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2021 Letters

December 29, 2021

The Acting Deputy Director invites Tribal Leaders to participate in an additional virtual Tribal Consultation on January 5, 2022, to seek input on additional Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding. [PDF - 23 KB]

December 15, 2021

The Acting Deputy Director invites Tribal Leaders to participate in an additional virtual Tribal Consultation on December 22, 2021, to seek input on additional American Rescue Plan Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and Build Back Better Act funding. [PDF - 173 KB]

November 22, 2021

The Acting Deputy Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation to seek input on additional American Rescue Plan Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and Build Back Better Act funding. [PDF - 594 KB]

November 15, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide updates on the Special Diabetes Program for Indians for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. [PDF - 310 KB]

October 21, 2021

The Acting Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration, and the Acting IHS Director notify Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders that they have jointly signed a new Memorandum of Understanding aimed at improving the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans. [PDF - 74 KB]

October 5, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on the Indian Health Service's (IHS) position related to the eligibility of the Seminole Freedmen of the Seminole Nation to receive health services from the IHS or by a Tribal health program or an Urban Indian Organization. [PDF - 342 KB]

September 24, 2021

The Secretary HHS invites Tribal Leaders to participate in a Nation-to-Nation dialogue on the ongoing COVID-19 response. [PDF - 94 KB]

September 24, 2021

The Acting Director writes to inform Arizona Tribal Leaders that the Indian Health Service has rescheduled the virtual Tribal Consultation sessions on designating the State of Arizona as a Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area to November 30, 2021, and December 8, 2021. [PDF - 182 KB]

August 20, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Arizona Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation in follow-up to the completion of a multi-year feasibility study on designating the State of Arizona as a Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area.

Please note that the dates for Tribal Consultation are in the process of being changed. Consultation sessions will not be held on September 22, 2021, or September 28, 2021. Additional information will be forthcoming.
[PDF - 443 KB]

August 12, 2021

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiates Tribal Consultation and invites Tribal Leaders to participate in two virtual Tribal Consultations to seek input and recommendations on mandatory funding approaches for the Indian Health Service. [PDF - 188 KB]

August 9, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to provide an update on ongoing Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer concerning modernization of the Health Information Technology infrastructure supported by the Indian Health Service. A link to the Statement of Objectives is included for review and comment. [PDF - 219 KB]

July 27, 2021

The Acting Director, Indian Health Service and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs invite Tribal Leaders to consult on 105 (l) lease requirements and payments, with a goal toward transparent 105 (l) lease administration. [PDF - 240 KB]

July 14, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to share information about a new incentive program available to eligible United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers assigned to Tribal and Urban Indian health programs. [PDF - 213 KB]

July 13, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to announce the publication of Indian Health Service Circular No. 21-02 Contract Support Costs Advisory Group – Charter and seek nominations for Tribal members to serve on the Contract Support Costs Advisory Group. [PDF - 243 KB]

June 30, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to request assistance in identifying priority health professions for inclusion into categories eligible for the IHS Scholarship Program in academic year 2022-2023 and the IHS Loan Repayment Program in fiscal year 2022. [PDF - 173 KB]

June 22, 2021

UPDATED LETTER: The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce the allocation decisions for approximately $1.8 billion in resources appropriated to the Indian Health Service in the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021. [PDF - 261 KB]

May 28, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to announce a Tribal Consultation Session to seek input and feedback on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement the Buy Indian Act of 1910. [PDF - 181 KB]

May 26, 2021

The Acting Director invites Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to participate in Agency-sponsored Listening Sessions to share information and solicit input on next steps for our ongoing Indian Health Service Health Information Technology Modernization Project.

[PDF - 228 KB]

May 14, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to request your participation in an Electronic Health Record data call.

[PDF - 443 KB]

April 28, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to announce the Indian Health Service decision on the distribution of $5 million from FY 2020 appropriations and $5 million allocated from FY 2021 appropriations to support the national Community Health Aide Program expansion. [PDF - 291 KB]

April 27, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation to seek input and recommendations to improve the Indian Health Service Tribal Consultation Policy and process.

[PDF - 538 KB]

April 26, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to provide an update about recent developments to advance the notice of proposed rulemaking to implement the Buy Indian Act of 1910 and amend the regulations for IHS contracting policy and procedures. [PDF - 418 KB]

April 16, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce allocation decisions for approximately $4.3 billion in new resources appropriated to the IHS in the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021. [PDF - 267 KB]

April 12, 2021

The Acting Director writes to inform Tribal Leaders how to request access to the Department of Health and Human Services Protect environment in support of public health activities to respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019. [PDF - 192 KB]

April 1, 2021

The Acting Director writes to inform Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders of the next steps in the Indian Health Service Health Information Technology Modernization initiative. [PDF - 194 KB]

March 31, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation on two Indian Health Service initiatives: (1) the use of $5 million from the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations that the IHS has allocated to address Alzheimer's disease; and (2) the use of $5 million in funding for Ending the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic: A Plan for America, which was allocated to support work toward the elimination of HIV and hepatitis C in Indian Country. [PDF - 316 KB]

March 26, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce an updated allocation of $95 million in telehealth funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. [PDF - 187 KB]

March 8, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to initiate Tribal Consultation to seek rapid input regarding the potential allocation of $6 billion currently under consideration by Congress as part of the Administration's American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. [PDF - 250 KB]

February 5, 2021

The Acting Director notifies Tribal Leaders that the Indian Health Service and the Veterans Health Administration have extended the comment submission deadline until March 2, 2021, on the joint Tribal Consultation seeking input on the draft revised memorandum of understanding between the two agencies and provides information for an upcoming Virtual Listening Session scheduled for February 17, 2021. [PDF - 172 KB]

February 2, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce the allocation decisions for the $210 million in new resources transferred from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Indian Health Service to support COVID-19 vaccine related activities in American Indian and Alaska Native communities authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. [PDF - 312 KB]

January 29, 2021

The Acting Director writes to Tribal Leaders to provide an update on the notice of proposed rulemaking related to the administration of the Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund published in the Federal Register on January 26, 2016. [PDF - 173 KB]

January 19, 2021

RADM Weahkee sends a farewell letter to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders. [PDF - 167 KB]

January 19, 2021

The Director writes to Tribal Leaders to follow-up on the December 17, 2020, letter to provide an update on the Indian Health Service and the Department of Health and Human Services proposed regulatory activities regarding implementation of the Buy Indian Act of 1910 (Buy Indian Act, 25 U.S.C. § 47) which would update the regulations for IHS contracting policy and procedures. [PDF - 173 KB]

January 15, 2021

The Director writes to Tribal Leaders and Urban Indian Organization Leaders to announce the allocation decisions for $790 million in new resources transferred from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to the Indian Health Service to support COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, containment, mitigation, and related activities for monitoring and suppressing COVID-19 in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 116-260, Div. M, Title III. [PDF - 385 KB]