Deadline to Submit Documentation: November 27, 2017
In late 2010, the class action litigation initiated by key plaintiff Elouise Cobell v. Salazar against the Department of Interior settled for $3.4 billion, and then-President Barack Obama signed legislation authorizing the reimbursement of funds to eligible class members. Unfortunately, thousands of Alaska Native and American Indian people who are eligible to receive funds have yet to come forward, others have failed to keep their addresses current with the claims administrator, and still others have passed away and their heirs have yet to present a death certificate and/or the necessary documentation to substantiate the right to inherit.
The final deadline for submitting documentation so that payment can be made has been set by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as Nov. 27, 2017. Visit www.indiantrust.com for additional information and to search the Cobell Whereabouts Unknown list for your name or the names of your friends and relatives. New names are still being added, so even if you checked the list before, you are encouraged to check it again. All questions should be directed to the claims administrator by calling (800) 961-6109; emailing info@indiantrust.com; or sending correspondence to Indian Trust Settlement, PO Box 9577, Dublin OH 43017-4877.
Funds Deposited on Behalf of Missing IIM Account Holders Subject to Forfeiture
Whether or not you are a missing claimant under the Cobell settlement, the Department of Interior Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) might be looking for you. OST is separately seeking current addresses for a number of Individual Indian Money Account holders whose whereabouts are currently unknown, including some individuals who have had Cobell payment funds deposited to their accounts. The funds held for these missing individuals will be forfeited and transferred to the Cobell Scholarship Fund in November or December of 2017 if they fail to update their accounts.
Visit www.doi.gov/ost/wau and scroll down to view the OST Whereabouts Unknown list to find out if OST is looking for you or any of your friends or relatives. If your name is on OST’s Whereabouts Unknown List, you may find out how to update your information by calling the Trust Beneficiary Call Center at (888) 678-6836 or writing to the Office of Special Trustee, attn: Trust Beneficiary Call Center, 4400 Masthead Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. All questions about OST’s Whereabouts Unknown List and the process for updating an address with OST should be directed to OST.
