TRIBAL RESPONSE
Tribal Council, con’t from page 30
failed 128 to 427. The chart below details the current fringe and
other benefits received by Chinook Winds employees, tribal
employees, and the Tribal Council.
Chinook Winds
Dental
Pharmacy
Vision
Life
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
Accidental Death &
Dismemberment
401 (k) Retirement
AFLAC
Prepaid Legal
Employee Asst.
Program
Leave: Paid Time Off,
Jury Duty, Military,
Family Medical Leave
Unemployment
Worker’s Comp.
Incentive Awards
Meals
Uniforms
Siletz Tribe
TC/Gaming Board
Dental
Pharmacy
Vision
Life
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
Accidental Death &
Dismemberment
401 (k) Retirement
401 (k) Retirement
AFLAC
Prepaid Legal
Employee Asst.
Program
Leave: Annual, Sick,
Admin., Funeral,
Holidays, Jury,
Military, Family
Medical Leave,
Wellness,
Education,
Unemployment
Previous Council
members have
been awarded
unemployment
Worker’s Comp.
Worker’s Comp.
Incentive Awards
Flex time/Altered
Schedules
Uniforms for some
“rr . ■
medical staff
Reduced payment
child care
Tribal Budgets
(Sharon Edenfield/Naomi Shad wick)
There have never been any “secret” budget modifications. All
Tribal Council/government and gaming budget modifications have
always been and still are brought forward by tribal staff in open
session at Tribal Council meetings. All modifications are approved
by motion of the Tribal Council and are numbered, filed, and available
upon request.
It is indeed a fact that the Housing Improvement Program
budget was reduced. But this was not done at the direction of Tribal
Council or tribal staff. HIP program funds are distributed by a BIA
formula that is determined by the “neediest of the needy” throughout
the nation, not the neediest of the needy among Siletz Tribal
members. For contract year 2000, the tribe had only one eligible
applicant under this methodology.
Health Services
The tribe receives a fixed amount of funds to operate its total
health program. Inflation adjustments do not keep up with the cost
of medical inflation. Placing restrictions on health care eligibility
Participants of the Wellness Walk include Bob Scheldt (front row,
center), who included Siletz in his trek down the West Coast to
raise diabetes awareness.
and accessing alternate resources to manage health care dollars
is a prudent management approach.
The Siletz Clinic recently began restricting pharmacy benefits
to other Native American patients. Now they must be seen by one
of our clinic providers in order to fill their prescriptions at
our pharmacy.
This change was necessary because many tribal health
programs have drastically altered their eligibility criteria. For instance,
at the Grand Ronde clinic, if you are not a Grand Ronde tribal
member or have insurance to pay for prescriptions, you cannot
use their pharmacy. The Siletz Clinic pharmacy quickly experienced
a sharp increase in former Grand Ronde patients asking to fill
their prescriptions.
The requirement to use alternate resources is not a new
concept. CHS regulations specify that Indian Health Service funds
are the payer of last resort. Through the creation of a patient benefits
coordinator position and a new software system, we are capable
of screening all patients to effectively access any other resource
that may be available.
The tribe does not require members to use their own financial
resources or sell valuables or property to qualify for alternate
resources and has never communicated that to tribal members. A
recent newsletter article urged members to seek alternate
resources if available due to depleting CHS funds. In fact, the Oregon
Tribal Health Directors recently worked with the state of Oregon
Health Division to obtain a waiver to the requirement of placing a
lien on property in order to obtain senior and disabled services.
Another CHS cost-saving measure has been the increase of
the CHS radius from 25 miles to 40 miles. This process only required
a Tribal Council resolution and does not require a waiver of 42CFR
Part 36. These regulations govern contract health service eligibility
and medical services, but do not contain language setting the
mileage radius.
The Council hopes that the information above addresses the
questions and concerns that tribal members may have had after
reading the various letters to the editor. If you wish further
information or have other questions that were not addressed, please
contact Tribal Council Executive Secretary Kelley Ellis at
1 -800-922-1399 or 541 -444-2532.
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