Interior Department, Alaska Department of Health Announce New Agreement to Enhance Bureau of Indian Affairs Probate Process

The Department of the Interior and the Alaska Department of Health announced a new agreement that strengthens coordination to support timely and accurate probate services for Alaska Native communities.

The agreement was signed today, during a visit to Alaska, by Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Kate MacGregor and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy in recognition of a shared commitment to Alaska Native communities and acknowledges persistent challenges in addressing a backlog of probate cases that affect Alaska Native beneficiaries.

“Interior is working hard to make a measurable improvement to the longstanding probate backlog so Alaskan native families can receive the property that rightfully belongs to them” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “This agreement creates a clearer, more efficient process that will reduce delays, set target timelines and ensures that assets can be returned to families more quickly and with greater accuracy.”

The new agreement, in the form of a memorandum of understanding, establishes a collaborative framework to improve probate case processing times by facilitating access to vital records maintained by the Alaska Division of Public Health’s Health Analytics and Vital Records Section. These records are essential to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ preparation of probate case files for Alaska Native individuals to determine trust estates.

“Ensuring timely access to vital records is an important part of supporting Alaska Native families as probate cases move forward,” said Alaska Department of Health Commissioner Heidi Hedberg. “Improving how these records are requested and processed helps provide families with the clarity and resolution they need.”

Under the agreement, the parties will:

• Establish a streamlined process for Bureau of Indian Affairs to request and Alaska to provide vital records needed for probate case development.

• Develop mutually agreed upon processing timelines to improve predictability and efficiency.

• Identify opportunities to support the state’s capacity to meet increased record request demands.

• Create follow-on agreements, such as data sharing arrangements, to implement the agreement’s objectives in alignment with federal and state privacy requirements.