Consultation on the FY 2025 Tribal Set-Aside From the Crime Victims Fund | Day 2 | 10/22/2024

LEBRETIA WHITE: Greetings and welcome to day two, the Office for Victims of Crime Consultation on the Fiscal Year 2025 Tribal Set-Aside for the Crime Victims Fund. And as Jana mentioned, I am LeBretia White, the Office for Victims of Crime’s Tribal Division Director and I consider it a privilege to lead a growing team of 17 committed deputy directors, grant management specialists, a Tribal affairs specialist, all who are collectively responsible for the administration of the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside program.

We work in partnership with Tribes to provide support to TVSSA grantees who work daily to serve crime victims and their families. I'm honored to serve as your consultation facilitator and please know your attendance is appreciated. We look forward to hearing the testimonies from Tribal leaders or their designees.

So, at this time, I will introduce the director of the Office for Victims of Crime, Kristina Rose, who will provide opening remarks. Director Rose was appointed to the position of Director for the Office for Victims of Crime by President Joe Biden and sworn in on July 12th, 2021. Prior to her appointment, Director Rose spent nearly 20 years at the US Department of Justice serving in various roles including Deputy Director of OVC, as well as Deputy Director and Acting Director at the National Institute of Justice and Chief of Staff at the Office on Violence Against Women. Director Rose, we are delighted to have you share opening remarks at this time.

KRISTINA ROSE: Thanks so much LeBretia, and I'm so happy to be with you today. I'm actually on the road. I'm in a hotel room if it looks a little dark and dreary here, but I want to start by thanking Elsie. What a beautiful prayer. So good to see you and you honor us by opening today's consultation in a good way. Thank you, Elsie.

And I'm honored to be here with all of you to receive your feedback about the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside from the Crime Victims fund or as we refer to it, the TVSSA program. I'm grateful for this opportunity to address critical issues that are facing Tribal nations. Today's government to government meeting supports President Biden's commitment to strengthening nation to nation relationships and is rooted in the federal government's respect for trust and treaty responsibilities, but also the desire to strengthen Tribal sovereignty and advance Tribal self-determination by ensuring that Tribal nations have greater autonomy over how they invest their federal funding. Thank you to all the Tribal leaders who are with us today for your leadership and for your advocacy.

I'll talk more about this shortly, but your critical feedback in prior years has been vital to making the TVSSA program what it is today. So, we're honored that you're joining us in this important conversation and thank you to the TVSSA program grantees who have joined us for supporting victims and survivors, their family members and their loved ones. The work you do is hard and it's heartbreaking at times. I'm sure it can often seem overwhelming and there are certainly not enough of you, but you continue to show up and you continue to do the work, and we are grateful for your commitment and for your compassion. Thanks to LeBretia White and her entire OVC Tribal division team for listening to and for advocating on behalf of your grantees in the administration of this important program. I want to specifically thank Janet Rutzen, Tanya Miller, Kimberly Woodard, and Mary Atlas-Terry for preparing the framing paper and the FY24 TVSSA annual report ahead of this consultation.

These two reports are thorough resources, so I'm going to provide just a brief history of the program with a focus on FY24. So as many of you are already aware, in 2018, Congress authorized the set-aside from the Crime Victims Fund for grants to Tribal communities to enhance services for victims of crime in their communities. So, since FY19, the set-aside has been 5% of the crime victims fund cap and as a reminder, the CVF cap is the amount of money Congress appropriates to OVC to spend in a given fiscal year. The amount of funding under the set-aside varies from year to year based on that appropriation. For example, the set aside totaled 133 million in FY18, but it decreased to 95 million in FY23 and then to 67.6 million in FY24.

So, Congress has not yet passed an appropriations bill for the Department of Justice for FY25, but the president's proposed budget suggests a cap of 1.5 billion and the Senate mark suggests an obligation cap of 1.9 billion. So, what that means for the TVSSA program, 5% in the first case would be 75 million and in the second, 95 million for the Tribal set-aside in '25. So, both of those would be a welcome increase from last year, but none of this is set in stone. Not until we have an FY25 budget. Based on your feedback in 2020, OVC began administering the TVSSA program using a population-based formula and that allows us to administer the program in a non-competitive way and that's the way that you said you wanted this money distributed. So, we are very grateful for your input.

