Skip to main content

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Jump To:

Recent Reports

View More Reports

Open Recommendations (16 total)

Indian Affairs: Additional Actions Needed to Address Long-standing Challenges with Workforce Capacity

GAO-25-106825
Show
6 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop a proposal that identifies capacity-building opportunities and the resources necessary to pursue them and share the proposal with Interior for consideration. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should identify skills, knowledge, and competency gaps in mission-critical occupations across Indian Affairs. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should, by March 2027, collect lessons learned regarding the use and sufficiency of funds for administrative costs associated with legislation that provides funds for Tribes outside of baseline appropriations and share these lessons with Interior and Congress. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop a proposal that identifies legislative opportunities to build capacity and the resources necessary to pursue them and share the proposal with Congress for consideration. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop consolidated written guidance that clarifies what hiring authorities, recruitment incentives, and workforce flexibilities can be leveraged for recruitment and retention purposes. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should track vacancy data across Indian Affairs in a systematic and centralized manner. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Tribal Issues: Bureau of Indian Affairs Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Timely Delivery of Real Estate Services [Reissued with revisions on Nov. 6, 2023]

GAO-24-105875
Show
3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should provide additional training and guidance to staff on TAAMS data field definitions and data entry requirements to ensure that staff are entering all information necessary to measure processing times and whether regulatory and internal deadlines are being met for new lease and right-of-way applications. BIA should also provide similar training and guidance to accompany the forthcoming TAAMS mortgage module that will replace the Mortgage Tracker. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us the agency increased the number of TAAMS trainings received by BIA staff in 2024. In order to address this recommendation, BIA needs to update TAAMS trainings and guidance documents to include key data field definitions and entry requirements to ensure that processing times and deadlines can be measured using TAAMS data.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should assess the quality of its communication with Tribes and stakeholders regarding real estate services and, based on that assessment, identify any areas for improvement. This could include the development of policy or guidance specifying procedures and time frames for responding to inquiries, such as those concerning the status of applications and TSR requests. (Recommendation 6)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us the agency plans to attend annual conferences to gather tribal perspectives and that BIA developed communication guidance for its field staff that was shared at an internal training. To address this recommendation, BIA needs to formally collect information from Tribes and stakeholders on the quality of communication related to real estate services and needed improvements. Using the findings from this information collection effort, BIA needs to identify areas of improvement and specific steps it will take to address those areas. Further, these steps could be included in BIA policy or guidance to facilitate and improve BIA's communication with key stakeholders on its real estate services.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should, using available data, conduct an initial assessment of its processing times and compliance with regulatory and internal deadlines in delivering real estate services (mortgages, leases, rights-of-way, and TSR requests). As a part of that assessment, BIA should identify and develop a plan to address any areas for improvement, factors affecting processing times (including staff shortages), and additional data needs for future analysis. (Recommendation 4)
Open
As of September 2024, BIA officials told us the agency plans to implement strategies to monitor timeliness and will initiate a "strike team" to monitor high priority and backlog realty leases and transactions. To address this recommendation, BIA will need to complete an analysis of its processing times and compliance with deadlines for mortgages, leases, rights-of-way, and TSR requests. BIA needs to use the results of this analysis to identify areas with lengthy processing times; factors causing those lengthy processing times; and specific steps for improvement. BIA will also need to identify data needs for future analysis.

Tribal Issues: Bureau of Indian Affairs Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Timely Delivery of Real Estate Services [Reissued with revisions on Nov. 6, 2023]

GAO-24-105875
Show
1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should enhance TAAMS to include additional data edit checks that require staff to enter all information necessary for measuring processing times and whether regulatory and internal deadlines are being met for new lease and right-of-way applications. (Recommendation 2)
Open – Partially Addressed
In September 2024, BIA provided documentation of requested updates to TAAMS that include the addition of data fields to measure processing times and deadlines for new lease and right-of-way applications, as well as the addition of a data edit check requiring these key data fields be populated. To fully address this recommendation, BIA will need to complete the TAAMS updates and provide evidence that requested changes have been implemented.
View More Recommendations

Related Pages