Why Secure Identity Verification Matters for Tribal Communities
Did you know? Each year, the federal government distributes around $1.2 trillion in grants. That includes grants to tribal entities, which totaled over $40 billion in FY23.
These grants support critical services for tribal communities, including housing, healthcare, public safety, education, and more. But federal grants – including those for tribal communities – are an attractive target for fraudsters. As more government services have moved online following the pandemic, fraud attempts have accelerated, with cybercriminals using increasingly sophisticated technologies to impersonate deserving grantees and steal funds meant for them.
This means secure identity verification – making sure that the individuals claiming and managing their grants online are who they say are – is critical.
Unlike ID.me, however, legacy identity verification solutions powered by algorithm-only solutions have historically struggled to verify tribal users. One reason is that legacy methods often rely on data brokers, and tribal users don’t always show up in the records these data brokers use. Data brokers have to be more aggressive about acquiring relevant data sets to be able to support these users. As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its partner agencies shared following their Tribal CX Pilot for Post-Award Reporting, grant applicants “can struggle to meet identity documentation and physical address requirements, as many tribal members may only have tribal IDs and P.O. boxes.”
This is where ID.me comes in. Our experience supporting the Tribal CX Pilot this year shows that agencies don’t have to compromise when it comes to fraud prevention and inclusive access, nor do they have to get troves of new data on tribal users.
How ID.me Keeps Tribal Grants Safe While Expanding Access
ID.me recently attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Providers Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. This event brought together Tribal leaders, their communities, federal agencies, and industry experts to discuss key challenges and solutions for accessing and managing federal grants. For ID.me, the conference capped nearly a year of collaboration with HHS and the Department of the Treasury to achieve two critical goals: preventing fraud and helping underserved communities – particularly tribal users – gain secure access to vital federal resources.
Starting in February 2024, ID.me began protecting HHS’s Payments Management System by implementing NIST Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) standards, ensuring that grant funds are disbursed securely and reach their intended recipients. In collaboration with the HHS Grants Quality Service Management Office (QSMO), ID.me has also focused on improving access for traditionally underserved populations, enabling them to navigate and manage critical grant applications across both HHS and Treasury platforms. Key accomplishments include:
- Streamlining user journeys to identify and remove barriers.
- Conducting end-user research to understand unique needs of Tribal users.
- Collaborating with Tribal leaders to co-create tailored solutions.
- Accepting Tribal ID documents to expand verification options.
- Offering multiple verification pathways, including online self-serve, video chat, and in-person options.
- Supporting over 240 languages, including Navajo, in our video chat verification pathway.
- Offering a tribal help guide tailored to address the needs of tribal users.
ID.me also conducted a ZIP code analysis to compare the pass/fail rate among Alaska Native grant recipients with the national average. The data showed that pass rates of Alaskan zip codes with predominantly tribal users have a pass rate that is close to benchmark compared to the rest of the United States.
At the BIA Tribal Providers Conference, ID.me showcased the tangible results of its work. Presentations by the Department of the Treasury and BIA highlighted how ID.me’s solutions have streamlined access for Tribal users.
As one federal official remarked, “ID.me is very important. Think of them as the front door” to accessing many online services from federal agencies.
The partnership with HHS and Treasury exemplifies the power of public-private collaboration in addressing complex challenges. ID.me has made it easier and safer for the delivery of grants for the federal agencies – and their important beneficiaries – that leverage the platforms built by HHS and Treasury.
