Department of Health Tribal Self-Governance Program, Negotiation Cooperative Agreement Grant

A. Be an “Indian Tribe” as defined in 25 U.S.C. § 450b(e); a “Tribal Organization” as defined in 25 U.S.C. § 450b(l); or an “Inter-Tribal Consortium” as defined at 42 C.F.R. § 137.10. However, Alaska Native Villages or Alaska Native Village Corporations are not eligible if they are located within the area served by an Alaska Native regional health entity already participating in the Alaska Trial Health Compact of 1998. See Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-74. By statue, the Native Village of Eyak, Eastern Aleutian Tribes, and the Council for Athabascan Tribal Governments have also been deemed Alaska Native regional health entities. Those Alaska Tribes not represented by a Self-Governance Tribal consortium Funding Agreement within their area may still be considered to participate in the TSGP.

B. Submit a Tribal resolution from the appropriate governing body of each Indian Tribe to be served by the ISDEAA Compact authorizing the submission of the Negotiation Cooperative Agreement application. Tribal consortia applying for a TSGP Negotiation Cooperative Agreement shall submit Tribal Council resolutions from each Tribe in the consortium. Tribal resolutions can be attached to the electronic online application. Draft resolutions can be submitted with the application in lieu of an official signed resolution; however an official signed Tribal resolution must be received by the Division of Grants Management (DGM) prior to the Objective Review. If the DGM does not receive an official signed resolution by the Review Date listed under the Key Dates section on page one of this announcement, then the application shall be considered incomplete and ineligible for review or further consideration.

Official signed resolutions can be mailed to the DGM, Attn: Mr. John Hoffman, 801 Thompson Avenue, TMP Suite 360, Rockville, MD 20852. Applicants submitting Tribal resolutions after or aside from the online electronic application submission must ensure that the information is received by the IHS, DGM. It is highly recommended that the documentation be sent by a delivery method that includes delivery confirmation and tracking. Please contact Mr. John Hoffman by telephone at (301) 443-5204 prior to the Review Date regarding submission questions.

C. Demonstrate, for three fiscal years, financial stability and financial management capability. The Indian Tribe must provide evidence that, for the three years prior to participation in Self-Governance, the Indian Tribe has had no significant and material audit exceptions in the required annual audit of the Indian Tribe’s Self-Determination Contracts or Self-Governance Funding Agreements with any Federal agency. See 25 U.S.C. § 458aaa-2; 42 C.F.R. §§ 137.15-23.

For Tribes or Tribal organizations that expended $300,000 or more ($500,000 for Fiscal Years ending after December 31, 2003) in Federal awards, the OTSG shall retrieve the audits directly from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse database.

For Tribes or Tribal organizations that expended less than $300,000 ($500,000 for Fiscal Years ending after December 31, 2003) in Federal awards, the Tribe or Tribal Organization must provide evidence of the program review correspondence from IHS or Bureau of Indian Affairs officials. See 42 C.F.R. §§ 137.21-23.

The negotiations process has four major stages, including: 1) planning, 2) pre-negotiations, 3) negotiations, and 4) post-negotiations. Title V of the ISDEAA requires that a Tribe or Tribal organization complete a planning phase to the satisfaction of the Tribe. The planning phase must include legal and budgetary research and internal Tribal government planning and organization preparation relating to the administration of health care programs. During pre-negotiations, the Tribal and Federal negotiation teams review and discuss issues identified during the planning phase. A draft Compact, Funding Agreement, and funding table are developed, typically by the Tribe, and distributed to both the Tribal and Federal negotiation teams. These draft documents are used as the basis for pre- and final negotiations. Pre-negotiations provide an opportunity for the Tribe and the IHS to identify and discuss issues directly related to the Tribe’s Compact, Funding Agreement, and Tribal shares. At final negotiations, Tribal and Federal negotiation teams come together to determine and agree upon the terms and provisions of the Tribes Compact and Funding Agreement.

The Tribal negotiation team must include a Tribal leader from the governing body. This representative may be a Tribal leader or a designee, like the Tribal Health Director. The Tribal negotiation team may also include technical and program staff, legal counsel, and other consultants. The Federal negotiation team is led by the ALN and generally includes an OTSG Program Analyst and a member of the Office of the General Counsel. It may also include other IHS staff and subject matter experts as needed. The ALN is the only member of the Federal negotiation team with delegated authority to negotiate on behalf of the IHS Director.

Negotiations provide an opportunity for the Tribal and Federal negotiation teams to work together in good faith to enhance each Self-Governance agreement. Negotiations are not an allocation process; the negotiation teams to mutually review and discuss budget and program issues. As issues arise, both negotiation teams work through the issues to reach agreement on the final documents. After the negotiations are complete, the Compact and Funding Agreement are signed by the authorizing Tribal official and submitted to the ALN who then reviews the final package to ensure each document accurately reflects what was agreed to during negotiations. Once the ALN completes this review, the final package is submitted to the OTSG to be prepared for the IHS Director’s signature. After the Compact and Funding Agreement have been signed by both parties, they become legally binding and enforceable agreements.

The receipt of a Negotiation Cooperative Agreement is not a prerequisite to enter the TSGP. A Tribe may use its own resources to develop and negotiate its Compact and Funding Agreement. Tribes that receive a Negotiation Cooperative Agreement are not obligated to participate in Title V and may choose to delay or decline participation or expansion in the TSGP.