Taking advantage of the authorities of 25 U.S.C 1645 (c), sharing agreements with Federal Agencies and 38 U.S.C. 8153, Sharing of Health-Care Resources, VA, IHS and Tribal Healthcare Providers established the IHS/THP Reimbursement Agreements Program. This program provides IHS and THP health facilities with the opportunity to obtain a VA rebate for direct care for AI/AN Veterans. This tribal consultation session asks tribal governments to provide information on the proposed launch of the 48769enhancement for the coordination of ai/AN veterans who use the program when tribes cannot provide direct care services. The IHS and va Veterans Office of Tribal Government Relations and the Office of Rural Health jointly form an MOU leadership team. The management team meets quarterly and is responsible for reviewing and monitoring cooperation in the coordination of diligence, reimbursement, workforce training and cultural skills meeting the five main objectives: vacctraining.adobeconnect.com/ tribalconsultation idlestremeperstattungcarecoordinationplan/ for audio, please choose 1-800-767-1750, extension 85286. Participants interact by submitting written comments or questions about the chat function during the presentation. Written comments can also be submitted by September 25, 2020 to tribalgovernmentconsultation@va.gov or by mail to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Suite 915L, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420. Since the implementation of this provision in 2012, VA has reimbursed more than $103 million for direct care from IHS and Tribal Health Programs (THP), which cover approximately 10,645 unique Indian and Alaska Indian veterans. Currently, IHS and VA are working under a national reimbursement agreement, including 75 federal IHS institutions. Similarly, the VA has 114 individual repayment agreements with THP. We are aware of 42 other tribes working with the Va Office of Community Care to conclude a reimbursement agreement for direct care services.

IHS continues to work to improve the quality and access to medical care for Alaskan Indians and veterans. We look forward to your best efforts to help us provide the best possible health care to the Veterans we serve. Thank you very much, and I will gladly answer any questions you may have. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or Designee, approved the document and authorized the undersigned to sign the document and submit it to the Federal Office for electronic publication as an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Brooks D. Tucker, Acting Chief of Staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs, approved the document for release on July 29, 2020. As health needs evolve and new approaches to care emerge, IHS, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and their tribal partners will continue to pool their expertise, resources and efforts, the nearly 145,000 Native American and Indian veterans from Alaska, 2 The VA Veteran Health Administration (HAV) IHS and HAV continue to work to enable legitimate Indian and Alaskan Veterans to access medical care near their homes, promote cultural skills and quality health care, and focus on increased coordination of care, cooperation and resource exchange between agencies.