Department
of the Interior
Departmental
Manual
Effective
Date: 6/25/07
Series: Organization
Part
110: Office of the Secretary
Chapter
26: Office of the Special Trustee for American
Indians
Originating
Office: Office of the Special Trustee for American
Indians
110 DM
26
26.1 General. The Office of the Special Trustee for
American Indians was created by the American Indian Trust Fund Management
Reform Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-412).
The Office oversees reforms necessary to ensure the fulfillment of the
Department of the Interior=s
(DOI) trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Special Trustee advises the Secretary on
Individual Indian Money (IIM) and Tribal Trust Fund accounts; and, manages and
directs the staff within the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians
(OST) with the assistance of a Principal Deputy Special Trustee. The Principal Deputy Special Trustee acts in
the absence of the Special Trustee and discharges the responsibilities of the
Office including strategic planning, Activity Based Costing (ABC), and the
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
All offices and organizations in OST report through the Principal Deputy
Special Trustee to the Special Trustee with the exception of the Office of
Trust Review and Audit and the Office of Historical Trust Accounting (OHTA) (see
attached organization chart). The organizations and functions of OST
are described below.
26.2 Offices Reporting to the Principal Deputy
Special Trustee.
A. The
Chief Information Officer (CIO). The
CIO is responsible for Information Technology (IT) for OST nationwide and
oversees and directs IT support services including technical support, capital
planning and acquisition of IT equipment, IT security, and electronic and hard
copy records management activities. The
CIO ensures interface with other systems and develops a strategic plan to
support the OST business processes and manages IT services in accordance with
Departmental IT directives. The CIO
reviews all IT expenditures for OST to ensure that adequate resources are
available to support trust activities.
The CIO also coordinates acquisition requests for
procurement/expenditures in accordance with Departmental guidelines, enterprise
architecture, and capital planning.
(1) Office of Trust Records (OTR). The OTR reports to the CIO and is responsible
for the management of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and OST fiduciary trust
records programs consistent with requirements set forth in 44 U.S.C. Chapter
31. The fiduciary trust records
management program is developed and implemented in concert with other offices
in OST, BIA, Minerals Management Service (MMS), Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), and the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA). The OTR coordinates its activities with
offices and agencies such as the Office of the Solicitor, the National Archives
and Records Administration (NARA), the Department of Justice, the Office of
Management and Budget, and the Indian Trust Accounting Division of the General Services
Administration. The Director, OTR serves as the
Department’s designated official responsible for authorizing access to Indian
trust records at the American Indian Records Repository.
(a) Division of Records Management Policies,
Procedures and Training. The
division is responsible for managing a nationwide records program that is in
conformity with the legal obligations of the trust relationship between the
Federal government and American Indians.
The Division Chief reports to the Director, OTR. The division is responsible for the
development, issuance, and implementation of Department-wide records,
regulations, and policies based on life cycle management concepts and standards
for textual and electronic records.
Program responsibilities address the creation, maintenance, receipt,
delivery, custody and control, processing, inventory, database management,
maintenance of Indian records and their accession and disposition, transfer,
storage, security and safety to ensure document preservation in accordance with
the Federal Records Act and NARA regulations, and other applicable laws and
regulations. The division is responsible
for implementing internal controls; providing cyclical evaluations and follow-up;
providing general and specialized records management training for textual and
electronic records to BIA and OST staff and tribes; and coordinating the
scheduling of textual and electronic records.
The division is responsible for overseeing a program to ensure that
modern information systems incorporate essential record keeping requirements
and facilitate long-term internal and external uses of trust records. The division is also responsible for
identifying innovative solutions for managing electronic trust documents. The division develops working agreements with
Interior bureaus/offices and other agencies and provides technical assistance
to Indian tribes for P.L. 93-638 contracted and compacted programs to develop
and implement a tribal archives program.
The division establishes and implements a Vital Records Program and is
responsible for administering the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy
Act (PA) function for OST. The division
will also develop special programs to support other reform initiatives that
impact Indian records management activities.
(b) Division of Records Management
Operations. The division is
responsible for providing direction and guidance to recover documents for
historical accounting, and recover tribal records and Individual Indian Money
account documents. The Division Chief
reports to the Director, OTR. The
division is responsible for specialized research and document production
services to DOI solicitors, tribes, individual Indians, Department of Justice
attorneys, or requesters having a legal need for access to proprietary Indian
asset or income data. The division is
also responsible for providing research service to OST and BIA personnel
requiring documentation found in OST records located at OTR. The division is responsible for development
and implementation of a field operations program that will implement records
management responsibilities at BIA/OST regional and field locations. This division is responsible for design,
installation, training, implementation, and maintenance of automated systems
that support the overall records management and litigation support program
requirements. These automated systems
include records inventories and litigation databases used for researching and
controlling large document collection.
