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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Tribal Leader Letters

2018 Letters

December 20, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director writes to update Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders on the Indian Health Service Headquarters reorganization. [PDF - 94 KB]

December 11, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on the mechanism to distribute behavioral health initiative funding. [PDF - 187 KB]

November 20, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director writes to Arizona Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation on the Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) Program to perform a detailed analysis of PRC implications and identify the feasibility for the entire State of Arizona to be identified as a Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area. [PDF - 202 KB]

November 19, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director provides Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders with an update on the Agency’s progress in certifying the suite of applications that comprise the Indian Health Service Resource and Patient Management System to meet certification criteria and standards specified in the 2015 Edition Health Information Technology published by the Office of the National Coordinator. [PDF – 104KB] [PDF - 104 KB]

October 29, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on recent developments related to Agency and Departmental initiatives to modernize health information technology infrastructure, applications, and capabilities in use throughout the Indian Health Service, Tribes, and Urban Indian Organizations. [PDF - 212 KB]

October 26, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director writes to Tribal Leaders to express the Indian Health Service’s (IHS) concern about sexual abuse of minors by a former IHS physician. [PDF - 107 KB]

October 4, 2018

The Principal Deputy Director writes to Tribal Leaders to announce a new automated tool for electronically submitting Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund requests. [PDF - 93 KB]

September 24, 2018

The Acting Director provides Tribal Leaders with a copy of the current IHS IT Service Catalog, which includes updated descriptions of the programs, services, functions, and activities carried out by the Headquarters Office of Information Technology and information on how Tribes can access OIT support services. [PDF - 98 KB]

September 15, 2018

The Acting Director writes to update Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders on progress in resolving denied pharmacy claims from Pharmacy Benefit Manager CVS/Caremark. [PDF - 93 KB]

September 14, 2018

The Acting Director writes to inform Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders of his decision on the IHS proposal to reprogram a portion of the fiscal year (FY) 2018 funding increase appropriated for inflation to fund lease cost agreements authorized under section 105(l) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, and provides a summary of comments received. [PDF - 93 KB]

August 17, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to provide his decisions on the fiscal year 2018 Indian Health Care Improvement Fund formula. [PDF - 196 KB]

August 1, 2018

The Acting Director notifies Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders that the deadline to submit comments on the funding mechanism to distribute behavioral health initiatives that are currently distributed through grants has been extended until August 17, 2018. [PDF - 115 KB]

August 1, 2018

The Acting Director notifies Tribal Leaders that the deadline to submit comments on the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System (SDS) – A Guide for Reporting Sanitation Deficiencies for American Indian and Alaska Native Homes and Communities has been extended until September 14, 2018. [PDF - 187 KB]

July 24, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce a 30-day comment period on the Draft IHS Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2018-2022. [PDF - 93 KB]

July 23, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on Indian Health Service regulatory reform activities. [PDF - 141 KB]

July 12, 2018

The Acting Director updates Tribal Leaders with his decisions on the fiscal year 2019 funding distribution for the Indian Health Service Special Diabetes Program for Indians. [PDF - 91 KB]

July 10, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer on an impending funding decision that impacts a portion of the Agency’s inflation funding increases received in the IHS fiscal year 2018 appropriation to meet requirements of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, specifically at 25 U.S.C. § 5324(l), also referred to as “105(l).” [PDF - 190 KB]

July 6, 2018

The Acting Director writes to notify Tribal Leaders that the deadline for submitting comments on the draft Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) Chapter has been extended until Monday, August 6, 2018. [PDF - 130 KB]

July 2, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation on proposed updates to the Sanitation Deficiency System – A Guide for Reporting Sanitation Deficiencies for American Indian and Alaska Native Homes and Communities [PDF - 101 KB]

June 29, 2018

The Acting Director informs Tribal Leaders that the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Department of Veterans Affairs recently amended its agreement for reimbursement for direct health care services to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans at 77 IHS facilities. [PDF - 547 KB]

June 14, 2018

The Acting Director writes to invite Tribal Leaders to attend the 15th Annual Direct Service Tribes National Meeting. [PDF - 91 KB]

June 8, 2018

The Acting Director writes to inform Tribal Leaders that there will be additional in-person Tribal Consultation sessions on the Indian Health Manual (IHM), Part 2 – “Services to Indians and Others,” Chapter 3 – "Purchased/Referred Care." [PDF - 94 KB]

June 8, 2018

The Acting Director writes to initiate a Tribal Consultation on recommendations made by the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund (IHCIF) Workgroup to revise the formula used to allocate funding increases appropriated for the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund. [PDF - 214 KB]

May 18, 2018

The Acting Director writes to initiate a Tribal Consultation and an Urban Confer on the funding mechanism to distribute behavioral health initiatives that are currently distributed through grants. [PDF - 144KB]
The Acting Director writes to initiate Tribal Consultation on the Indian Health Service Indian Health Manual (IHM), Part 2 – “Services to Indians and Others, Chapter 3 – Purchased/Referred Care” at the request of Tribes. [PDF - 233 KB]

April 13, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation on the Indian Health Service Indian Health Manual, Part 6 – Services to Tribal Governments and Organizations, Chapter 3 – Contract Support Costs, specifically, section 6-3.2E(3) – Alternative Methods for Calculating Indirect Costs Associated with Recurring Service Unit Shares (commonly known as the “97/3 Method or 97/3 Split”). [PDF - 110 KB]
The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate a Tribal Consultation on the distribution of funding for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians in Fiscal year 2019. [PDF - 106 KB]

February 27, 2018

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to provide updates on efforts to expand the Community Health Aide Program. This includes: 1) formation of the CHAP Tribal Advisory Group (TAG), and 2) developing the formal policy and implementation plan. [PDF - 92.6 KB]
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