[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 141 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 36676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17652]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Web-Based Mental Health Care Demonstration Project

AGENCY: Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of a Web-based TRICARE Assistance Program Demonstration 
Project.

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SUMMARY: This Notice is to advise interested parties of a Military 
Health System (MHS) demonstration project, under the authority of Title 
10, U.S. Code, Section 1092, entitled Web-Based TRICARE Assistance 
Program. The demonstration project will use existing managed care 
support contracts (MCSC) to provide a Web-based employee assistance 
program (EAP) including counseling and advice services to Active Duty 
Service members, their families members and their dependents enrolled 
in TRICARE Reserve Select, and those eligible for the Transition 
Assistance Management Program (TAMP) who reside in the continental 
United States. We are testing the effectiveness of providing this care.

DATES: Effective Date: This demonstration project will be effective 
August 1, 2009. The demonstration project will continue until April 1, 
2010.

ADDRESSES: TRICARE Management Activity (TMA), Health Plan Operations, 
5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 810, Falls Church, VA 22041.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions pertaining to this 
demonstration project, Ms. Kathleen Larkin, (703) 681-0039.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

a. Background

    On page 405 of House Report 2638, the Department of Defense 
Appropriations Act for FY 2009 Joint Explanatory Statement, Congress 
stated: ``An area of particular interest is the provision of 
appropriate and accessible counseling to service members and their 
families who live in locations that are not close to military treatment 
facilities, other Military Health System facilities, or TRICARE 
providers. Web-based delivery of counseling has significant potential 
to offer counseling to personnel who otherwise might not be able to 
access it. Therefore, the Department is directed to establish and use a 
Web-based Clinical Mental Health Services Program as a way to deliver 
critical clinical mental health services to service members and 
families in rural areas.''
    This demonstration is designed to test the effectiveness and 
efficiency of utilizing audio and visual technologies including Web-
based services to provide our Active Duty Service members, their 
families and other beneficiaries increased access to EAP-like services.

b. Current Status of Access

    The Department of Defense currently provides a robust program of 
nonmedical counseling, as well as mental health care for our Active 
Duty Service members and their families. The Department offers Military 
One Source which provides for up to 12 nonmedical face-to-face 
counseling sessions per issue, per counselor. For those needing medical 
treatment, we provide behavioral health care in our military treatment 
facilities or through our TRICARE program.
    Our MCSCs currently provide an array of text and multimedia based 
educational materials targeting pre-deployment, deployment, and post-
deployment adjustment concerns. They also have behavioral health (BH) 
contact centers staffed with beneficiary service representatives and 
customer service representatives to provide first and second level 
support, triage, and to make appropriate referrals and locate providers 
for Active Duty Service members and their families. This demonstration 
project will expand access to these behavioral health services by using 
audiovisual telecommunications systems such as video chat/instant 
messaging to access the BH centers. It also expands access to the 
Behavioral Health call centers and EAP-like counseling to those 
enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select.

c. Demonstration Project Description

    The MCSCs' Behavioral Health call center staff will triage those 
seeking help and refer them to an appropriate level of assistance. This 
may include Military One Source, a military treatment facility, a 
network provider for face-to-face care, or for a tele-health visit from 
an authorized originating site facility to a TRICARE authorized 
provider's office. In addition, they may perform unlimited assessments 
and nonmedical counseling or advice using a Web-based platform to ease 
access for Active Duty Service members, their families, those enrolled 
in TRICARE Reserve Select, and TAMP-eligibles.

d. Implementation

    This demonstration will be effective August 1, 2009.

e. Evaluation

    An independent evaluation of the demonstration will be conducted. 
It will be performed retrospectively and use a combination of 
administrative and workload measures of behavioral health care access 
to provide analyses and comment on the effectiveness of the 
demonstration in meeting its goal of improving beneficiary access to 
behavioral health care by incorporating Web-based technology.

    Dated: July 21, 2009.
Patricia L. Toppings,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. E9-17652 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P