In 2024, 250 Tribes signaled their intent to apply for TVSSA funds by submitting population certificates and that was just shy of the highest amount we received in FY23. Of those, 50 Tribes that submitted population certificates formally withdrew their applications, or they simply did not complete the process. And this is not new. OVC encountered similar rates of attrition in previous fiscal years. The reasons for not completing their applications vary. Some Tribes realized that new funding was just not needed right now to continue their programs and others opted to apply as a member of a consortium. Others cited staff turnover or insufficient time to complete their application or confusion about the application process.

Ultimately, 199 Tribes were awarded TVSSA funding for a total of 59 million. This represents a slight decrease from the 212 applications received in '23. Because OVC received fewer applications than expected, we've redistributed more than $8.3 million of unclaimed set-aside funds to the remaining Tribes by adding an equal amount of funds to each award. Now we didn't do this in FY23, but a variety of factors informed our decision to do so in '24, including the low amounts for FY25 applicants, and also just wanting to avoid the further delays in the award-making process by having to run the formula again. So please let us know if this change has had an impact on your crime Victim Services program, either good or bad. So, award amounts ranged from about 220,000 to $441,000 and I am pleased to say that 10 awards were made to Tribes that had not previously participated in the program. We allocated the remaining funds which amounted to 1.4 million to support other Tribal programs and activities.

All in all, OVC committed all but just $118 of the total Tribal set-aside funding. So now that brings us to FY25, which we are in now. And as you probably know, we're currently accepting population certification forms under the first phase of the FY25 TVSSA program and we'll be accepting those until January 17th of '25. All federally recognized Tribes, including those that previously received an award in '24 or earlier are invited to submit your population certification and a link to the online form will be placed in the chat. For those of you who have not yet submitted your population certification form or have not sought funding in the past, I want to share some of the unique features of OVC's formula program, many of which were implemented after consultations just like the one we're having today. So first and foremost, this is a non-competitive program.

We are not asking Tribes to compete for this funding. It's population based. Tribes tell us which population they will serve, whether it's enrolled members, residents of a specific community, reservation or village or something different. The population numbers for the formula come from you, not from the government. Applicants can choose the project period for their annual awards to be anywhere from 12 to 60 months. Applicants have the option to complete a checklist or an interview instead of writing a traditional program narrative. Now we've offered this option for a couple of years and last year, five of our Tribal division staff members conducted 31 in-person interviews in Alaska.

Additionally, OVC staff hosted 47 virtual interviews with other applicants in Alaska and in the lower 48. Allowable expenses include culturally specific victim services, and this can include the traditional arts, ceremonies and food as long as it's part of a ceremonial healing response to an individual has undergone trauma and seeks to become aligned or realigned with the community and restored to health and balance. Also, through this grant program, you have the option to spend funds on construction. We currently have 45 TVSSA program funded construction projects underway, and we funded 19 new projects in '24.

Grantees are using their construction funds to support a diverse range of projects, including the construction of tiny homes or modular buildings to house male victims of crime, renovations of existing buildings to serve as domestic violence shelters or renovating a garage to be used for a victim services office space and a forensic interview room. Grantees can now use their funds to address the needs of families of missing persons and we believe this change creates an opportunity for Tribal communities to direct much needed funding towards serving the loved ones of missing or murdered indigenous persons, generating awareness and creating systemic change to help remove the barriers that exist. We've also removed the 3% cap on how much funding grantees can use to support search efforts in individual missing persons cases.

So, I encourage you to submit those population certifications with one note of caution. And that is that though we have begun this first phase of the TVSSA program, Congress has not yet passed an appropriations bill and until they do, we won't be able to confirm that OVC is authorized to set aside funds for TVSSA or how much that set-aside might be. So, before I close, I want to share some efforts underway at OVC to support our Tribal grantees. OVC's Tribal division has continued expanding and we now have 18 staff members including four new grant managers and two deputy division directors. Five grant managers work remotely, including two who are based in the Midwest and in South Dakota and Alaska. The growth and commitment of this team is what allows OVC to support almost 900 active grants awarded to 315 individual Tribes, Tribal designees or consortia. The Tribal division is leading an inter-agency effort to develop and implement a key recommendation from the Not Invisible Act Commission about assisting Tribes in leveraging federal victim services funding to close the gaps in services and response.

