

Potawatomi Nation (Jackson County, 

Kansas). The Iowa Tribe and the Sac 

and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas 

and Nebraska share a PRC program, but 

currently have different PRCDAs; the 

Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri has 

submitted a concurrent request for 

redesignation and expansion of their 

own PRCDA. Both redesignation 

requests were submitted to the IHS 

through the same correspondence from 

the White Cloud Health Center. If the 

Iowa Tribe’s and Sac and Fox Nation of 

Missouri’s PRCDAs are each 

redesignated and expanded as 

requested, the Tribes would have 

identical, overlapping PRCDAs, 

simplifying the administration and 

operation of their local PRC program. 

The IHS has consulted with the 

Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the 

Kickapoo Reservation and the Prairie 

Band of Potawatomi Nation regarding 

the potential for overlapping PRCDAs in 

Jackson County, Kansas. Neither the 

Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the 

Kickapoo Reservation nor the Prairie 

Band of Potawatomi Nation expressed 

concerns regarding the proposed 

redesignation and expansion. 

Under 42 CFR 136.23, those otherwise 

eligible Indians who do not reside on a 

reservation, but reside within a PRCDA, 

must be either members of the Tribe or 

other IHS beneficiaries who maintain 

close economic and social ties with the 

Tribe. In this case, applying the 

aforementioned PRCDA redesignation 

criteria required by operative 

regulations codified at 42 CFR part 136, 

subpart C, the following findings are 

made: 

1. By expanding the PRCDA to 

include Jackson County, Kansas, and 

Holt County, Missouri, the Iowa Tribe’s 

PRC eligible population will increase by 

an estimated 77 Tribal members. 

2. The Iowa Tribe communicated its 

governing body’s determination that 

their members residing in the proposed 

expansion counties are socially and 

economically affiliated with the Tribe. 

The IHS therefore finds that the Tribe’s 

members within the proposed, 

expanded PRCDA are socially and 

economically affiliated with the Iowa 

Tribe. 

3. The expanded PRCDA counties 

form a contiguous area with the existing 

PRCDA. Holt County, Missouri, shares a 

common boundary with the Iowa 

Tribe’s reservation lands in Richardson 

County, Nebraska. Jackson County, 

Kansas, is contiguous with Brown 

County, which includes part of the Iowa 

Tribe’s reservation lands and is 

currently included in the Iowa Tribe’s 

PRCDA. Members of the Iowa Tribe 

reside in each of the counties proposed 

for inclusion in the expanded PRCDA. 

For these reasons, the IHS has 

determined the additional counties 

proposed for inclusion herein to be 

geographically proximate, meaning ‘‘on 

or near,’’ to the Tribe’s reservation. 

4. The White Cloud Health Center 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 or 

reduction of the current medical priority 

level. 

Accordingly, the IHS proposes to 

expand the PRCDA of the Iowa Tribe to 

include the counties of Jackson in the 

State of Kansas, and Holt in the State of 

Missouri. 

This Notice does not contain 

reporting or recordkeeping requirements 

subject to prior approval by the Office 

of Management and Budget under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. 

Roselyn Tso, 

Director, Indian Health Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29101 Filed 12–10–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4166–14–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Indian Health Service 

Notice of Proposed Purchased/ 

Referred Care Delivery Area 

Redesignation for the Sac and Fox 

Nation of Missouri in Kansas and 

Nebraska 

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice advises the public 

that the Indian Health Service (IHS) 

proposes to expand the geographic 

boundaries of the Purchased/Referred 

Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the Sac 

and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas 

and Nebraska (Sac and Fox Nation of 

Missouri, or Tribe) to include the 

counties of Doniphan and Jackson in the 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1