T

Department of the Interior • Of

RUST 

fi ce of the Special Trustee for American Indians 

MATTERS

Volume 12/Issue 1 Winter 2012

Table of Contents

Getting Answers 

Whereabouts Unknown

OAS Tenth Anniversary

Exceeding Expectations

Tribal Consultation

Michele Singer

FOIAs Demystifi ed

Pay.gov Update

When will my check (i.e., IIM disbursement, Cobell settlement, 

judgment, oil and gas) be mailed? How can I fi nd out about my 

Indian heritage?

Th ese are a couple of questions that Offi ce of the Special Trustee 

for American Indians (OST) employees in the Washington, D.C., 

headquarters are asked frequently. Th e questions come by phone and 

by letter. Usually, employees can provide information quickly. 

Please note that due to court-ordered restrictions, anyone with 

questions about the Cobell settlement is directed to the plaintiff s’ 

resources. Information about the Cobell settlement can be obtained 

from:

» Cobell plaintiff s’ website: www.indiantrust.com 

» Cobell plaintiff s’ toll-free help line: 1-800-961-6109

Th e Bureau of Indian Aff airs provides excellent guidelines to those 

who want help researching their Indian heritage. Access is available 

at www.bia.gov/WhereIsMy/index.htm or go directly to the Guide to 

Tracing Your American Indian Ancestry at www.bia.gov/idc/groups/

public/documents/text/idc-002619.pdf.

OST has excellent resources nationwide where individuals are available 

to answer trust-related questions.

Fiduciary Trust Offi cers (FTOs)

For questions about issues that aff ect trust assets, OST’s Fiduciary Trust 

Offi cers are primary points of contact for Individual Indian Money 

benefi ciaries. To locate an FTO, go to www.doi.gov/ost/ft o. 

Trust Benefi ciary Call Center (TBCC)

OST’s Trust Benefi ciary Call Center opened December 2004 to give 

benefi ciaries easy access to answers about their trust funds. Th e tollfree phone number is 1-888-678-6836. TBCC is open Monday through 

Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. until noon, Mountain 

time.

Whereabouts Unknown (WAU) 

is the term used to describe 

Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts without current address 

information on fi le with the 

Offi ce of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians (OST). Some 

WAU accounts hold thousands 

of dollars!

During Fiscal Year 2011

(October 1, 2010 through 

September 30, 2011)

33,567 - WAU accounts updated 

with current addresses

$22.9 million - total funds in 

these updated WAU accounts

To fi nd out if you have an 

account on the WAU list, visit 

the OST website.

www.doi.gov/ost/wau

Getting Answers to Your Questions

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2 TRUST MATTERS

Maintaining 

public trust 

motivated this 

organizational 

change. 

Building a 

qualified 

workforce for 

the future is 

an OAS 

priority.

Th e Offi ce of Appraisal Services (OAS) is celebrating 

its tenth anniversary as part of the Offi ce of the Special 

Trustee for American Indians (OST). OAS conducts 

appraisals, appraisal reviews and appraisal consulting 

of real property interests in support of the Secretary 

of the Interior’s Indian trust asset management 

responsibilities.

OAS was moved from the Bureau of Indian Aff airs, 

Offi ce of Trust Services, Division of Real Estate Services 

to OST under Secretarial Order No. 3240, which was 

signed March 12, 2002 (eff ective June 2002). Th e Order 

established OAS as an offi ce and realigned Indian trust 

land valuation and appraisal functions.

Maintaining public trust motivated this organizational 

change. It eliminated the potential for a perceived 

confl ict of interest when a Director of Real Estate 

Services supervised personnel responsible for real 

estate management and those 

who value the real estate. As 

stated in the Secretarial Order, 

the realignment “will...ensure 

the independence, accountability, and oversight of the Indian 

trust lands valuation and 

appraisal staff .”

Policy changes have played a 

part in the development of OAS 

within OST. Improved communication, both internally and with clients, has resulted in better service. 

