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Program Compliance
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The Program Compliance department monitors and addresses client service programs for compliance, including handling program appeals or client complaints, and administers the Tribal Enrollment program which identifies and certifies tribal citizens. The department also provides technical assistance to Tlingit & Haida’s Community Councils and Southeast Alaska Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) tribes on enrollment and tribal elections.
2020 Highlights
Tribal Enrollment
The Tribal Enrollment program maintains Tlingit & Haida’s tribal citizen enrollment records and enrolls those persons of Tlingit and/or Haida descent into the Tribe. Services include certifying tribal enrollment, blood quantum corrections, and issuing tribal photo identification (ID) cards and certification and verification letters for enrolled citizens. A Tribal Enrollment Committee appointed by the Tlingit & Haida President is authorized to certify new tribal citizens, act on relinquishment and disenrollment requests, and make corrections to tribal citizen records.
Ya Kon T’leix’
Valerie Hillman Manager
Coordinated two virtual Tribal
Enrollment Committee meetings and hosted the Tribe’s inaugural virtual committee meeting in June 2020. » The committee approved 187 enrollment applications and 2 relinquishment requests. There were no blood quantum corrections or disenrollment actions. Received a significant increase in address updates and enrollment inquiries due to the Tribe’s CARES Act
Need-Based programs. Facilitated the 2020 Delegate elections in 21 registered communities (Metlakatla and Klukwan abstained) via electronic voting, using the software SimplyVoting. » Of the 116 Delegate seats authorized, 113 Delegates were duly elected and certified. Facilitated elections during the 85th Annual Tribal Assembly to seat Officers, Emerging
Leader, and Delegate/Citizen of the Year. The Elections were officiated by the Elections
Committee and certified by Delegates. Provided tribal enrollment information to Tlingit & Haida Community Councils who have a standard service agreement in place to assist in updating enrollment data in their community. Held several virtual department trainings to ensure a smooth transition to working remotely while maintaining proper procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed a records management specialist position to work with data management software and records to verify records are accurate. Provided information to assist in the development of TribeVue™ program reports.
Tribal Enrollment Committee:
Ella Bennett (Chair) LaVerne Wise (Vice-Chair) Stephanie Rainwater (Secretary) Judy Helgesen Frank Wright Jr. Patricia Alexander
2020 Highlights (Cont.)
“Establishing eligibility and officially registering eligible individuals as citizens of Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska."
Audits/Complaints
A client who is not satisfied with the service received from Tlingit & Haida staff may submit a written complaint. All complaints are taken seriously and are reviewed and responded to.
Addressed 12 formal complaints and 2 appeals in 2020. Interviews were conducted with staff followed by meetings with supervisors and/or managers to resolve complaints. Numerous customer service-related complaints were addressed with supervisors and/or the Human Resources department.
2021 Goals
Restore 100% of pertinent hard files with new file folders and updated labels. Prepare for digitizing tribal citizen records after clean-up of hard files. Review data conversion for accuracy from RiteTrack database to TribeVue™ integrated policy database management system. Secure funding to produce enhanced tribal ID cards with radio frequency identification (RFID) microchips. Update all enrollment forms to include language making it clear that if an applicant lives outside of the 100 mile radius of a registered community, they must choose their preferred voting community.
Total Active Tribal Enrollment: 32,051
85% 15%
18 & Older 17 & Under
