A November 27 deadline is fast approaching to locate Indian beneficiaries who are entitled to a share of the $3.4 billion
Cobell trust fund settlement.
The overwhelming majority of beneficiaries already received their funds. But an
estimated
17,000 have not been paid because the Department of the Interior can't find them.
As trustee, the federal government is obligated to keep track of beneficiaries. Many, though, are considered "whereabouts unknown" because of poor record-keeping, faulty information and other problems.
The Garden City Group, the court-appointed administrator of the settlement,
maintains a
database
of "whereabouts unknown" beneficiaries as well as those whose contact
information is not current. Data can be searched by state and then by tribal affiliation, though in some cases an affiliation is not available.
If the missing beneficiaries can't be located by November 27, their funds will be transferred to the
Cobell scholarship fund. Checks
that have been mailed but haven't been cashed by the deadline also will go to
the fund.
The deadline does not apply to situations where the estates of deceased beneficiaries are still being processed by Interior.
Read More on the Story:
Deadline to file claims under Cobell settlement nears
(The Farmington Daily-Times November 21, 2017)
Dept. of Interior searching for whereabouts of 17,000 Native Americans
(KTUU November 17, 2017)
Final deadline to submit documents for Cobell Settlement Nov. 27
(Mvskoke Media November 16, 2017)
Join the Conversation
Related Stories
Final
deadline approaching to claim share of Cobell trust fund settlement (October
27, 2017)
Court
sets final deadline for remaining payments from Cobell settlement (June 22,
2017)
