Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
A series of webinars will be held TODAY discussing topics on potential uses for COVID-19 funding available to Tribal Nations and associated reporting requirements. Additionally, Treasury has announced a Tribal Information Session on the American Rescue Plan Act Fiscal Recovery Fund Reporting and Compliance Guidance scheduled for June 28, 2021.
Information and registration details on these webinar sessions are as follows—
Webinar on American Rescue Plan Act 2021: Use of Funding & CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements
- Hosted By: The Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee (TSGAC)
- Date/Time: TODAY – June 23, 2021 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm ET
- Click Here to Register
TSGAC will be hosting a webinar to provide an overview on the use of Indian Health Service and Tribal funding in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), as well as new Reporting Requirements for the Provider Relief Fund established by the 2020 CARES Act. ARPA authorized $31 billion specifically for Tribal communities, which included $20 billion for Tribal governments and $6.1 billion for Native health systems. The CARES Act Provider Relief Fund authorized $175 billion in direct relief funding for health care providers for expenses and lost revenues due to COVID-19. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently updated its Reporting Requirements for recipients of Provider Relief Funds and the first reporting period begins on July 1, 2021. If you have questions, please contact Cyndi Ferguson, TSGAC ACA/IHCIA Project Lead at cyndif@senseinc.com.
USET SPF recently sent an alert on IHS announcing the allocation distribution of $1.8 billion in remaining ARPA funds (the initial allocation of $4.3 billion of ARPA funds was made on April 16, 2021). To view USET SPF’s alert on this announcement, please click here. USET SPF also recently sent an alert on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Revised Notice of Reporting Requirements and Reporting Timeline for Provider Relief Fund Payments. To view USET SPF’s alert on this announcement, please click here. Additionally, to view USET SPF’s alert on Treasury ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund Compliance and Reporting Guidance, click here, and to view our alert on BIA disbursement of $900 million in ARPA funding, please click here.
Joint BIA/IHS TEAMS Call with Eastern Region Tribal Leaders
- Hosted By: The Bureau of Indian Affairs Eastern Regional Office, the Indian Health Service Nashville Area Office, and USET/USET SPF
- Date/Time: TODAY – June 23, 2021 at 2:00pm CT (3:00pm ET)
- Click Here to Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIA Eastern Regional Office, IHS Nashville Area Office, and USET/USET SPF partnered to offer a Joint Organization COVID-19 Response Call that was initially held twice per week. As we progressed through the pandemic, this pared down to monthly calls which are now no longer being held in that same forum. To provide support and communication to Tribal Nations within the Eastern Region, BIA, IHS, and OJS leadership have scheduled a call via TEAMS to be held Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at 2:00pm CT (3:00pm ET) for a forum to provide information related to the American Recovery Plan (APR) funds. If you should need any additional details to participate in this call, please contact Tiffany Crennel, Program Analyst 615-788-2509 (cell) tiffany.crennel@bia.gov.
A Conversation with Bryan Newland – How Tribes Can Maximize their American Rescue Plan Opportunities
(From Webinar Description Provided by Harvard University)
From setting tribal priorities, to building infrastructure, to managing and sustaining projects, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) presents an unprecedented opportunity for the 574 federally recognized tribal nations to use their rights of sovereignty and self-government to strengthen their communities. As the tribes take on the challenges presented by the Act, the Ash Center’s Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development is hosting a series designed to assist tribes, to help tribes learn from each other and from a wide array of guest experts.
During this discussion, the third in the series, each panelist presentation will be followed by a brief Q+A
session to maximize the opportunities for audience participation. This session is titled “A Conversation with Bryan Newland – How Tribes Can Maximize their American Rescue Plan Opportunities” and will feature:
- Bryan Newland, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs U.S. Department of Interior
- Del Laverdure, Attorney and Former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior
- Moderated by Karen Diver HKS 2003, M.P.A., Board of Governors, Honoring Nations, Harvard Project.
American Rescue Plan Fiscal Recovery Fund Reporting and Compliance Guidance: A Tribal Information Session
Last week, Treasury released Compliance and Reporting Guidance for all eligible governments receiving Fiscal Recovery Funds (FRF) authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. All Tribal governments receiving FRF dollars will be required to meet compliance and reporting requirements as defined in the Interim Final Rule and further described in the Compliance and Reporting Guidance. Treasury is seeking Tribal input on these items and is expected to issue a forthcoming update to address Tribal concerns. Treasury will also be issuing a User Guide and other reference materials for filing FRF Interim Reports by the beginning of August 2021. Treasury will post these materials and information on its FRF for Tribal Governments website.
Each Tribal government will be required to submit an Interim Report by August 31, 2021 to cover the period from March 3, to June 30, 2021, which will include a summary of FRF spending by expenditure category. Additionally, beginning on October 31, 2021, and every quarter thereafter, each Tribal government will be required to submit a quarterly Project and Expenditure Report. According to the Compliance and Reporting Guidance issued by Treasury, this only applies to the FRF program authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2) and does not change nor impact reporting and compliance requirements for the Coronavirus Relief Fund established by the 2020 CARES Act (P.L. 116-136).
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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