Dear Tribal Leaders Letters (Subscribe)

Dear Tribal Leader & Urban Indian Organization Leader:

On behalf of Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security, I am pleased to share updates to our activities and three opportunities that require registration for yourself or designated staff. Pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is sharing opportunities to register to attend virtual Tribal Consultation.

• The September 13^th Virtual Tribal Consultation Announcement is rescheduled for November 14, 2024, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm EST. This consultation will focus on the draft Tribal Action Plan for SSA including consultations, listening sessions, enhancing video connectivity, providing guides and training on SSA policy, recognition efforts for Native Languages and more.
• Please RSVP to AIAN.EC@ssa.gov and you will receive the Agenda and Framing Questions with your calendar invite.

Free Virtual National Policy Training

I encourage you to share this month’s FREE virtual training series focused on topics important to Tribal communities. The training will assist Tribal benefit coordinators, navigators, social workers, and other stakeholders who provide support to tribal members. Each session includes ample time for a Q&A discussion with SSA experts. This month’s training will focus on Navigating Social Security - Key Policy Changes, Exciting Updates, and Enhancements for Tribal communities with the following options:

• Register for Option 1 – Tuesday, October 29^th (10:00 am Eastern)
• Register for Option 2 – Wednesday, October 30^th (1:30 pm Eastern)

Free Virtual Discussion for Services for Tribal Communities

The National Disability Forum (NDF) is hosting a two-part session on “Removing Barriers to Accessing Services in Tribal Communities – Part 2” offered on November 13, 2024. The NDF is a public forum that gives expert panelists, including experts from Tribal Nations, an opportunity to share their unique insights on topics of particular interest with SSA early in the development process and directly with policymakers.

• Review the NDF Save the Date page.
• Mark your calendar for November 13, 2024, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST.

We will continue to keep you informed with updates to our policies that affect Indian Country through our Dear Tribal Leader Letter. I encourage you to subscribe in order to receive notifications of new letters when they are published.

Sincerely,

Reneé Ferguson, Director
Office of Native American Partnerships
Office of the Commissioner
Social Security Administration
www.SSA.gov/people/aian