Trust

OK, so just what is the Office of the Special Trustee?

Thursday, July 12, 2007

"At the Heritage Festival, I met a man who was worth $30,000 but did not know it.

To be more exact, the federal government was holding these funds for him, and it is my job with the government to help him get that money.

The man was on the list of individuals in the Rapid City region who are "Whereabouts Unknown": Indian trust account holders.

In the coming weeks I’ll be working from my desk at the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, on Mt. Rushmore Road, to get this man’s funds to him.

That is just one of the services available to Indian trust account holders at my office. On any given day I might find other people who are owed money from an Indian trust account, or I might provide a tribal leader information on land holdings from a current title status report.

I assist families to navigate the complexities of the federal probate process; I provide information to individuals interested in leasing Indian lands; I let landowners know when they can expect to receive their next trust payment; and I can help people sell their small Indian trust interests if they want to."

Get the Story:
Thomas B. Young: What is the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians? (The Rapid City Journal 7/12)

Relevant Links:
Office of Special Trustee - http://www.ost.doi.gov