April 2014 Blogs

IHS Headquarters Tribal Delegation Meetings

Here is a picture of some of our staff who help with our Tribal Delegation Meetings at IHS Headquarters. Tribal Delegation Meetings are an opportunity for Tribes to meet with the IHS Director or other Headquarters leadership to discuss issues of concern. Tribes can schedule tribal delegation meetings by contacting the Office of Tribal Self-Governance or the Office of Direct Service and Contracting Tribes at IHS Headquarters. These delegation meetings can be held in person, by phone, through videoconferencing, or at meetings/conferences.

If you have questions or want to schedule a meeting, please contact:

• Chris Buchanan, Director, IHS Office of Direct Service and Contracting Tribes, by e-mail at chris.buchanan@ihs.gov. Phone: 301-443-1104
• Ben Smith, Director, IHS Office of Tribal Self-Governance, by e-mail at benjamin.smith@ihs.gov. Phone: 301-443-7821

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  

---

Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes

I met with the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes at the meeting in Washington, D.C., in March. Here is a picture from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  

---

Committee on Native American Child Health

In March, I met with the Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH) of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Washington, D.C. Here is a picture from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  

---

NCAI Executive Council Winter Session

I presented an IHS update at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Executive Council Winter Session in March in Washington, D.C. At that same meeting, Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn and I held a Listening Session on Contract Support Costs to discuss ideas for the long-term solution requested by Congress. Here are pictures from the meetings:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

---

National Council of Urban Indian Health

I met with Board members of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) in Washington, D.C., in March. Here is a picture from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  

---

Tribal Delegation Meetings: March 2014

IHS held Tribal Delegation Meetings in March with the following Tribes: Ak-Chin, Shoshone Bannock, Tohono O'odham Nation, Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, Fort McDermitt Tribe, Crow Tribe, and Wampanoag Aquinnah Tribe. Here are pictures from the in-person meetings:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

---

HHS Annual Tribal Budget Consultation

I attended the HHS Annual Tribal Budget Consultation session in Washington, D.C., in March. During this meeting, the IHS Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup presented their recommendations for the FY 2016 IHS budget. Here are pictures from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

---

Update - Settlement of Tribal Claims for Contract Support Costs

The IHS is complying with the Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter Supreme Court decision and has made notable progress on resolving past CSC claims, especially since we committed more resources and staff to the claims settlement process. The IHS will continue to focus on speedy resolution through settlement whenever possible and appreciates the collaborative nature of the settlement discussions to date. The following is the most current information regarding the settlement progress, as of April 24, 2014:

Approximate number of claims for which IHS has made settlement offers to Tribes: 250
Number of claims for which settlement agreements have been reached, some of which may still be in the process of finalization: 146
Total amount of claims settlements to date: $273 million

The IHS also has completed or begun the financial analysis of over 660 claims.

The IHS will continue to provide updates to Tribes on the claims settlement process.

---

Fort Yuma Health Center

I visited the Fort Yuma Health Center while in Yuma, AZ, for a tribal delegation meeting with the Quechan and Cocopah Tribes. I enjoyed meeting our IHS staff at the facility - here is a picture from the visit:

•  
  

---

Tribal Delegation Meeting: Quechan and Cocopah Tribes

I met with the Quechan and Cocopah Tribes in a Tribal Delegation Meeting in March in Yuma, AZ, to discuss the FY 2015 President's Budget Request, which includes proposed funding to construct a new Ft. Yuma Health Center. Here are pictures from the meeting:

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

•  
  

---

Special Diabetes Program for Indians

The Special Diabetes Program for Indians was extended by Congress for another year through September 30, 2015! The President signed the legislation that included the extension on April 1, 2014. I met with the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee by phone this month to get their recommendations for the distribution in FY 2015. Given that the reauthorization is only for one year, they recommended that we keep the distribution the same but continue discussions on how we would change the distribution if we received multi-year funding. We are planning another in-person meeting to continue the discussion.

---

Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee Meeting

The Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee met in Rockville, MD, to discuss recommendations on the distribution of FY 2015 funding for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians. Here are pictures from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  
•  
  

---

Coalition of Large Tribes Meeting

I met with the Coalition of Large Tribes at their Congressional Meeting in March. Here are pictures from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  
•  
  

---

California IHS Area Listening Session

I attended a Listening Session with Tribes in the California IHS Area in March after their Annual Tribal Consultation Meeting in Reno, NV. I provided an update on the budget and our agency reform efforts. Here are pictures from the Listening Session:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

•  
  
•  
  
•  
  

---

FAAB Meeting

The IHS Facilities Appropriations Advisory Board (FAAB) met in Rockville in March. Due to flight cancellations from a snowstorm, some members were unable to attend. While not a quorum, the members in attendance discussed IHS facilities issues and planned to hold the next meeting with all members in Seattle, WA, on April 29-30, 2014. Here is a picture from the meeting:

Click on the thumbnails for larger images

•  
  

---

Contract Support Costs Update

Consistent with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, the IHS intends to fully fund the estimated amount of contract support costs (CSC) need for contracting and compacting Tribes in fiscal year (FY) 2014. Once our appropriation was apportioned, we distributed the CSC amounts currently identified in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act agreements and then consulted with the IHS CSC Workgroup on the distribution of any additional amounts necessary to fully fund the estimated CSC need. Since this is the first time in recent history that IHS has had funding legally available to fully fund CSC, we want to make sure the distribution reflects the best estimate of the full amount of CSC for each Tribe. We also know that Tribes want us to distribute this funding as soon as possible.

Therefore, we met with the IHS CSC Workgroup and agreed upon the updates to the available data that were needed to estimate CSC need in FY 2014. Our Area Directors have been instructed to ensure that all Tribes have an opportunity to verify their amounts this month, and we are on track to amend the agreements and distribute the funding by the end of the month. As per our policy, there is a reconciliation process that occurs later in the year using more updated and/or additional information to make any necessary corrections. Also, we are still working on the requests for CSC for new and expanded programs that we have received to date.

If you have any questions about the CSC payments in FY 2014, please contact your Area Director. Thank you to the IHS CSC Workgroup members for their help with this important matter.

---

Contract Support Costs Consultation Session

IHS and BIA are holding a consultation session on Contract Support Costs (CSC) on May 6, 2014, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA, as a part of the upcoming 2014 Tribal Self-Governance Annual Consultation Conference. At this session, we will continue formal consultation and open dialogue on CSC, particularly focusing on working together to identify long-term solutions to this issue. For more information, please review the letter [PDF - 39KB] sent to Tribes.