Financial Assistance and Social Services Programs; Burial Assistance

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION:

Final rule; confirmation.

SUMMARY:

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is confirming the interim final rule published on March 1, 2016, extending the deadline for filing an application for burial assistance to 180 days to address hardships resulting from the current short timeframe. The Department of the Interior (Department) did not receive any significant adverse comments during the public comment period on the interim final rule, and therefore confirms the rule without change.

DATES:

Effective May 4, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elizabeth Appel, Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action, Office of the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs; telephone (202) 273-4680, elizabeth.appel@bia.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On March 1, 2016, the Department published an interim final rule (81 FR 10475) to extend the deadline by which a relative of a deceased Indian can apply for burial assistance for the deceased Indian from 30 days following death to 180 days following death.

The Department received three comments on the rule, all of which were supportive of the rule. None of the comments requested changes to the rule. Consequently, the Department did not make any change to the interim final rule as a result of this comment. For these reasons, the Department confirms the interim rule published March 1, 2016 (81 FR 10475), as final without change.