Dan Hull, Chairman
David Witherell, Executive Director
SUBJECT: title
IFQ Medical Lease Provision - Discussion Paper
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STAFF CONTACT: Darrell Brannan and Sam Cunningham (NPFMC)
ACTION REQUIRED: recommended action
• Review discussion paper
• Take action as necessary
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BACKGROUND:
After reviewing the IFQ Program 20-year review, the Council tasked staff at its February 2017 meeting to develop a discussion paper to provide additional information on whether a small group of IFQ quota share holders are using the medical lease provision as a means to circumvent the IFQ program’s owner-onboard requirements. This paper fulfills that request and presents data on the number of times a quota share holder has used the provision since it was implemented.
The paper also provides alternatives to broaden the current definition of a “certified medical professional” who may legally sign a Medical Transfer Form. The current definition excludes commonly used medical professionals, such as chiropractors. It also excludes all medical professionals when they are practicing outside the U.S. The definitions of medical professional used by other State and federal agencies are presented to provide options to consider broadening the definition. Finally, the paper describes issues with RAM being required to determine if a medical transfer application is for the same medical condition and provides alternatives to remove the burden of making those decisions from RAM.
Based on the discussion paper, the Council will need to determine if it wishes to develop a problem statement and alternatives to amend the regulations for a medical transfer.