Section ADM.04.06 — Assistance Payments.

(a) Assistance may be paid directly to individual Beneficiaries; institutions that receive the payment on behalf of a Beneficiary (such as an educational institution); or to minors' trusts or a special needs trust on behalf of Beneficiaries who are minors or adjudicated as incompetent.

(b) The form and amount of the Assistance and the nature of payment can vary based on the approved Program Guidelines.

(1) The Tribe recognizes that pro rata payments (uniform payments to each tribal member) are permissible under the Act and that distributing benefits in equal amounts is often the most efficient method to issue Assistance, particularly when addressing community-wide needs.

(2) Assistance to a minor or incompetent Beneficiary generally shall be placed into a protective trust for use on their behalf. By placing the Assistance into a protective trust, the nature of the Assistance shall not be changed. The Tribe intends the payment to remain an Assistance payment excluded from gross income upon distribution if used for general welfare purposes.