The Navajo Nation 

Office of the President and Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2022

ARPA Hardship and CIB Technical Assistance Drives to be held in Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, and Denver

WINDOW ROCK, Arizona – The Navajo Nation Office of the Controller and Office of Vital Records and Identification will be hosting three American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Hardship and CIB Technical Assistance Drive this month to provide help with completing and submitting applications for ARPA Hardship Assistance and to apply for a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB). COVID-19 protocols will be in place and all attendees are required to wear a face mask at all times. 

“Many of our Navajo citizens reside in metropolitan areas, and many do not have the resources or transportation to obtain technical assistance for the ARPA Hardship Assistance or tribal enrollment process. We anticipate a large number of people during the technical assistance drives so please be patient and expect some waiting time during the events. Personnel continue to work long hours to process a high volume of documents as quickly as possible and to provide the necessary assistance,” said Navajo Nation Division of Human Resources Executive Director Dr. Perphelia Fowler.

The upcoming Navajo Nation ARPA Hardship and CIB Technical Assistance Drives are scheduled at the following locations:

• April 7 to 8, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Southern Indian Polytechnic Institute Gym (9169 Coors Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120) 
• April 14 to 15, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Kearns Oquirrh Family Fitness Center (5624 S. Cougar Ln, Kearns, UT 84118)
• April 28 to 29, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Denver Indian Center Inc. (4407 Morrison Rd., Denver, CO 80219)

The Office of the Controller and Office of Vital Records and Identification previously hosted technical drives in Tucson and Phoenix, Ariz.  Due to the very high demand for services, more dates will be announced for more technical assistance events in Phoenix.

President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer signed Resolution CD-62-21 into law in January, approving $557 million for the ARPA Hardship Assistance to provide direct financial relief for the Navajo people to help mitigate the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The funding provides $2,000 for adults who are 18 years and older on or before January 4, 2022 and $600 for minors who are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation. New applicants must complete/sign the ARPA Hardship Program application and submit no later than December 30, 2022.

As of Monday, the Office of the Controller has printed and mailed approximately 260,000 ARPA Hardship Assistance checks for enrolled members, who previously received the CARES Act Hardship Assistance. Staff members continue to work hard to process an additional 40,000 checks this week. 

Personnel at the technical assistance sites will provide guidance on ARPA Hardship and CIB inquiries, including change of address forms, printing and copying services, and individual concerns related to the application process and tribal enrollment. 

The technical assistance drives will not include any type of check distributions. In addition, applicants seeking to enroll with the Navajo Nation, obtain a copy of their CIB, or update their tribal enrollment information will be required to provide original records of Birth/Death Certificates, Marriage Licenses, Divorce Decrees, or other court-ordered documents. 

The Navajo Office of Vital Records will not be able to provide same-day CIB’s due to additional necessary verification to be conducted by agency offices. The ARPA Hardship Application form is available on the Office of the Controller website at https://www.nnooc.org and on the ARPA website at https://www.navajonationarpa.org. 

If you have further questions, please contact the Office of the Controller by e-mail at ARPAHardship@nnooc.org or call (928) 223-3525, (928) 224-8148, (928) 224-8187, (928) 224-8212, (928) 371-9226, (928) 223-3709, (928) 223-3712, (928) 223-3479, (928) 223-3490, (928) 223-3502, (928) 223-3504, (928) 223-3506, (928) 223-3536, (928) 223-3708, (928) 223-3710, (928) 223-3711, (928) 223-3714, (928) 223-3715, (928) 223-3716, (928) 223-3717, (928) 223-3718, (928) 223-3910.

Please contact the Navajo Office of Vital Records & ID at (928) 871-6386 or visit their website at https://www.novri.navajo-nsn.gov for more information regarding tribal enrollment.