We're also preparing for the National Indian Nations Conference, which is scheduled for December 10th through 13th on the reservation of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians near downtown Palm Springs, California. So registration is now open. So I hope to see you all there and if you are coming, take note ahead of the conference that we're hosting an in-person listening session for our TVSSA grantees the morning of December 10th. Information about joining that session is on our website and we're going to drop a link in the chat right now.

So, with that, let's begin the testimony portion of today's consultation. Please know that we've heard your concerns regarding the burden with annual applications and multiple reports and we hope that the proposed approach in the framing paper will address those concerns and as always, we welcome your feedback. Please know that we are ready to receive your comments and recommendations on any other topics related to OVC's Tribal programming, whether it's the needs of your community or other issues related to crime victimization in Indian country that you believe should be addressed by the Department of Justice. So, I'm going to turn it back to LeBretia to queue up the testimonies from our Tribal leaders and their designees. So, I give my best to all of you. I'm grateful to be with you today and I look forward to seeing so many of you in December.

LEBRETIA WHITE: Thank you so much, Director Rose for your remarks and for your as well as Katherine Darke Schmitt, the Principal Deputy Director of OVC for your ongoing support of the Tribal division and our efforts to bring high quality services and support to Tribes. To all who have joined today's consultation, please know the Office for Victims of Crime places the utmost importance on engaging with Tribal leaders through consultation. Our annual consultation provides a forum for our government-to-government communication about chronic challenges as well as emerging issues Tribes encounter in serving victims of crime in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

At the Office for Victims of Crime, we value our partnership with Tribes, which has been demonstrated by the Tribal division's efforts to incorporate your recommendations into how set-aside funding is administered and how we support your victim service programs through training and technical assistance. Before proceeding with hearing from Tribal leaders and or their designees, I would like to take a moment to review a few slides on the two issues documented in the fiscal year 2025 TVSSA framing paper.

All right. So, what I'd like to initially share with you, this brief presentation will highlight the two issues noted and provide an overview of a proposal to adjust the TVSSA award and grant administration process in the future. The first of the two issues framed for our consultation is OVCs proposed changes to the administration of the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside program. And below, questions were proposed in the framing paper regarding your experiences with the application process and a newly proposed change to how we administer the grant program, all with the goal of decreasing burden and adding additional flexibilities and how we work with you again on administering and managing those federal funds. Okay. Well, it's actually the CVF funds, correct myself. All right, so with the next slide to share more about this issue, OVC's proposed strategy is aimed to further reduce the burden to Tribes in applying for annual awards and to consolidate reporting across a defined five-year grant cycle. So, this strategy will be supported by having Tribes submit a full application in year one of a five-year project period and to submit a population certificate as well as a letter of intent and budget modification to receive supplemental awards in years two through five of that proposed five-year project period.

So, some of the strategies are laid out here on this particular slide around the need for us to look at what the current policies are and what changes potentially could be made, which would positively impact the award process in that there would be one grant award number assigned for that five-year period. Currently, for each year of funding awarded to Tribes, there's a new grant number, so there's a grant number or an individual grant for each year. What we're proposing for the five-year period, there will be one grant number applied and so we'll talk more about how that will have some positive impacts in the slides that are forthcoming. So, we will publish a solicitation, and solicitation has been renamed within Department of Justice to Notice of Funding Opportunity, same documentation but different name. So, we would look at a solicitation for a five-year grant period. We would also, what's being proposed here again would be supplements instead of annual awards within that five-year cycle. We'll move on to the next slide. So, to receive feedback and take next steps to potentially carry out this strategy, our proposed plan includes the following, hosting convenings such as this, the consultation to receive feedback, but also listening sessions to refine the proposed multi-year grant award process.

We'll also work with the Office of Justice Programs leadership to modify policies and to streamline the TVSSA application process. We anticipate if this proposed plan moves forward, initiating it in FY 2026 or shortly thereafter, and a notice of finding opportunity will be published or posted for a five-year grant cycle. We also will inform TVSSA grantees and Tribes annually of the option to submit a population certificate and letter of intent after the initial application is approved for the five-year grant period. Each award in the four subsequent years as previously shared, will be made under the initial grant number. We also would post a NOFO or Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement annually for other federally recognized Tribes to request awards, Tribes that previously may not have received TVSSA funding.

And lastly, we'll notify other federally recognized Tribes with the option to submit their TVSSA population certification application again in each year of that cycle. Alright, and we'll move on to talk about the intended impacts of this plan and a few are listed here, one of which is the funding in each year will be based upon your need, the feasibility of expending awarded funding within a five-year project period.

For instance, a Tribe could request funding that initial year, the first year of the five-year cycle and year two could share they don't have a need for the funding more immediately and then come back in year three and say, we now want to resume. And so again, another flexibility there. Tribes would not have to submit individual performance project and fiscal reports for each annual award because as I shared, there would be one award number for that five-year period. And so, one report for that grant based on the reporting requirements, whether it's quarterly or semi-annually versus what's happening now. Many Tribes have overlapping grant funding and thus multiple iterations of reports to be submitted. Also, the OVC Tribal division staff working along with our TTA providers would support Tribes in submitting the necessary documentation to support this proposed new way of administering the TVSSA funding. And some other intended impacts include each fiscal year allocation will remain available for expenditure by the Tribe through the end of that five-year period. Tribes hopefully would not have to request as many project period extensions, but that project period extension request option would still be available. Unobligated funding available on the grant in year five could be considered. There could be consideration in those instances for a project period extension. Right now, we're looking at extensions not beyond 72 months. Tribes would not be required to submit annual, again applications to receive their funding. We would work with Tribes around submitting the population cert and letter of intent and the budget mod. So again, some of those are the intended impacts.

And on the next slide, there's a table that summarizes the application and reporting schedule for the proposed plan. Again, Tribes would complete the application in year one, population certification would be submitted and that's an electronic process. The letter of intent and budget modification and the four subsequent years of that five-year grant cycle. Moving on to issue two. Issue two is related to our request for feedback on the need to increase American Indian and Alaska Native victims of crime access to their state's crime victim compensation funds.

So here we're interested in Tribal leadership and designees sharing with us recommendations to increase collaboration with state compensation programs. Alternatives to the requirement for submitting police reports. We know that sometimes it can be a significant challenge and recommendations on how OVC could improve outreach to Tribes.

And we will now open the consultation for testimony. Our first speaker today will be Vice President Richelle Montoya of the Navajo Nation. We want to welcome you, Vice President Montoya. You have the testimony floor, you can now unmute your line. Please begin your testimony when you are ready after repeating your name, Tribal affiliation and title.

RICHELLE MONTOYA: Are you able to hear me?

LEBRETIA WHITE: Yes.

RICHELLE MONTOYA: Oh, okay. Good morning everyone. Again, I am the Vice President of the Navajo Nation and I'm very thankful and honored to be here to give testimony in regards to victims of crime.

We all know across Indian country that our resources are limited to what we're able to give to our people and for the entities and the different nonprofits, grassroots initiatives that are out there that are able to help with what's going on across Indian country and of course across the world is always welcomed. What I always say is anything that can bring positivity to the Navajo nation is always welcome. Please know that the Navajo nation is appreciative of anything and everything that can come to our nation and in regards to assistance to victims of crime. We have so many different things happening across Navajo Nation, from the missing, murdered indigenous relatives that we have out here, the individuals that are missing and the families that are trying to locate their-

Thank you so much. Again, I apologize for this technical difficulty. What I had mentioned was that the Navajo nation is always welcoming of anything positive that can be brought to our nation and victims of crime, of all different crimes has been something that we've all been plagued with for such a very long time. And up to today, we have been able to identify different types of crimes that we were not even aware of until now, such as missing, murdered indigenous relatives. And not only do these individuals that are missing or murdered need to have assistance, but the family members that are trying to reestablish their families and their ties to their communities when it comes to their relative being found no longer here on Mother Earth.

We have our school systems across the Navajo Nation, across Indian countries that are plagued with individuals that want to harm other students, harm the school themselves. They need mental health, they need different types of assistance to be able to feel safe in our school systems again. And at the time when these types of things were happening, we really didn't identify them as a crime until today.

So, I appreciate the work of anybody and everybody that helps make sure that we are aware of the different crimes that are across Indian country and across the world. So I appreciate the collaboration, I appreciate everybody that comes together to ensure that a lot of these programs that come from different entities are going and that we build upon them and that we make everybody feel safe and we try and do our best to help them in their mental capacity here. Thank you so much again.

LEBRETIA WHITE: Thank you so much, Vice President Montoya. We appreciate your testimony, your remarks given on today. Okay. Our next speaker today will be delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty who is a council delegate at Navajo Nation. Delegate Kanazbah Crotty, are you here? Okay, wonderful.

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: I appreciate it.

LEBRETIA WHITE: You can begin your- I'm sorry.

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: It's okay. Thank you, Ms. White. It's Kanazbah and I tried to do the phonetic and I apologize.

LEBRETIA WHITE: My apologies. I'm going to try one more time and say definitely you can begin Delegate Kanazbah. Is that right? Crotty? Did I get it?

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: Kanazbah. It's-

LEBRETIA WHITE: Kanazbah. Kanazbah. I got it, I got it. Alright.

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: It's a woman warrior name, so.

LEBRETIA WHITE: Yes.

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: I appreciate your attempt, Ms. White and help me in how would I say your first name?

LEBRETIA WHITE: My first name is LeBretia.

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: LeBretia. Thank you.

LEBRETIA WHITE: Yes.

AMBER KANAZBAH CROTTY: Sometimes we've got to get our tongues moving, but I appreciate the opportunity to provide oral testimony to the Office for Victims of Crime. So, I'm from the Towering House Clan. So that means I come from the family and the community of the Sheep Springs area from the Foster and the Bryant family. Today I extend my greetings and gratitude to the esteemed members of the Office for Victims of Crime for providing this opportunity to speak on behalf of the Navajo Nation. 
As a people, we stand rooted in the values of kinship, our foundational philosophy of kinship and interconnectedness and guided by the principles of Hozho, in pursuit of balance, harmony, and healing. It is through these traditional teachings that we approach not only the challenges we face, but also the solutions we seek collectively. Our Navajo nation encompasses over 17.5 million acres across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and we are home to more than 400,000 Tribal citizens. For generations, we have lived in the spirit of resilience, drawing from our culture to sustain us through time of hardship and healing. Yet our people still face trauma caused by violence, loss, and systemic neglect. Today I ask this body to help us create a space for true healing and restoration guided by both Navajo traditions and modern resources through sustainable, accessible victim services.

Our testimony today rests on the understanding that the US government has both a sacred trust, responsibility and a legal obligation to support the wellbeing of the Navajo people. The Treaty of 1868 recognizes the need to promote our welfare and protect our future. Safeguarding our people from harm, especially the most vulnerable is an essential part of this responsibility. Federal support through the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside fund must not be limited by bureaucratic burdens, but rather shaped by a commitment to justice, equity, and K'e recognizing that our collective wellbeing is intertwined. The principle of K'e teaches us that we must support one another without unnecessary obstacles. Currently the annual application process for the Tribal set-aside creates undue hardship for Tribes, diverting essential time and resources from victim services.

For the Navajo nation, it's not just an administrative burden, it disrupts the flow of service delivery to those who need it most. We recommend extending the grant cycles to three to five years, allowing programs to develop and thrive without interruption. Just as our ancestors planned ahead with the understanding that balance is achieved over time, we too need a long-term funding horizon to build stable effective programs that meet the needs of our people. This change would reflect in the values of Hozho by fostering continuity and peace of mind for those providing and receiving services. Simplifying the process by reducing repetitive questions and redundant reporting will further align with the principle of K'e, ensuring that smaller under-resourced Tribes are not excluded from the support they need to heal their communities.

We strongly support the proposal for a five-year grant period with the flexibility to request supplemental funding as needed. Stability is essential for the long-term health of our victim services program, just as a balance in life is necessary for the healing to take place. Hozho teaches us that healing is not immediate. It takes time and intentional care. A longer grant cycle will allow us to plan strategically, build partnerships, and grow our programs with the confidence that support will not be abruptly cut off by administrative processes. Additionally, the ability to request funds in select years rather than every year will allow us to respond more effectively to shifts in the needs of victims and survivors. In alignment with our traditional values, this flexibility recognizes that growth and healing happen on their own timelines and our programs must be able to adjust to meet those evolving needs.

