DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa.– Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella today announced a new phase in his initiative to reunite veterans and their families with the military decorations they have earned. The Treasury has launched a new website solely dedicated to reuniting military decorations that have been reported as unclaimed property with their rightful owners.
“Behind each military decoration held in Treasury’s unclaimed property vault, there is a story of sacrifice,” said Torsella. “It’s my hope that, with the use of technology, we are able to get more of these medals back where they belong – with the veterans and their families.”
The new search function allows users to search their names, or the name of a loved one, to see if Treasury is holding a military decoration as unclaimed property. In addition, users can look through a photo gallery featuring some of the decorations that are in the unclaimed property vault, as well as medals that have been returned to their rightful owners. Military decorations are often reported to Treasury as contents held in a safe deposit box that has gone unclaimed or abandoned.
“The success of our medal returns often relies on the help of the public,” said Torsella. “We want to crowdsource getting these medals back where they belong, and invite Pennsylvanians to use this new tool to help us in returning these awards.”
Since Treasurer Torsella took office, Treasury has returned 58 service decorations, some of which have been in Treasury’s custody for decades, including Purple Hearts, to their rightful owners. Treasury continues to search for the owners of over 500 unclaimed military awards.
Unclaimed property also includes items such as abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, and uncashed checks. Under Pennsylvania law, entities are required to report any financial asset that has gone unclaimed for a period of time — usually three years — to Treasury.
This summer, Treasury announced the historic return of $269 million in unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians, as well as the signing into law of the “lost contact” policy – a standard that will strengthen consumer protections and better protect Pennsylvanians’ investment accounts.
To search for unclaimed military decorations, please click here. To search for other unclaimed property, including uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, and more, please click here. Treasury’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property is also available toll-free at 1-800-222-2046 and via email at tupmail@patreasury.gov, to help conduct a thorough search for unclaimed property.
SOURCE: PA Treasury
