# § 1663. Office of Direct Service Tribes
**(a)** **Establishment** There is established within the Service an office, to be known as the “Office of Direct Service Tribes”.
**(b)** **Treatment** The Office of Direct Service Tribes shall be located in the Office of the Director.
**(c)** **Duties** The Office of Direct Service Tribes shall be responsible for—
**(1)** providing Service-wide leadership, guidance and support for direct service tribes to include strategic planning and program evaluation;
**(2)** ensuring maximum flexibility to tribal health and related support systems for Indian beneficiaries;
**(3)** serving as the focal point for consultation and participation between direct service tribes and organizations and the Service in the development of Service policy;
**(4)** holding no less than biannual consultations with direct service tribes in appropriate locations to gather information and aid in the development of health policy; and
**(5)** directing a national program and providing leadership and advocacy in the development of health policy, program management, budget formulation, resource allocation, and delegation support for direct service tribes.
---
**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 94–437, title VI, § 603, as added Pub. L. 111–148, title X, § 10221(a), Mar. 23, 2010, 124 Stat. 935.)
## Editorial Notes
### Codification
is based on section 172 of title I of S. 1790, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, as reported by the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate in Dec. 2009, which was enacted into law by .
### Prior Provisions
A prior section 1663, , as added , , , authorized appropriations through fiscal year 2000 to carry out this subchapter, prior to repeal by , , . The repeal is based on section 101(b)(10) of title I of S. 1790, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, as reported by the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate in Dec. 2009, which was enacted into law by .