UDVMA and Utah State Treasurer reunite $709,000 with 750 Veterans in campaign launched in November 2022
Salt Lake City (May 25, 2023) — The Utah Department of Veterans & Military Affairs (UDVMA) and the Utah Office of State Treasurer have reunited $709,197 in lost money with 750 Veterans as the result of a joint campaign launched in November 2022.
By securely matching records through the Utah Division of Technology Services, the two agencies were able to identify around 22,000 veterans that may have property or money in their name waiting to be claimed. Those veterans were contacted directly by mail or email and instructed on how to claim money that is rightfully theirs.
Each year, the Unclaimed Property Division of the Office of State Treasurer receives tens of millions of dollars of unclaimed property belonging to Utahns. When a business owes money to an individual it cannot find, it remits those funds to the state’s Unclaimed Property Division after three years of non-contact with the owner. Last year, the division received 496,880 properties totaling $77.2 million. Unclaimed property comes from sources like dormant bank accounts, overpaid medical bills, uncashed checks, safe deposit box contents and unpaid insurance benefits.
“I am immensely proud of the partnership between our department and the Utah Office of State Treasurer,” said Gary Harter, executive director of UDVMA. “This initiative is a heartfelt expression of our appreciation for their dedicated service, and we will continue our efforts to bring them the support, recognition, and services they deserve.”
“Our Veterans, service members and their families have sacrificed so much. Helping them find their unclaimed property is one small way we can thank them for their service,” Treasurer Marlo Oaks said. “I’m grateful we have been able to reunite property with 750 Veterans and their families so far. I’m hopeful our effort will continue to be a success and we will return even more money to those who have served our country going forward.”
Unclaimed Property Division Administrator and Navy Veteran Dennis Johnston said, “Having been on deployment myself and knowing how things can go awry, we want to get this money back into the pockets of our service members and Veterans, particularly this year when people are economically challenged.” Johnston added, “Veterans likely have a higher percentage of unclaimed property. Service members tend to move more frequently than civilians and are consequently more likely to have a check mailed to an old address or have money forgotten at an insurance company, utility or bank in a state they have since left.”
Veterans, service members and their family members are encouraged to visit www.mycash.utah.gov, Utah’s official site for unclaimed property, to find and claim what is rightfully theirs.