Navajo Nation to consider another round of hardship assistance checks

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Navajo Nation members can possibly expect another round of hardship checks in the coming weeks.

The Navajo Nation received a little more than $2 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act earlier this year. A large portion of that money has been set aside for key infrastructure projects to bring electricity, water and broadband to communities.

A new proposal would put $207 million toward the next round of hardship checks for the Navajo people.

The bill’s sponsor, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty said that works out to $600 per person.

"We didn’t want another round of applications because we know that was challenging, so any relative, or Navajo Nation citizen who already applied, you’re already eligible," Crotty said.

The Navajo Nation Council still has to pass it and the president needs to sign off on it, but once that happens the money could be distributed in just a few weeks. A special session to pass it could happen as soon as this week.

Crotty hopes it brings some relief.

"We know that this doesn’t replace lost income, that’s the hard part is when you’ve lost your job from COVID or have been laid off," Crotty said.

Earlier this month, the Navajo Nation reported that 7,500 checks from the first round of hardship checks have not been claimed. The deadline to reach out is Dec. 23:

If you are an enrolled Navajo Nation member who applied for hardship assistance and have not received a check – or if you received a check and did not deposit or cash it before it expired – contact the Office of the Controller via email at rthompson@hardship.nnooc.org or wjames@hardship.nnooc.org – or by calling (928) 871-6955, (928) 871-6271 or (928) 871-6073 – no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 23.