Effective Date: 9/29/00

Series: Organization

Part 110: Office of the Secretary

Chapter 28: Office of Trust Funds Management

Originating Office: Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians

28.1 The Office of Trust Funds Management (OTFM), located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is in the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST), Office of the Secretary. It is headed by a Director who reports to the Principal Deputy Special Trustee.

28.2 Mission. The mission of OTFM is to assure the highest level of accuracy, responsiveness, and service in the receipt, investment, and disbursement of all judgement awards, special acts, and income from trust resources belonging to Native Americans in accordance with the American Indian Trust Funds Management Reform Act of 1994.

28.3 Responsibilities. The Office is responsible for professional, technical, and managerial leadership of OST activities, programs, and functions related to and affecting funds held in trust for individual Indians and Indian tribes. It is responsible for planning, implementing and managing programs and activities assigned to OTFM. It manages systems, policies, standards, and procedures governing trust funds, including receipting, accounting, investing, disbursing, and reporting trust fund activity and amounts held in trust. The Office develops, coordinates, and evaluates OTFM trust fund policies and procedures. The Office operates a management control review system that provides oversight to the trust funds program to ensure integrity of data, systems design, and operation.

28.4 The Office of the Director. The Director carries out the responsibilities of the Office with assistance from the following support staff and divisions:

A. Administrative Support Staff manages administrative services and functions which support the operations of the OTFM divisions. The Staff formulates, plans, implements, and coordinates all budget, administrative accounting, personnel management, procurement, and internal reporting activities.

B. Division of Quality Assurance plans, develops, operates, and controls the OTFM management systems review and evaluation program. The Division advises the Director, OTFM, on the efficiency, economy, legality and effectiveness of operations at the program and field level. It ensures that all laws and regulations mandated are received, communicated, and complied with throughout OTFM. It conducts analyses, evaluations, and reviews of operations, including the timely and accurate reconciliation of all cash, assets, and systems. It serves as the liaison between the Office and external audit and evaluation organizations. The Division provides continuing oversight of trust fund systems at headquarters and field operations, identifies problems, and develops recommended action plans for the correction of identified weaknesses. The Division coordinates the development and control of trust fund directives. It advises the Director in the preparation and development of trust funds policies issued in directives and, in coordination with the OST Directives Officer, assures that all policies and procedures are issued through the approved directives system prior to implementation.

C. Division of Trust Funds Systems provides daily OST data systems support for the trust funds systems currently in place. It ensures proper maintenance of the existing systems to support the financial management of trust funds. The Division is responsible for testing and implementing automated trust funds financial systems and provides technical support for trust fund aspects of automated data processing (ADP), including hardware and software recommendations, acquisitions, installation, and training; and ensures necessary interfaces with other systems. It identifies training needs and provides ongoing training in the operation of automated systems. It manages the OTFM local area networks (LAN), identifies and installs trust fund related computer equipment and software, and ensures that applications are compatible with other mainframe systems.

D. Division of Trust Funds Accounting operates and controls accounting activities which properly record and report all funds received, disbursed, invested, and held in trust for individual Indians and Indian tribes. It plans, develops, and recommends policies and procedures governing trust operations. It also coordinates with other Federal agencies as necessary in the maintenance of trust accounts.

E. Division of Trust Funds Services plans, develops, operates, and controls the buying, selling, and trading of investment instruments in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The Division plans, develops, and recommends policies and procedures governing the investment of controlled trust fund accounts, including: accounts belonging to minors; accounts belonging to adult Indians in situations where competent authority has determined that the accounts must be supervised; accounts of tribal funds made available through judgment awards; Alaska Native escrow accounts; contributed funds; and funds deposited to other controlled accounts. The Division provides technical advice and assistance to Indian tribes in developing financial plans requiring access to tribal trust funds and provides assistance in developing investment strategies for tribal and individual Indian trust funds. It provides technical advice and assistance to BIA Regional offices, agencies, and Indian tribes in developing financial plans and investment strategies for tribal trust funds. The Division maintains liaison between the OTFM and other public or private sector organizations involved with investments and provides technical information to BIA Regional and Agency operating officials and to tribes regarding the status of funds invested. The Division plans and implements the protocols for dealing with account owner (with the exception of IIM) concerns, questions, and suggestions; implements a tracking system for processing issues and responses; and provides status reports to the Director and other management officials within the Office.

F. Division of Reporting/Reconciliation reconciles subsidiary and controlled accounts and monitors trust fund activities at the OTFM and field level. The Division prepares internal and external financial accounting reports. It is responsible for the accurate and timely preparation and submission of appropriate external reports, and required tax forms.

G. Division of Field Operations located in Oklahoma City, OK, is responsible for coordinating the administrative and technical execution of financial trust programs conducted at subordinate offices; providing or obtaining adequate technical service to guide and support field operations; and evaluating the performance of field level organizations. The Division, through its subordinate branches, is also responsible for the work processes related to receiving, recording, and disbursing general trust and judgment funds collected by the BIA, belonging to individual Indian adults, minors, legal incompetents, deceased beneficiaries, and tribes; examining, verifying, and maintaining accounts and accounting data for IIM accounts; and preparing, maintaining, and reconciling records. It also responds to IIM account holders’ questions concerning the status of accounts, receipts, or other related matters.

28.5 Field Organization. The field activities of the OTFM are divided among 12 geographical jurisdictions.

A. Field Operations Offices. OTFM Field Operations Offices are co-located within each of the 12 BIA Regional Offices. Each Field Operations Office is headed by a Trust Accountant who reports to the Office of the Director, OTFM. Each Office is responsible for carrying out the OTFM mission within a specified geographical jurisdiction consisting of one or more states and for providing necessary leadership and oversight to the Agency Offices within their jurisdiction. The Field Operations Offices have first-level program line authority and are the OTFM’s primary representative in their assigned geographical jurisdictions.

B. Agency Offices. Each Agency Office is subordinate to a Field Operations Office and reports to the Field Operations Office Trust Accountant. Each Agency Office is responsible for carrying out the OTFM mission at the local level and serving as the OTFM’s initial point-of-contact.

9/29/00 #3319

Replaces 2/25/97 #3139