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12/08/2022
Dear Tribal Leader Letter: Non-BIA Programs List

Click HERE to download the Dear Tribal Leader Letter.

Dear Tribal Leader:

 

On behalf of Secretary Haaland, I am pleased to reaffirm the Department of the Interior's (Department) commitment to co-stewardship and managing Federal lands and waters in a manner that seeks to protect the treaty, religious, subsistence, and cultural interests of federally recognized Indian Tribes includingthe Native Hawaiian Community. To fulfill this mission,the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs proposes to consult on the List of Programs Eligible for Inclusion in Funding Agreements Negotiated withSeif-Governance Tribesby Interior Bureaus Other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) (the"List") that is prepared annually pursuant to section 412(c) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (the "ISDEAA"). A copy of the List for Fiscal Year 2022 can be found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-02584.

 

It is important to notethe list is NOT a definitive list of all potentially contractable programs and there may be many more that have yet tobe identified. Prior versions of the List have included non-BIA programs or portions of programs that areeligible for inclusion in self-governance funding agreements with Indian Tribes. Past Lists have also included Fiscal Year programmatic targets for non-BIA bureaus under Title IV of the ISDEAA. We seek feedback on what information would be most helpful to Indian Tribes.

 

Joint Secretarial Order 3403 directs the Department's bureaus to "[m]ake agreements with Indian Tribes to collaborate in the co-stewardship of Federal lands and waters under the Departments' jurisdiction, including for wildlife and its habitat." The Department views the ISDEAA as an important means for fulfilling the goals of Joint Secretarial Order 3403, andthe List as a valuable resource for Indian Tribes seeking ways to develop collaborative arrangements in the co-stewardship of Federal lands and waters.

 

A listening session onthis issue was previously held at the 2022 Self Governance Conference on August 2, 2022, at which non-BIA program staff were available for questions and answers. The results indicated that further consultation on the format and content of the List would behelpful. Indian Affairs invites you to consult on three topics:

 

(1)  the value of the currentformat of the List to Indian Tribes seeking contracting, self­ governance agreement(s), and/or compacting under ISDEAA;

(2)  whether adding to the List a list of all contracts, self-governance agreements, and/or compacts, entered into by Department bureaus other than the BIA would behelpful for Tribes seeking to contract or compact with non-BIA Department bureaus; and

(3)  whether general guidance on the principles governing contracting, self-governance agreement(s), and/or compacting under the ISDEAA should be included in the List.

 

We will hold three consultation sessions on these topics as follows:

 

Date

Time

Location/Connectivity

Thursday,

2 P.M.- 5 P.M. MT

In-Person Consultation to be held at:

January 12,

 

 

2023

 

BLM NationalTrainingCenter

 

 

9828 North 31st Ave.

 

 

Phoenix, AZ 85051

Tuesday,January 17,

2023

2 P.M.- 5 P.M. PT

Virtual Meeting

 

Please register in advance for this meeting:

 

 

https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/ vJltduqorTgoGopPOO0pLs0gYX84bKdA08U

Friday,January 20,

2023

2 P.M.- 5 P.M. ET

Virtual Meeting

 

Please register in advance for this meeting:

 

https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vlltcu-rpzgqHN4fCs61rDTyoIEyJqzSJQU

 

We welcome yourwritten comments, which should be submitted by email to consultations@bia.gov by 11:59pm ET onMonday, February 20, 2023.

 

If you have any questionsregarding this effort, pleasecontact Samuel Kohn, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, via email at samuel.kohn@bia.gov, orby phoneat (202) 208-7163.

 

Welook forward to speaking with you and receiving your input on the List.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bryan Newland

Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs


11/30/2022
Guidance for FY 2022 Financial Assistance and Social Services Program Report

Click HERE to download the Memo.

 

The Financial Assistance and Social Service Report (FASSR) is the only report that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Regions, Agencies,and Tribes operatingunder Pub. L. 93-638 Contracts, Pub. L. 102-477 Plans, and Self-Governance Annual Funding Agreements are required to submit for the Welfare Assistance (WA) program.

 

The Office of Indian Services (OIS), Division of Human Services (DHS) uses the FASSR to determine the amount of WA funding to distribute to Tribes and BIA Agencies each Fiscal Year (FY). The BIA Regional Offices, Office of Self Governance (OSG), and the OIS, Division of Workforce Development (OIS, DWD) are responsible for collecting the FASSRs, certifying that the FASSRs are complete, and submitting them to the OIS, DHS. These offices are also in charge of distributing funds to the BIA Agenciesand Tribes based on the approved methodology and supporting documentation. The BIA Agencies and Tribes must submit the FY 2022 FASSR to receive a final distribution of FY 2023 WA funds.

