United States Department Of The Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Western Regional Office

2600 North Central Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona  85004

Director, BIA, Phoenix – (602) 379-6600

Western Shoshone Project – (602) 253-0024

It is anticipated that a partial payment will be made on February 28, 2011 to those eligible elders 65 years old and older and to those eligible applicants from whom we received applications on or before October 5, 2007.

If you are part of the group mentioned above, please note that checks in the mail and direct deposits may take several days to arrive at your given address or bank account. If you do not receive your payment by March 15, 2011, please contact the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) Trust Beneficiary Call Center at: 1-888-678-6836.  Please do not contact the Trust Beneficiary Call Center (TBCC) prior to March 15, 2011, as the TBCC will not have sufficient information to assist you prior to that date.  At that time, you will need to provide the TBCC with certain identifying information (i.e., date of birth, Social Security Number, etc.) before they will be able assist you.

If a check is returned to the Department of Treasury (Treasury) because it is undeliverable as addressed, Treasury will notify OST of the returned check. OST will then work with the Bureau of Indian Affair – Western Shoshone Project Office for assistance in contacting you for a current address. If you receive a payment by check, it is critically important that you properly safeguard the check as it may take six (6) months or more to replace lost, stolen or destroyed checks.  

Keep in mind that while you may have received a letter advising you of your eligibility, if you did not keep your address current, or you did not submit a requested birth certificate, death certificate or other document required to prove your eligibility or your family’s eligibility, you will not receive a payment until the required documents are received and it is determined that you may participate in the payment.  In this case, your payment will be included with the final distribution. The estimated date for the final payment is still pending.