The Navajo Nation appreciates the proposal to replace the annual applications with letters of intent after the first year of a five-year award. This process reflects the wisdom of our traditional teachings where continuity and consistency are prioritized over repetitive actions. Just as we build trust and harmony within our families through ongoing relationships, we seek a trusting relationship with our federal partners. One that allows us to focus on restoring the wellbeing of our people rather than on bureaucratic tasks. However, we urge OVC to ensure that support services for Tribes remain robust throughout the grant period. Technical assistance tailored to the unique scale and needs of large Tribal nations like ours will help us to ensure that we meet both programmatic and cultural expectations. A meaningful partnership between OVC and Tribes must reflect mutual respect and an understanding of the diverse ways we administer victim services across Indian country. Our traditional teachings emphasize the importance of community-wide healing. Harm is never born by an individual alone. It ripples through families and communities. Thus, victim services must reflect this broader understanding of trauma.

For example, in the case involving missing and murdered, their relatives, families and communities suffered deeply. Even if a crime report is not immediately available, we urge state compensation programs to allow sworn affidavits and victims' statements in place of police reports, recognizing the jurisdictional complexities that often delay or prevent timely access to documentation in Indian country. We also recommend that state programs expand eligibility criteria to reflect the cultural reality of Tribal communities. For example, compensation for funeral and burial expenses must include the cost associated with traditional ceremonies, which are essential to the grieving process of our people. Additionally, victim advocates should be allowed to claim hours spent working on missing person cases, reflecting the interconnected nature of trauma and loss within our communities. To build trust, state programs must also provide culturally relevant outreach and training. Creating dedicated liaisons who understand the cultural, legal and emotional needs of Tribal victims will help bridge the gap between state systems and Tribal communities. This effort must be grounded in K'e, fostering relationships that are respectful, meaningful, and sustainable.

In conclusion, the Navajo nation is deeply committed towards a path towards healing and restoration that ensuring all of our people, especially those who are harmed by violence and loss, have access to the services and support that they need to heal. We ask OVC to honor the sacred trust relationship between the federal government and Tribal nations by reducing administrative burdens, providing stable funding and supporting culturally appropriate victim services. Our ancestors taught us that Hozho, the state of harmony and wellbeing is achieved through patience, care and collective effort. In that spirit, we urge this body to work with us to create a funding system that supports not only the immediate needs of victims, but also long-term healing in our communities. Let's walk this path together, guided by the principles of K'e and in pursuit of harmony, healing, and justice for all. Ahéhee’.

Thank you for the time and the Navajo Nation will follow up with our written reports and I appreciate Vice President Rochelle Montoya joining us as we're in our council session and right now talking about the rights of our LGBT communities and relatives and so I'd like to make sure that we also incorporate that aspect of our relatives so that we make sure that they're also incorporated in the healing process. Ahéheeʼ, thank you so much Ms. White.

LEBRETIA WHITE: Thank you delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty for your remarks. Much appreciated. Our next speaker today will be Tribal Chairman CEO Cathleen Osborne-Gowey of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. Let's see, Tribal Chairman Gowey, I definitely want to welcome you. You can now unmute your line. Please begin your testimony when you are ready by repeating your name, Tribal affiliation and title. Again, if you are a Tribal leader's designee, then we ask that you also state the name of the Tribal leader on whose behalf you are rendering testimony.

CATHLEEN OSBORNE-GOWEY: And hello and good morning. I am not a Tribal chairman, so I'm not sure where that communication came in play, but I am actually our Haven Advocacy Programs Administrator and Advocate, and I'm speaking today on behalf of our Tribal chief Glenna Wallace for the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.

So, diving right in with issue one, the reality is that funding through OVC has reduced greatly from 2018 to now. The amount of the awards is not sustainable for running programs, paying salaries and continuity of services for victims of crime. With that, Tribes are left with applying for OVC Tribal set-aside funding annually to ensure adequate funds are in place. Applying annually, completing semi-annual reports twice a year and PMT reports every three months for five grants when it used to be one is time consuming and inefficient.

