43 C.F.R. § 4.213 Informal process for cases that do not require a formal hearing.
Title 43 - Public Lands: Interior
(a) A decedent's estate may be processed informally by an attorney decision maker if: (1) The estate contained trust cash assets of $5,000 or more as of the date of the decedent's death or contained other trust property; (2) The case does not meet the criteria in §4.202(b); (3) Federal law or a tribal inheritance code approved by the Secretary does not provide otherwise. (b) Any interested party may request a formal hearing before an administrative law judge or Indian probate judge to determine the proper distribution of the estate. This request for a formal hearing, if desired, must be made before the attorney decision maker renders a decision. Upon receiving a request for a formal hearing, OHA will assign or transfer the case to an administrative law judge or Indian probate judge. (c) Within 120 days after OHA receives the complete probate package, if no interested party has requested a formal hearing before an administrative law judge or Indian probate judge, the attorney decision maker to whom the case has been assigned will: (1) Provide notice equivalent to that required for a formal hearing under §§4.216–4.217; (2) Assemble the probable heirs and beneficiaries; and (3) Hold an informal hearing to determine the distribution of the trust assets. (d) The attorney decision maker may schedule a supplemental informal hearing as necessary, in accordance with §4.235. (e) Within 60 days after the informal hearing, if no interested party has requested a formal hearing before an administrative law judge or Indian probate judge, the attorney decision maker will issue a written order in accordance with §4.214. (f) Any interested party may seek de novo review of the case following the decision of the attorney decision maker in accordance with §4.215. (g) If de novo review has not been sought within 60 days of the date of the written order, the attorney decision maker must submit: (1) The complete original record to the LTRO; (2) A complete duplicate copy of the record to the agency that prepared the probate package; and (3) A copy of any relevant portions of the record to any other affected agency.
Title 43: Public Lands: Interior
PART 4—DEPARTMENT HEARINGS AND APPEALS PROCEDURES
Subpart D—Rules Applicable in Indian Affairs Hearings and Appeals
Summary and Informal Probate Proceedings
§ 4.213 Informal process for cases that do not require a formal hearing.