Concerns are aired quickly to determine if the issue 

represents inaccurate perceptions by the client or OAS, 

which can then be addressed methodically. Now, aft er 

a fi ve day grace period, incomplete appraisal requests 

are returned to their requestors. Th is adds transparency to the request process as the workload includes only 

requests that are complete and thus can be acted upon. 

As part of OST, there is a clear chain of command in 

the OAS leadership. Th e OAS Director reports directly 

to the Special Trustee. Th e OAS Director and Deputy 

Director, who are appraisers, manage the Regional 

Supervisory Appraisers. Th ey, along with staff members, 

have expertise, credentials and training specifi c to 

Indian trust land valuations.

Building a qualifi ed workforce for the future is an OAS 

priority. Th roughout the profession, there has been 

an increase in state requirements 

for appraiser training. Because of 

its specialization, OAS has established an internship program in 

which seasoned, credentialed OAS 

appraisers are mentors for new 

OAS appraisers. With heavy workloads, it’s a challenge for mentors 

to fi nd the time needed to provide 

fi rst rate training. OAS personnel 

have stepped up to that challenge. 

OAS works closely with the Offi ce 

of Minerals Evaluation (OME), which is part of the 

Department of the Interior’s Offi ce of Valuation 

Services. On Indian lands, OME performs mineral 

assessments and market analyses to determine the 

value, if any, of subsurface mineral estates. 

In 2009, OAS was challenged to eliminate the backlog 

of appraisal requests. Requests for appraisal services 

come to OAS from the Bureau of Indian Aff airs and 

tribes that contract or compact under P.L. 93-638, the 

Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance 

Act. Although OAS was producing almost 6000 

appraisal products a year, a backlog had developed 

over several years and was approaching 2000 requests. 

Th e offi ce took on the challenge to retire the backlog 

between February and July 2009. By the end of 

FY2009, the backlog had been reduced to 65 requests. 

Today, OAS transmits to its clients about 8000 

appraisals and appraisal reviews annually. In FY2011, 

clients received 7,539 appraisal products.

In the future, there is the potential for signifi cant 

additional land valuation service requirements. 

Finalization of the Cobell settlement could generate 

new work through the settlement’s Trust Land 

Consolidation Fund.

Increases to future workloads would be mitigated 

by two new technology solutions, which are in 

development. First is the OAS Information System 

(OASIS), which is being created to streamline and 

OAS Tenth Anniversary
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1 3

Sometimes you just need something as soon as 

possible and you hope other people can, and will, 

help make it happen. That’s what occurred when a 

Bureau of Indian Aff airs Realty Offi cer asked for a 

rush on an appraisal request needed for a probate 

case. 

The Offi ce of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians (OST) Offi ce of Appraisal Services Northwest 

Regional Offi ce turnaround was almost immediate. 

As the Realty Offi cer put it, “I was asking for a rush 

not a miracle.” He added, “I am extremely impressed 

and grateful for this incredible eff ort.” He went on to 

thank those involved for being so responsive.

Northwest Regional Offi ce staff members were 

pleased they could accommodate the request. 

As Regional Supervisory Appraiser Rena Sanford 

noted, “We have a great team here.”

This is one recent example of OST meeting, and 

exceeding, client requests!

Exceeding Client Expectations

track appraisal service requests and simplify reporting. Th e second system is the Mass Appraisal Program 

System (MAPS), an alternative valuation system. 

MAPS will expedite valuations of Indian trust lands 

in a cost eff ective manner and in compliance with the 

Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. 

Both systems will be tested during FY2012.

For detailed information about OAS and contact 

information for Regional Supervisory Appraisers, 

visit the appraisal services section of the OST website. 

Th e quick access link is www.doi.gov/ost/oas.

Did you know? The Northwest Regional 

Offi ce has the highest workload 

in OAS, averaging around 1,700 

appraisal requests per year.

Tribal Consultation

Policy Update

Tribal consultation is a basic premise of the 

government-to-government relationship between the 

United States and tribes. In November 2000, Executive 

Order 13175 directed all executive departments 

and agencies to engage in “regular and meaningful 

consultation and collaboration with tribal offi cials 

in the development of [f]ederal policies that have 

tribal implications.” President Obama instructed each 

department and agency head in November 2009 to 

prepare a detailed plan of action to implement the 

Executive Order.

