Hardship Assistance Program checks mailed out, 370 duplicate checks sent in error and will be voided

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — As of today, the Navajo Nation Office of the Controller has issued nearly 120,000 checks for the Navajo CARES Act Hardship Assistance Program. The first round of check printing contained more than 200,000 approved checks that were set to be issued and are expected to be completed by the end of this week.

Questions about the Hardship Assistance program or payments can be found at the Navajo Nation Office of the Controller's website or by calling the support center at 1-833-282-7248.

The Controller’s Office has received confirmation of members on the Navajo Nation and off the Navajo Nation that have received their checks in the mail.

With the large volume of check printing occurring, there is always the risk of an error.

Yesterday, the Controller’s Office was alerted that there were 370 duplicate checks that were issued by mistake and mailed out as part of the first batch of check processing, this was due to a printer server failure.

“All remaining check batches were re-checked to ensure this did not occur more than once,” said Pearline Kirk, controller of the Navajo Nation. “In response, there have been additional quality control procedures put in place, including independent, triple checks of all batches processed through this automated process and retroactive audits of batches completed.”

Kirk explained the Controller’s Office is in the process of contacting all affected individuals and will be voiding all checks that have not cleared and will reissue a new check to the members today, Jan. 26.

“These re-issued checks will be expedited to the affected members through overnight shipping services,” said Kirk. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and urge members that have received multiple checks to refrain from attempting to present one or both for payment. This could result in financial loss for the member or check cashing facility, in addition to returned check fees as the duplicate payment will not be honored when presented.”

If a Navajo Nation member believes they are one of the affected individuals, they will be contacted by the Office of the Controller starting today and tomorrow with further information. If a member feels they were affected and have not been contacted by the close of business tomorrow, Jan. 27, they are urged to call the Support Center at 1-833-282-7248.