Many Tribal programs work with one or two advocates in a program who function as director, administrator, lead advocate, and outreach manager. There simply isn't enough time to do consistent reporting and grant-writing annually. Many Tribes have found that they have to let go of OVC funding, which means they have to let go of necessary services and staff. It's our recommendation that Tribes be allowed to submit one full application for a standing five-year solicitation with the understanding that each year, Tribes would submit a letter of intent they will continue to use their funds for that year. This will greatly reduce the Tribal burden of submitting a full application package annually.

It's also our recommendation that Tribes be allowed to submit one annual report that is both a PMT and a semi-annual report for the five-year solicitation or project period instead of for an annual grant. However, we do have the concern that OVC understands that within the five-year program period, Tribes might need to adjust the scope of the project to meet the ever-changing needs of Tribal advocacy.

With that in mind, it's our recommendation that Tribes be allowed to adjust the scope of their projects with a letter of intent. If budgets need adjustment, then the grant manager will reach out to the Tribe and walk them through the budget change to ensure grant compliance. It's also our recommendation that Tribes be allowed to submit one annual report that functions as both PMT and semi-annual report for the five-year project period.

Moving on to issue two, which is the victim's compensation funds. Trauma, whether as a victim of crime such as burglary or a victim of domestic violence. Making the brave choice to leave is a time filled with confusion and exhaustion. A majority of our victims of crime are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. When a victim leaves violence, they often only have the clothes on their backs, no food or personal documentation and little to no financial resources and are exhausted beyond measure. They lack the basic needs of safety.

Many victims find the mountains of paperwork when in trauma mode almost impossible, but understand this is their only way to seek services to access food, lodging and a future. The first few weeks after a victim leaves is filled with trauma and fear. The most dangerous time for a victim is when they choose to leave, and the perpetrator realizes they've lost control of the victim. Many victims are afraid to go to the police as experience has shown them that reports, and law enforcement can escalate the violence. Jurisdiction is one of the largest hurdles victims face when being able to access law enforcement for support.

Tribal communities understand that where a crime occurred can determine the ability for victims to access police reports or work with law enforcement through a lengthy criminal investigation. Living in rural or remote areas, living paycheck to paycheck make it difficult for victims to access law enforcement quickly or continually in an effort to jump through the hurdles put in place by the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund application.

Accessing a police report and filing within 72 hours can be almost impossible when you have no transportation, or your work schedule is such that taking time off to travel several miles away to fill out reports and work with law enforcement can mean risk losing your job. For many, when obtaining a police report means working through the jungle of Tribal jurisdiction, risking losing their jobs to take time off to go into police stations, all in an effort to fill out reports that most often are denied because the process makes it almost impossible for Tribal victims to show continued cooperation with law enforcement or are unable to get police reports or report within the 72 hour window. Many feel like, why try? Why add the burden of the process to trauma that they're already experiencing? While financial assistance through crime victims' compensation fund can be helpful, it's a reimbursement process.

Tribal victims have to be able to first pay their bills in order to be reimbursed for them. If individuals had the funds to pay their bills, they wouldn't be seeking out a lengthy process of forms and hurdles to potentially be reimbursed at some point. They're seeking assistance because they don't have the financial means. Excuse me. By the time the reimbursement's come through, many victims have already had their electric or water shut off, have been evicted or have gone without food. It's our Tribal recommendation that the hurdles of victims being approved through the Crime Victims Compensation Fund be removed.

It's our recommendation that police reports and verification of continued cooperation with law enforcement no longer be required for Tribal victims seeking victims' compensation. Instead, a form filled out by an advocate detailing the victimization be used in place of the police report and cooperation with law enforcement be replaced with victims' continued communication with Tribal advocacy programs. In our opinion, this will go a long way in OVC demonstrating and understanding that access to police reports are not equal to all victim groups and understanding the fear that police involvement can oftentimes escalate violence.

