Old Age Assistance Claims Settlement Act
Public Law 98-500 · S. 1151 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 19, 1984 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. Mark Andrews (R-ND)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Old Age Assistance Claims Settlement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to pay to certain entitled individuals specified portions of unauthorized disbursements from the estate of a deceased Indian made to reimburse State or local governments for old age assistance. Requires such payments to include interest from the date the unauthorized disbursements were made. Prohibits such payments if the unauthorized disbursements fall below $50.
Sets forth procedural guidelines for the notice and publication in the Federal Register of: (1) all trust estates from which unauthorized disbursements are known to have been made; and (2) additional unauthorized disbursement claims submitted within a certain period.
Requires the Secretary to search Department of Interior records in order to ascertain: (1) persons entitled to any portion of unauthorized disbursements; and (2) the amount of such disbursements to which individuals are entitled. Directs the Secretary to make immediate payment without requiring filing of a formal claim if the Secretary has ascertained the identity of entitled individuals and the amounts to which they are entitled.
Prescribes procedures to be used by the Secretary to notify entitled individuals of their right to receive payment.
Provides for a full discharge of all claims after payment and acceptance has been made under this Act.
Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986, FY 1987, and following fiscal years.
Exempts the funds distributed under this Act from being used as a basis to deny or reduce any Federal benefits for which a party would be otherwise eligible under the Social Security Act or (except for per capita shares over $2,000) any Federal or federally assisted program.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Indian Affairs Committee · Senate · hearings by (full committee), markup by, referred to, reported by
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Oct 19, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-500.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 10, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 4, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 1, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 28, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- Sep 18, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Sep 11, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Jul 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Apr 27, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.