§4143 Payment of awards; priorities; limitations

Summary

The Treasury Secretary must pay awards from the War Claims Fund in a set order. First, pay in full the awards listed in section 4132(d)(1) and (2), then pay in full awards under section 4132(a) to claimants the Small Business Administration certified as small businesses at the time of loss or that the Commission finds were nonprofit groups for social welfare, religious, charitable, or educational purposes. Next, make equal partial payments on other 4132 awards so each gets the same amount, but no award gets more than $10,000 total. After that, make equal partial payments on remaining awards to individuals and corporations not already fully paid, but no award gets more than $35,000 total. Finally, divide whatever money is left among all unpaid award balances so each award gets the same percentage of its unpaid balance. Past payments on certain Hungarian awards count here, no payment on a recertified Hungarian award is made until the distribution percentage on 4132 awards exceeds that on the recertified award, and payment on a recertified award may not exceed 40% of that award. Payments and applications must follow Treasury rules. For payments other than the first priority, an “award” means all awards certified for the same claimant combined. If a recipient is dead or legally disabled, pay their legal representative. If a payment is $1,000 or less and there is no executor or administrator, Treasury may pay whoever it finds entitled without formal estate procedures. A partial payment does not cancel the right to seek the unpaid balance from a foreign government. Payments for losses in the Philippines cannot be more than the amounts paid under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946.