 

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Indian Affairs Manuel (IAM) 70 Chapter 3 provides direction on the WelfareAssistance Methodology and FASSR submission process. The IAM is located at FinancialAssistance and Social Services Reporting (bia.gov)

 

The BIA will use the same process and form to report the FY 2022 WA data. The form is available online at the BIA website’s main page at: https://www.bia.gov/policy-forms/online- forms

To facilitate the timely distribution of FY 2023, Welfare Assistance funds all FY and Calendar Year (CY) Tribes and BIA Agenciesoperating this programmust submit the 2022 FASSR to the respective program by:

 


 

Due Dates for Tribes and BIA Agencies to submit the FASSR:

Fiscal Year (FY) Tribes/BIA Agencies: Friday,December 16, 2022

Calendar Year (CY) Tribes:           Monday, January 16, 2023

 

Due Dates for BIA Regional Offices,OSG, and OIS DWD to submit the FASSR to OIS,DHS:

Reports by FY Tribes/ BIA Agencies:     Tues., January 31, 2023

Reports by CY Tribes:              Thursday, March 2, 2023

 

The BIA, Regional Offices, OSG, and OIS, DWD must certify and submit the 2022 FASSR for their program’s Tribes and/or BIA Agencies, to the OIS, DHS. The BIA RegionalOffices, OSG, and OIS, DWD is also responsible for:

 

  • Distributing the BIA 2022 end-of-year FASSR form to Tribes and Agencies.
  • Providingtechnical assistance to Tribes and Agencies for the accuratecompletion of reports, using the BIA FASSR form.
  • Collecting reports from Tribes and BIA Agencies within their regionor program; and
  • Verifying accuracy and certifying the completionof all reports.

 

The OIS, DHS will certify the FY 2022 FASSR form:

 

  • If it is in the required MicrosoftExcel format (handwritten reports are accepted)
  •  Is signed by an Agency representative and/orTribal representative.
  •  Is signed by the respective Regional Office, OSG, or OIS, DWD verifyingthat the FASSR is complete and accurate.
  • Contains both the data and narrative sections of the form. Reportsthat do not include a narrative will not be considered complete. The narrative section of the report provides the “story” to the data.
  •  The allocations, expenditures, and carryover amounts/shortfall information reported are accurate. Each Tribe and Agency must identify carryoverfunds into FY 2022 or previous year(s) in the narrative portion of its report as well as in Column Q with Amount Allocated. Carryover/shortfalls into FY 2022 should be identified in the data section of the FASSR (Column R).

 

The BIA Regional Office,OSG, and OIS, DWD representative are responsible for submitting all certified Tribal and BIA Agency FASSRS and the Check List at: https://doimspp- my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/babette_howe_indianaffairs_gov/EsTzjUNfXTFIjBg6lgv62A MBqk9R-j9dr9VAg1Iea5yWVA?e=0LiDs3

 

Please note the BIA Regional Offices, the OSG, and OIS, DWD are not responsible for consolidating their program reports.The OIS, DHS will consolidate the reports electronically to facilitate analysis.

 

The OIS, DHS is available to provide technicalassistance and will provide FASSR training on November 30, 2022, from 1:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Evangeline M. Campbell at: evangeline.campbell@bia.gov; or Elias Picard at: elias.picard@bia.gov.


11/22/2022
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE & SOCIAL SERVICES REPORTS “FASSR TRAINING”

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Services

Division of Human Services

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE & SOCIAL SERVICES REPORTS

“FASSR TRAINING”

Overview:  The BIA will host a Financial Assistance & Social Services Report training event titled “FASSR Training” on Wdnesday, November 30, 2022.  The training will be conducted through TEAMS and will focus on how to fill-out and complete the FASSR Report.

 

Key Topics:

  • Where to find the correct FASSR reporting form
  • How to properly fill-out the FASSR reporting form
  • How to submit the FASSR reporting form
  • Who/where to submit the FASSR reporting form

Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2022, from 1:00 pm ET to 2:00 pm ET

 

The training will be recorded and emailed out to participants for further disbursement to those who were unable to attend, or for future reference and use.

 

Target Audience: Those who submit the FASSR report (BIA Agencies, Tribes, etc.)

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Please direct questions to Evangeline Campbell at: evangeline.campbell@bia.gov or Elias Picard at: elias.picard@bia.gov


10/06/2022
Final Self Governance Negotiation Guidance for BIA Programs for 2023

Final Self Governance Negotiation Guidance for BIA Programs for 2023.

Click here to download the PDF.