(2) Office of Information Technology Services. The office reports to the CIO and develops
policies, procedures, and guidelines for the management and deployment of
information technology assets and management of electronic records. Information technology (IT) policies support
Departmental initiatives for a comprehensive information technology investment
framework for expenditures, technology management, information and
telecommunications management, inventory, asset management, and security. IT reviews are conducted to ensure compliance
with all directives and with security management initiatives. The office provides daily OST data systems
support to ensure proper maintenance of existing systems to support the OST
operational requirements. Support
includes testing and implementing automated trust funds financial systems and
providing technical support for trust funds aspects of automated data
processing. The office also ensures
necessary interface with other systems in BIA, MMS, tribal operations, and
other affected offices in the Department.
B. Office
of Budget, Finance and Administration.
The office is responsible for OST budget formulation. It administers appropriated funds and manages
and coordinates procurement, personnel, and property activities through three
components: Budget and Finance,
Administration, and Acquisition Support.
C. Office
of External Affairs. The office is
responsible for Indian self-governance activities and self-determination
activities, legislative contacts for Indian trust asset management, contacts
with the news media, and coordinating outreach activities in Indian country.
26.3 Deputy Special Trustee -Trust
Accountability. The Deputy Special
Trustee - Trust Accountability manages and supervises the Office of Trust
Training; the Office of Trust Regulations, Policies and Procedures; and the
Trust Program Management Center.
A. Office
of Trust Training. The office is
responsible for developing and coordinating training of employees in support of
fiduciary trust funds activities. The office
ensures proper accreditation of staff in all professional series and/or
accreditation required for the performance of specific duties and
responsibilities.
B. Office
of Trust Regulations, Policies and Procedures. The office is responsible for ensuring
organizational knowledge, access, and compliance with applicable trust-related
regulations, policies, and procedures.
The office coordinates policies and procedures for implementing
regulatory requirements and participates in program audits. The office promulgates and integrates trust
policy into all business processes and coordinates trust procedures with
internal and external organizations involved with trust activities.
C. Trust
Program Management Center. The
center manages trust reform projects ensuring integration into daily operations
and business process modeling including compliance with the Federal Managers
Financial Integrity Act. The center
ensures coordination of process realignment, design, and implementation with
state-of-the art technology and data management and coordinates universal
support functions for trust processes and develops the Trust Business line
strategy. Responsibilities also include
sponsoring newly developed processes and management tools, monitoring risk
management, and preparing and following up on findings and reports.
26.4 Deputy Special Trustee - Field
Operations. The Deputy Special
Trustee - Field Operations manages and supervises the Office of Appraisal
Services, the Trust Administrators, and the Trust Beneficiary Call Center.
A. Office
of Appraisal Services. The office
reports to the Deputy Special Trustee - Field Operations. It provides impartial estimates of value for
a variety of specific real property interests on land owned in trust or
restricted status. Estimates are
provided through a Chief Appraiser and regional appraisal staff.
B. Regional
Fiduciary Trust Administrators.
(1) Regional Fiduciary Trust Administrators report to the Deputy
Special Trustee - Field Operations and provide technical assistance on
trust matters. Their responsibilities
include coordinating trust asset management activities with the BIA in their
respective geographic area; providing guidance to field staff in the
examination, verification, and maintenance of accounts and accounting data for
accounts; ensuring general trust funds and judgment funds are received,
recorded, and disbursed and/or maintained timely and accurately; and providing
leadership and oversight to ensure timely, courteous, and accurate response to account
holders. Regional Fiduciary Trust
Administrators also supervise a staff of Fiduciary Trust Officers.
(2) The Fiduciary Trust Officers are co-located with or in close
proximity to BIA field locations. They
work directly with the BIA Deputy Agency Superintendents - Trust
Operations, to ensure a smooth flowing front line operation designed to enhance
services to tribes, Individual Indian account holders, and other interested
parties. Their responsibilities include
reviewing and approving management plans and concurring with the BIA Deputy
Agency Superintendents - Trust Operations on actions that meet certain
risk criteria. They serve as primary
points of contact in local collections offices for beneficiary services, trust
funds, and encoding transactions. They
also provide technical assistance on trust matters and ensure proper
documentation for trust transactions.
C. Trust
Beneficiary Call Center. The Center
reports directly to the Deputy Special Trustee - Field Operations and is
responsible for responding to inquiries from trust beneficiaries. The Call
Center has access to various trust systems and operations staff in order to
provide comprehensive account information to beneficiaries and complement local
services.
26.5 Deputy Special Trustee - Trust
Services. The Deputy Special
Trustee - Trust Services manages and supervises the Office of Trust Funds
Management and the Office of Trust Reporting and Reconciliation.
A. Office
of Trust Funds Management (OTFM).