Secretary Salazar signed Secretarial Order 3317 on 

December 1, 2011, implementing the Department of 

the Interior Policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes. 

Th e Secretarial Order is published on Interior’s website 

at www.doi.gov/tribes/Tribal-Consultation-Policy.cfm. 

Th e Department’s policy is posted at www.doi.gov/

news/pressreleases/loader.cfm?csModule=security/

getfi le&pageid=269697.

Under the policy, Secretary Salazar designated a senior 

offi cial to serve as the Department’s Tribal Governance 

Offi cer (TGO). Th e Offi ce of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians (OST) is working with the TGO 

and other bureaus and offi ces in the Department to 

review existing consultation policies at the bureau and 

offi ce level. Th e goal is to develop new policies, where 

necessary, that conform to the Department’s policy.

Please email consultation@doi.gov for more 

information about the Department’s consultation 

policy. Contact Lee Frazier (202-208-7587, lee_frazier@

ost.doi.gov) about revisions to OST’s policy.
4 TRUST MATTERS

Michele Singer Rejoins OST

Michele F. Singer was designated the acting Principal Deputy Special Trustee 

on December 15, 2011. Singer returns to the Offi ce of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians (OST), having served as OST’s Chief of Staff from 2004 

to 2006. She left OST for the position of Director of the Offi ce of Regulatory 

Aff airs and Collaborative Action in the Offi ce of the Assistant Secretary 

– Indian Aff airs. In that position, she was responsible for the review and 

revision of all federal regulations governing Indian Aff airs at the Department 

of the Interior.

Aft er receiving a law degree in 1997 from Georgetown University, Singer 

worked as a litigator in Washington, D.C., and for the Attorney General of 

the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe before coming to the Department of the Interior. 

She is a member of the California; Washington, D.C.; and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Court 

Bars. In 2009, she received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of 

New Mexico.

Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) requests are initiated to 

obtain information contained in 

documents that the government has 

created, received and/or maintains. 

For example, if you need historical 

records of activities that occurred 

on tracts of land, a FOIA request 

may help you obtain that information.

A FOIA request must reasonably 

describe the records sought. 

Answers/records will not be 

provided for questions regarding 

agency operations or for records 

already made available to the public.

Th ere are specifi c requirements 

for submitting a request to be 

processed. You must submit your 

request in writing, although that 

may be by letter, fax or email. You 

must indicate into which of four 

categories the request falls: 

1) commercial use, 2) scientifi c or 

educational, 3) news media, and 4) 

other. Each category has associated 

fees, which you must state in the 

request you are willing to pay. 

Generally, you submit a FOIA 

request to the government bureau, 

agency or offi ce where you 

believe the records originated. Th e 

Offi ce of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians’ FOIA Offi cer is 

Veronica Herkshan, who can help 

you prepare a request. You can 

reach Veronica at 505-816-1645 or 

at veronica_herkshan@ost.doi.gov. 

For details about FOIA policy, visit 

www.doi.gov/foia/policy.

Freedom of Information Act 

Requests Demystifi ed

Pay.gov Update

Payments for Bureau of Indian 

Aff airs leases and permits are 

being accepted through Pay.gov, 

a secure Internet based collection service provided at no cost 

by the U.S. Department of the 

Treasury. Pay.gov can accept both 

electronic check payments (funds 

transferred directly from a bank 

account) and those made by 

credit card. 

Beginning June 1, 2012, the limit 

on payments by credit card will 

change. Treasury is establishing 

under $50,000 as the new credit 

card payment limit (currently 

$100,000 through May 31, 2012). 

That means Pay.gov will accept credit card payments up to 

$49,999.99 starting June 1.

Payments made by electronic 

check currently have no payment 

limit. That will remain unchanged. 

Payments made by regular check 

will continue to be processed by 

the Offi ce of the Special Trustee 

for American Indians through the 

Indian trust fund lockbox.

If you have questions about 

Pay.gov, contact Rien Heymering at 

505-816-1323 or email 

rien_hymering@ost.doi.gov.