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Week of July 29, 2024

In this Letter:

✒️Congressional Items 

📝 Dear Tribal Leader Letters

📒Upcoming Tribal Advisory Committees & Tribal Consultations

🎟️Events 

💵 Notice of Funding Opportunities

Congressional Corner

The House adjourned for August recess early before passing all twelve annual spending bills. The full House of Representatives did pass their Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025 (which contains funding for the Indian Health Service and other programs serving Tribal nations) late in the evening of July 24, before leaving DC.

The Senate is in session this week. Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY25 Interior Appropriations Bill in a bipartisan vote 28-1 – the Committee report, bill summary, and bill text can all be found on the Appropriations Committee’s hearing webpage. The Senate Interior Bill provided an overall amount for the IHS close to the House-passed bill, with an increase of $1.5 billion, $100 million under the House’s level. The majority of the increases were to Contract Support Costs (CSC) and 105(l) Lease Payments. While the Senate bill did not address a mandatory shift for CSC and 105(l) Lease costs, the Committee Report did address the unique indefinite discretionary nature of the current funding. The Committee continues its work on FY25 spending bills, including a hearing on August 1^st, where the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025 will be considered.

NIHB launched an advocacy resource page on moving Contract Support Costs and 105(l) Lease Payments to mandatory appropriations, including an updated one-pager. Check it out and see how you can get involved!

Hearings Schedule

Title: Full Committee Markup of Energy and Water Development; Defense; Labor, Health, and Human Services; and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Acts

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee

Date: Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 9:30 AM

Hearing Web Link

Title: Executive Session on S. 4776, Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act, S. 4762, Autism CARES Act, and S. 4755, Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act

Committee: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)

Date: Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 10:00 AM

Hearing Web Link

Dear Tribal Leader Letters

View NIHB’s full Dear Tribal Leader Letter Tracker here 

HHS July 2 Letter: HHS will host a Tribal Consultation on the syphilis and congenital syphilis outbreak.

SSS July 1 Letter: The Director writes to share an opportunity to provide feedback on Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan.

DOI July 1 Letter: DOI announces its proposed rule amending regulations governing implementation of subchapter IV of the ISDEAA and the Department’s Tribal Self-Governance Program.

Upcoming Tribal Advisory Committees & Tribal Consultations

View NIHB’s full Regulations Tracker here

Consultations

2024 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Annual Regional Tribal Consultations | Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Region 8: July 29 – 30, 2024 | Denver, CO

Region 4: August 14 – 15, 2024 | Eastern Band of Cherokee

Region 6: August 20 – 22, 2024 | Oklahoma City, OK

Region 5: August 27—28, 2024 | St. Paul, MN

IHS Written Tribal Consultation on Tribal Self-Governance Program Report

Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Draft Report

Comments Due: August 2, 2024

Comment Submission: consultation@ihs.gov | subject line, “Tribal Self-Governance Report to Congress FYs 2018 and 2019"

OASH Tribal Consultation on the Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Outbreak

Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Date: August 5, 2024, 1:00 –2:30 PM ET

Meeting Registration Link

Comments Due: September 5, 2024

Comments Submission: STI@hhs.gov | subject line “Tribal Consultation” 

Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer Health IT Modernization Program: Multi-Tenant Domain Considerations

Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Date: August 8, 2024, 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET

Meeting Registration Link

All Tribes Consultation Webinar on a Proposed Tribal Exemption from the Four Walls Requirements

Date: August 8, 2024, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET

Meeting Registration Link

Comments Due: September 9, 2024

ACL National Plan on Aging

ACL Website Additional Information

Comments Due: September 15, 2024

Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer Health IT Modernization Program: Site Readiness and Training

Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Date: November 7, 2024, 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET

Meeting Registration Link

Listening Sessions

CDC and OMB Listening Sessions on Tribal Public Health Priorities

Date: August 7, 2024, 10:50 AM–12:00 PM ET

Event Webpage Link

Tribal Advisory Committee Meetings

IHS Director's Workgroup on Improving Purchased/Referred Care

Date: July 30 – 31, 2024

Location: Denver, CO

Event Webpage Link

28^th Biannual CDC/ATSDR Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting

Date: August 7—8, 2024

Location: Canyonville, Oregon

Meeting Webpage Link

IHS ISAC Fall 2024 Semi-Annual Meeting

Date: August 27—28, 2024

Location: Rockville, Maryland

Meeting Webpage Link

DSTAC 4th Quarter Meeting

Date: September 10-12, 2024

Meeting Webpage Link

Events

CMS Maternal Health Summer 2024 Webinar Series

Meeting Webpage Link

Social Security Administration Benefits Coordinator (Overpayments, Waivers, and Payment Recovery Options) Training

Date: July 30, 2024, 10 AM ET or July 31, 2024, 1:30 PM ET

July 30^th Registration Link

July 31^st Registration Link

2024 IHS Partnership Conference and Direct Service Tribes National Meeting

Date: August 13—15

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Meeting Webpage Link

Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) 2024 Grantee Conference

Date: August 14—16, 2024

Meeting Webpage Link

Health IT Modernization Tribal Summit

Date: August 16, 2024

Meeting Webpage Link

Location: Phoenix, AZ 

NCUIH Investing in Wellness: Financing Behavioral Health Toolkit Launch

Date: August 22, 2024

Meeting Webpage Link

12th World Wilderness Congress WILD12

Date: August 25 – 31, 2024

Meeting Webpage Link

Notice of Funding Opportunities

Women’s Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center | Click Here to Learn More

Award Amount: $12,500,000 total for five years

Application Deadline: August 20, 2024

Description: The purpose of this program is to enhance the capacity of women’s behavioral health providers, general healthcare providers, and others involved in the holistic care of women to address the diverse needs of women with or at risk for mental health and substance use conditions, including women with or risk for mental and substance use conditions that were greatly impacted by COVID.

Community-Based Maternal Behavioral Health Services Program | Click Here to Learn More

Award Amount: $500,000 per year

Application Deadline: August 26, 2024

Description: The purpose of this program is to improve access to evidence-based, timely, and culturally relevant maternal mental health and substance use (behavioral health) intervention and treatment by strengthening community referral pathways. Recipients will be expected to collaborate with pregnancy and postpartum healthcare organizations, refer individuals in need of behavioral health care to the appropriate entities, and provide short-term mental health and substance use services to individuals who cannot access care.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Application for the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model | Click Here to Learn More

Award Amount: Up to $7,500,000

Application Deadline: September 9, 2024

Description: The Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model (the “Model”) is an eight-year, voluntary service delivery and payment model promoting integrated care in behavioral health (BH) settings. The IBH Model will test the impact of a value-based payment (VBP) model aligned across Medicaid and Medicare that supports an integrated care delivery framework in specialty BH organizations and settings for adult Medicaid, Medicare, and dually eligible beneficiaries with moderate to severe mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders (SUDs).

National Indian Health Board | www.nihb.org | 202-507-4070

Visit the NIHB COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center at www.nihb.org/covid-19