Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 11, 1 November 1997 — CLAIMS PANEL [ARTICLE]

CLAIMS PANEL

Francis Keeno's letter criticizing the Claims Review Panel as biased and unfair is not without its own bias. Mr. Keeno is a deputy attorney general representing DHHL. As to charges that the panel's decisions are skewed because a panel member and a hearings officer filed claims, the panel member resigned despite an Ethics Commission's conclusion that no conflict existed. The hearings officer, who filed claims before becoming a hearings officer, withdrew her claims, and her participation in hearings has been limited. Under the panel's rules and state law, there was no actual conflict in either situation. Second, the July 1995 Ka Wai Ola ad informed beneficiaries of the claims process and deadlines. It featured 1 8 members of the Hawaiian community, including the former chair of HHC and another ex-com-missioner. Is the panel biased in DHHL's favor because panel members and HHC commissioners appeared in the same ad? Finally, while Mr. Keeno believes the panel favors claimants, every

elaim is investigated in order to weed out non-meritorious claims before they reach the panel. The panel and its staff have rejected or dismissed 21 percent of all claims, a number likely to increase as the claims process continues. Melody K. MacKenzie executive director, Hawaiian Home Lands Trust lndividual Claims Review Panel