DFS hurting for money
WINDOW ROCK
A lack of funding for the Burial Assistance Program was just the tip of the iceberg.
Sources confirmed to the Navajo Times that funding shortfalls faced by the Navajo Nation Department of Family Services go well beyond the BAP, impacting a number of other programs on the Navajo Nation.
According to a letter from Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye the shortfall came about because the federal government did not provide enough funding for expenses to the Navajo Nation’s Welfare Assistance Program under Public Law 93-638 during Contract Year 2016 – this year. The president said the administration made up some of the difference.
“The amount allocated for CY 2016 Welfare Assistance was $18,355,093 and due to the shortfall, $7,152,346 of CY 2016 Administration funds were used for Welfare Assistance,” the president said in the letter. “The actual need for the year which is based on expenditures and obligations is $31,059,046.00. The result is a shortfall of $5,551,607.00 for CY 2016. Again, the deficit would have been larger if the Administration funds were not budgeted for Welfare Assistance.”
Public Law 93-638 governs contracts on social services between the BIA and the Navajo Nation. A primary expense the funds provide for are services provided by vendors that provide things like housing programs for the elderly.
“Because of the significant shortage, for the months of September, October and November 2016, services have been provided to our Navajo children, elders, and their families, but vendors have not received payment,” Begaye said. “This will impact December’s payments as well. These vendors provide critical services to our Navajo people and continue to do so.”
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow