A Service Unit shall not be eligible for reimbursement from the CHEF until its cost of treating any victim of a catastrophic illness or disaster for an episode of care has reached a certain threshold cost.

(a) The threshold cost shall be established at the level of $19,000 for fiscal year 2024.

(b) The threshold cost in subsequent years shall be calculated from the threshold cost of the previous year, increased by the percentage increase in the medical care expenditure category of the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (United States city average) for the 12-month period ending with December of the previous year. The revised threshold costs shall be published yearly in the Federal Register.