diff --git a/src/Expr.cc b/src/Expr.cc
index 68e10a9a90..93c5d8f84e 100644
--- a/src/Expr.cc
+++ b/src/Expr.cc
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ IntrusivePtr<Val> NameExpr::Eval(Frame* f) const
 		v = id->GetVal();
 
 	else if ( f )
-		v = {NewRef{}, f->GetElement(id.get())};
+		v = f->GetElementByID(id);
 
 	else
 		// No frame - evaluating for Simplify() purposes
diff --git a/src/Frame.cc b/src/Frame.cc
index 2217dea187..d4aff1c844 100644
--- a/src/Frame.cc
+++ b/src/Frame.cc
@@ -121,12 +121,12 @@ void Frame::SetElement(const ID* id, IntrusivePtr<Val> v)
 	SetElement(id->Offset(), std::move(v));
 	}
 
-Val* Frame::GetElement(const ID* id) const
+const IntrusivePtr<Val>& Frame::GetElementByID(const ID* id) const
 	{
 	if ( closure )
 		{
 		if ( IsOuterID(id) )
-			return closure->GetElement(id);
+			return closure->GetElementByID(id);
 		}
 
 	// do we have an offset for it?
@@ -134,10 +134,10 @@ Val* Frame::GetElement(const ID* id) const
 		{
 		auto where = offset_map->find(std::string(id->Name()));
 		if ( where != offset_map->end() )
-			return frame[where->second].get();
+			return frame[where->second];
 		}
 
-	return frame[id->Offset()].get();
+	return frame[id->Offset()];
 	}
 
 void Frame::Reset(int startIdx)
diff --git a/src/Frame.h b/src/Frame.h
index 1003be2ce5..9c517ff65c 100644
--- a/src/Frame.h
+++ b/src/Frame.h
@@ -74,7 +74,12 @@ public:
 	 * @param id the id who's value to retreive
 	 * @return the value associated with *id*
 	 */
-	Val* GetElement(const ID* id) const;
+	const IntrusivePtr<Val>& GetElementByID(const IntrusivePtr<ID>& id) const
+		{ return GetElementByID(id.get()); }
+
+	[[deprecated("Remove in v4.1.  Use GetElementByID().")]]
+	Val* GetElement(const ID* id) const
+		{ return GetElementByID(id).get(); }
 
 	/**
 	 * Resets all of the indexes from [*startIdx, frame_size) in
@@ -232,6 +237,8 @@ private:
 
 	using OffsetMap = std::unordered_map<std::string, int>;
 
+	const IntrusivePtr<Val>& GetElementByID(const ID* id) const;
+
 	/**
 	 * Sets the element at index *n* of the underlying array to *v*, but does
 	 * not take ownership of a reference count to it.  This method is used to