It's also our recommendation that the 72-hour requirement for victims to report their crime to law enforcement be removed. Instead, reporting to advocates within a two-week window. By removing this hurdle, OVC would be demonstrating and understanding that not all victim groups have the same access to law enforcement or the same jurisdictional issues. Along with other recommendations, it's also our recommendation that the reimbursement process be changed to direct to vendor payment. Making payment direct to vendor will alleviate victims' financial crisis of having to first pay the bills they need assistance with before they can receive actual assistance or reimbursement.

Again, this will demonstrate that OVC understands that not all victims have the same intersections or layers of hardship. Lastly, it's our recommendation that OVC create educational online tutorials specific to each state that Tribal advocates can access easily to learn about the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. Education on the compensation fund should be a requirement for all Tribal programs, perhaps every three years, as is the financial training that OVC currently requires. This would ensure that all Tribal advocacy programs understand and are up to date with changes to the compensation program, the process for victims to apply and how best to assist victims with the paperwork and to ensure victims are not denied compensation.

For many years, funders have held consultations and asked Tribes to explain their unique experiences surrounding violence and how they as funders can better distribute funds to assist Tribal communities. We've traveled all over the US providing testimony, explaining our needs only to go home and realize we weren't heard as grant solicitations come out and little changes had been made. Most granting agencies use outdated census data to determine our population size, instead of letting Tribal communities list our population size, giving the message that our voice isn't heard or credible. Consistently, we've asked that our grants not be made competitive because not all Tribal communities have professional grant writers, yet most have stayed competitive.

We've been required to use only our Tribal population size as our service area in our grant applications, even though we've said time and again that we serve our local community as well as our Tribal citizens. We consistently testify that providing food, a staple central part of our cultures, is essential to our outreach, yet we are denied the ability to use funds for this service. We testify that we need to be able to provide shelter services for our communities, yet we are told funds can only be used to furnish and run the shelter and we as Tribes have to fund the building, the largest expense. This image hearkens back to the days when Tribal communities would be asked to sign treaties that wouldn't be honored. OVC, through consultations has proven to be the exception to the rule.

This time, Tribal communities are being heard, our sovereignty is being recognized and we're being valued. We give our thoughts and ideas on what works best for our communities and each year the solicitation is changed to meet our needs. Our grants management specialists work to understand our individual needs and help walk us through using funds to fit those needs. You've created an allowable and unallowable list of expenses, not in an effort to encumber us, but to make creating goals easier and funds more accessible.

In the six years this grant has been available, OVC has opened up possibilities for Tribal programs based on what we've said we need. You've listened to us when no one else did. We can't tell you how much we appreciate that. You've allowed us to tell you what our service area and population size is. We've said we need to be able to create shelters and you've found ways to allow us to renovate buildings and use modular spaces. We've said we need to not have to compete with others to bring healing to our Tribal communities, and you made the grants non-competitive. We've said that food is an essential part of our culture, and we were allowed to use funds to provide food as part of our cultural and traditional activities. OVC has treated us as sovereign nations. We need to see this type of communication continue.

For fiscal year '25, with funds being drastically reduced over the past few years, Tribes have been forced to apply for funding annually or every two years. We need OVC to streamline the process and create a five-year solicitation grant program that Tribes can apply once to with an annual letter of continuation to verify use of funds and reporting on those funds once per year for the entire five-year grant program. We need the hurdles that Tribal victims face to applying for the victim's compensation fund to be removed. We need OVC to understand that not all victims are the same, have the same jurisdictional difficulties, access to police or financial ability. Thank you.

LEBRETIA WHITE: Again, thank you, Ms. Osborne-Gowey, for your remarks. At this time, just want to share some additional information related to written testimonies and if you have given your oral testimony yesterday or today, or if you have chosen not to provide an oral testimony but want to share your written testimony, please feel free to do so.

There will be a screen shown following our closing for today that will provide you additional information and share with you also that the written testimonies are due to us on November 25th. And as you go throughout the rest of your day, please go in a good way to Ms. Stoneman and to all who have joined us on day two of the FY 2025 OVC Tribal Consultation.

I want to say thank you again for participating on yesterday and today. As a reminder of how to submit your written testimonies, it will be posted momentarily on the Zoom. Again, thank you all for joining us for the FY 2025 OVC Tribal Consultation. We appreciate the testimonies that were provided as well as all who participated. Thank you and enjoy the remainder of your day.