The OTFM is responsible for policies, standards, and procedures
governing trust funds, including receipting, accounting, investing, and
disbursing individual and tribal trust funds.
The office operates and controls accounting activities that properly
record all funds received, disbursed, invested, and held in trust for
individual Indians and Indian tribes, providing centralized accounting services
for all trust funds management activities.
As necessary, OTFM works directly with field offices to ensure cash
management supporting documentation is in compliance with policies and
procedures. The office plans, develops,
operates, and controls the buying, selling, and trading of investment
instruments.
(1) Division of Trust Funds Accounting. The division operates and controls accounting
activities that 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.
(2) Division of Trust Funds Investments. The division plans, develops, operates, and
controls the buying, selling, and trading of investment instruments in
accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The division provides technical advice and
assistance to Regional offices, agencies, and Indian tribes in developing
financial plans and investment strategies for tribal trust funds.
B. Office
of Trust Reporting and Reconciliation.
The office reconciles subsidiary and controlled accounts and monitors
trust funds activities at the OTFM and field levels. The office prepares internal and external
financial accounting reports. It is also
responsible for the accurate and timely preparation and submission of
appropriate external reports and required tax forms. Reconciliation of trust funds activities
include custodial management of proprietary data, compliance and interface with
Treasury cash flow reports, and Minerals Management Service and BIA receipt of
funds and source documents. The office
prepares and issues beneficiary statements of performance.
26.6 Office of Trust Review and Audit. The office reports to the Special
Trustee. It administers and manages the
trust compliance rating system and conducts annual reviews/ratings of Indian
trust asset management activities Department-wide. The office works directly with Departmental
offices to track findings and provide guidance on best practices to improve their
performance and rating. The office
coordinates findings, generates reports, and monitors corrective actions for
internal and external trust activities including the evaluation of tribally
managed trust programs set up under compact/contract. The office plans and coordinates contracts to
ensure reviews and evaluations of program activities are timely, and prepares
timely reports and/or makes recommendations to top management on the
efficiency, economy, legality and effectiveness of operations at the program
and field level resulting from review/audit findings. The office coordinates and develops reporting
requirements for correction of identified weaknesses.
26.7 Office
of Historical Trust Accounting (OHTA).
The OHTA reports to the Special Trustee.
The office provides historical accountings of Individual Indian Money
(IIM) Trust Fund and Tribal Trust Fund accounts to IIM beneficiaries and
tribes. The OHTA’s principal objectives for IIM and tribal accounting are to develop
plans that provide details of how the historical accounting will be provided; implement
the respective plans; and resolve the proper ownership and distribution of
residual balances in IIM Trust Fund Special Deposit Accounts (SDAs). OHTA carries out its responsibilities in
coordination with other offices in OST, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the
Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service, the Office of
Hearings and Appeals, and other bureaus and offices of the Department that have
responsibility for maintaining records that evidence the historical
administrative management of Indian trust assets. OHTA also works closely with the Departments
of Treasury and Justice. The Executive
Director is assisted by a Deputy Director who is responsible for day-to-day
direction and oversight; a Chief of Staff responsible for the program divisions
and administrative functions; a Community Relations Liaison who coordinates
with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, other OST offices, and the tribes; and administrative
staff responsible for budget, finance, procurement and contracting, personnel,
property, space management, and telecommunications. Program Managers serve as subject matter
experts for cross-cutting activities that include data completeness validation
and digitization, imaging and coding, document searches, HSA mailings, records
management, and IT physical security. A
field office is also located in Lenexa, KS.
The office includes the following divisions:
A. The
Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for OHTA’s information
technology (IT) management. The CIO
provides advice and assistance to the Executive Director and Deputy Director to
ensure that IT projects and information resources are managed in accordance
with all applicable laws, regulations, OMB directives, and priorities
established by Interior’s Information Technology Strategic Plan.
B. The
Tribal Division is responsible for providing historical accountings of Tribal
Trust Fund accounts. The Tribal Division
also provides accounting support, including analysis and resolution of tribal
issues in support of the Department of Justice and Interior’s Office of the
Solicitor concerning accounting and funds-related claims in litigation or
otherwise.
C. The
Individual Indian Money Division is responsible for conducting historical
accountings for Land-Based IIM accounts and Judgment and Per Capita IIM
accounts. The Individual Indian Money
Division produces Historical Statements of Account (HSAs) that are mailed to
account holders.
D. The
Special Deposit Accounts Division is responsible for collecting and processing
financial and ownership records to allow for the proper disbursement of funds
in SDAs, established prior to December 31, 2002, and appropriately
reclassifying, distributing residual balances in, and/or closing the SDAs where
appropriate. SDA field offices and staff
are located in Albuquerque, NM; Portland, OR; Aberdeen, SD; Muskogee, OK; and
Fort Thompson, SD.
6/25/07
#3751
Replaces
10/6/03 #3599