(a) The Superintendent shall notify each individual applicant or sponsor, as applicable, upon receipt of an application. The Superintendent shall consider each application and all documentation. Upon determining an individual's eligibility, the Superintendent shall notify the individual; the parent or guardian having legal custody of a minor or incompetent adult; or the sponsor, as applicable.

(1) Written notification of the Superintendent's decision shall be sent to the applicant by certified mail, for receipt by the addressee only, return receipt requested.

(2) If a decision by the Superintendent is sent out of the United States, registered mail will be used. If a certified or registered notice is returned as “Unclaimed,” the Superintendent shall remail the notice by regular mail together with an acknowledgment of receipt form to be completed by the addressee and returned to the Superintendent. If the acknowledgment of receipt is not returned, computation of the period specified for changes in election and for appeals shall begin on the date the notice was remailed. A certified or registered notice returned for any reason other than “Unclaimed” need not be remailed.

(3) If an individual files an application on behalf of more than one person, one notice of eligibility or adverse action may be addressed to the person who filed the applications. However, the notice must list the name of each person to whom the notice is applicable. Where an individual is represented by a sponsor, notification to the sponsor of eligibility or adverse action shall be considered notification to the individual.

(b) On the basis of an applicant's election with regard to whether he or she wishes to share in the per capita payment, the Superintendent's decision shall also state whether the applicant's name will be included on the per capita payment roll. If no election has been made by the applicant, parent, or legal guardian on the application form, the individual applicant's name will not be included on the per capita payment roll.

(1) The eligible individual will have 30 days from notification of his or her eligibility in which to request a change in the election of whether to share in the per capita payment. Computation of the 30-day period will be in accordance with § 67.9(a)(2) and § 67.9(d). Upon written request received within the 30-day period, to avoid hardship or gross injustice, the Superintendent may grant an applicant additional time, not to exceed 30 days, in which to submit a request for a change in election.

(2) A change in the election of whether to share in the per capita payment can only be made by competent adult applicants; by the legal guardian of an incompetent adult; or, in the case of a minor, by the minor's parent or legal guardian.

(c) If the Superintendent determines that an applicant is not eligible for enrollment as an Independent Seminole Indian of Florida, the Superintendent shall notify the applicant of the decision and shall fully explain the reasons for the adverse action and explain the rejected applicant's right to appeal to the Area Director. The decision of the Area Director shall be final and conclusive.

(d) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a notice of adverse action concerning an individual's enrollment eligibility or the inclusion or exclusion of an individual's name on the per capita payment roll is considered to have been made, and computation of the period for appeal shall begin on the earliest of the following dates:

(1) Delivery date indicated on the return receipt;

(2) Date of acknowledgment of receipt;

(3) Date of personal delivery; or

(4) Date of return by the post office of an undelivered certified or registered letter.

(e) To avoid hardship or gross injustice, the Area Director or the Superintendent may waive technical deficiencies in application forms or other submittals. Failure to file by the deadline date does not constitute a technical deficiency.