Social Security Creates Office to Focus on Tribal Outreach

He says he has seen signs of change under the Biden administration, including the appointments of Deb Haaland as the first Native American cabinet secretary, leading the Department of the Interior; Lynn Malerba as the first Native American U.S. treasurer; and Natives Lauren King and Sunshine Suzanne Sykes as federal judges.

The new SSA office grew out of a presidential directive last year that federal agencies work to advance racial equity and better support underserved communities. In February the SSA named Richard Litsey, a former director of the Social Security hearing office in Houston and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, as its first director.

An attorney, Litsey has also served as counsel and senior adviser on Indian affairs to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and director of policy and advocacy for the National Indian Health Board.

"Richard brings a wealth of experience advising federal agencies on ways to improve public programs and services for American Indians and Alaska Natives,” Kilolo Kijakazi, SSA acting commissioner, said in announcing the appointment Feb. 13. 

The SSA says the office’s priorities include strengthening consultations with tribes on regional and national policy, increasing outreach and education efforts to tribal communities and helping recruit a more diverse pool of candidates for Social Security jobs.

Barriers to benefits

The outreach efforts included an August visit by Kijakazi and other federal officials to the Spokane Tribe of Indians to discuss improving services and tour the tribe’s reservation in Wellpinit, Washington.

“They came to the Spokane Tribe of Indians and asked how Social Security affects you and your clients, and what are barriers to getting on Social Security, and what are we doing right and wrong,” says Christopher Zilar, a non-Native who works for the tribe as director of vocational rehabilitation. “Certainly, we had lots of answers for them.”

“We gave scenarios where people are afraid of applying,” particularly for disability benefits, Zilar says. “People are told they’re going to be denied and are going to have to do this five or 10 times.”

Another potential hurdle lies in the complex legal provisions around some forms of income for tribe members that can affect their tax status and benefit eligibility. “The issue comes down to education of the [SSA] staffers who try to enroll American Indians [and Alaska Natives] for benefits and are not aware of income exclusions for American Indians and Alaska Natives,” Anderson says.

For example, some Native Americans, particularly in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, have earnings from fishing that are not subject to income taxes, or to the payroll taxes that largely fund Social Security, under U.S. treaties with their tribes.

“It’s complicated, because so many tribes earn income through cultural practices,” says W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington state. “They’re often not on the radar of Social Security and are not making payments into Social Security. Many of them never paid into it.”

‘Cautiously optimistic’

Allen also serves on Tribal Technical Advisory Groups (TTAGs) for the Treasury Department and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He was one of more than 300 AIAN representatives who attended a virtual National Tribal Consultation the SSA hosted in September to get input on the partnership office.

“The point I made to them is that there are 574 tribes and they’re all going to have different kinds of general welfare benefits. The tribes need to know who they call to correct these problems,” he says.

Anderson says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about the SSA effort.

“I think a lot of planning and thought has gone into developing this office and I remain hopeful this will be a game changer for Alaska Natives and American Indians,” he says.

“We are excited about the recent formation of its Office of Native American Partnerships,” says Rico Frias, a member of the Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico and executive director of NAFOA, an association of tribal finance officers. “This dedicated effort to reach tribes and eligible American Indians and Alaska Natives is a necessary step in decreasing access barriers to eligible benefits.”