OAR 274-032-0100: Distribution of Pass-through Funds to Tribes; Background and Purpose

(1) In 2019, the Oregon State Legislature passed House Bill 5538 (Chapter 570, Oregon Laws 2019), the Department’s budget bill, which provided funds for a new position, a Tribal Veteran Coordinator, and pass-through funding for Tribal Veteran Offices. The budget note states that the purpose of these Pass-through Funds is for Tribal Veteran Offices to “expand and enhance their programs and services.” (2) In 2019, the Department began working closely with various Tribes to establish formal relationships through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU provisions include that the Department would train and accredit Tribal Veteran Service Officers, and the Tribe would establish a Tribal Veteran Office and employ a Tribal Veteran Service Officer who would file United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) benefit claims for veterans under the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs’ power of attorney. (3) The purpose of these rules is to describe the rationale, requirements and processes for the distribution of pass-through funds to Tribes.