Deadline for second round of payments from Cobell settlement

Thursday, December 20, 2012  

The first payments from the $3.4 billion Cobell trust fund settlement are making the rounds in Indian Country as a second deadline approaches for Indian beneficiaries.

People who have already received, or are due to receive, a $1,000 check for the Historical Accounting Class do not need to file a claim for the Trust Administration Class. They will receive the second payment automatically.

But those who believe they are belong to the Trust Administration Class have until March 1, 2013, to file a claim. The class includes:

1. Individual Indians who were alive on September 30, 2009, and who either had an Individual Indian Money (IIM) account recorded in currently available electronic data in federal government systems anytime from January 1, 1985 to September 30, 2009, or can demonstrate ownership in land held in trust or restricted status as of September 30, 2009;
2. Estates (or heirs) of any deceased landowner or IIM account holder whose account was open or whose trust assets had been in probate according to the federal government’s records as of September 30, 2009.

People who have already submitted a claim for the Trust Administration Class do not need to re-file. They will be contacted by the Claims Administrator.

The minimum payment for the Trust Administration Class is expected to be $800. But many beneficiaries will receive more, based on the level of activity in their IIM account.

In a December 11 order, Judge Thomas Hogan said the process to identify all members of the Trust Administration Class will run through July 2013. So beneficiaries can expect a payment sometime in the fall of 2013.

Relevant Documents:
Cobell v. Salazar (December 11, 2012)

Related Stories:
BSPR: NCAI worried about scams related to Cobell payments (12/17)
Delvin Cree: Cobell brings millions to Turtle Mountain members (12/14)
MTPR: Indian beneficiaries wait for share of Cobell settlement (12/13)
Judge orders first round of payments from Cobell settlement (12/12)
Dina Gilio-Whitaker: Winners and losers in Cobell settlement (12/11)
Upwards of 15K from Turtle Mountain Band to share in Cobell (12/10)
Cobell trust settlement expected to bring $23M to Wyoming (12/10)
Dennis Gingold withdraws as counsel in Cobell trust fund case (12/7)
South Dakota could see $115M in first round of Cobell payout (12/3)
Editorial: Elouise Cobell worked tirelessly for trust settlement (12/3)
Editorial: Priceless lessons learned from Cobell trust fund case (12/3)
Opinion: Cobell trust fund settlement payout 'insultingly small' (12/3)
NPR: South Dakota beneficiaries await share of Cobell payout (11/30)
Jay Daniels: Christmas and Cobell - what about the day after? (11/29)
Upwards of 50K in Oklahoma share in $3.4B Cobell settlement (11/29)
Tribal members in Wyoming could see $8M from Cobell payout (11/29)
Cobell settlement comes too late for beneficiaries who passed (11/29)
Checks for $3.4B Cobell settlement expected in mid-December (11/28)
About 350K to share in first round of Cobell settlement payout (11/27)
Obama announces final approval for Cobell settlement payout (11/26)
About 30K in Arizona expected to benefit from Cobell payouts (11/14)
Geoffrey Rempel: The truth behind the withdrawn Cobell appeal (11/12)
Ask Elouise: Appeals of $3.4B Cobell trust settlement dismissed (11/8)
Cobell settlement cleared after Supreme Court dismisses appeal (11/8)
Mary Aurelia Johns explains reasons for dropping Cobell appeal (11/08)