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AUGUSTA — The Office of the State Treasurer recently reunited the family of a Vietnam veteran of the U.S. Army with his Purple Heart and other military items, just one example of the state’s effort to get unclaimed property back to where it belongs.
Private Benjamin E. Carter, who was from the Machias area, was awarded the Purple Heart in 1967 for wounds received in action while in Vietnam. He later lived in Baltimore, Maryland, before his death. His sister and only living relative, Candace Carter, worked with the state to retrieve her brother’s items, which were found in an abandoned bank safe deposit box in 2014.
According to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services, Maine is home to more than 106,000 veterans, roughly 10% of the state’s overall population. In honor of Veterans’ Day, the Maine Office of the State Treasurer and MBVS are reminding Maine veterans about resources and are also sharing information about recent veteran-related activity in unclaimed property.
OST run the state’s unclaimed property program, which has more than $289 million in 4 million accounts belonging to Maine citizens. The property includes money and other financial assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a certain length of inactivity.
In addition to $289 million, the Treasurer’s Office also has several military medals, pins, dog tags and bars.
State Treasurer Henry Beck said, “With such a high population of veterans in our state, it’s possible, even likely that we are holding assets that belong to a veteran. We’d love to get these military items back into the hands of their rightful owners.”
The department recently scanned its accounts and also found more than 20 veteran-related/veteran-supporting organizations that have unclaimed property, representing more than $20,000. Beck said that outreach to the organizations has been productive.
“We’ve begun reaching out to these organizations to help reunite them with amounts as much as over $6,000 and as little as $25,” he said.
In the first week of November, Franklin’s Veterans Club, American Red Cross and Wounded Warrior Project had already filed claims totaling more than $5,000.
Aside from the state treasure efforts, the Bureau of Veterans Services’ goal is to be a one-stop resource for all of veterans’ information needs and to offer advocacy for Maine’s veterans.
“We strive to provide streamlined services to Maine’s veterans,” said Director David Richmond. “Whether it is a request for filing a claim for a service-connected disability or a question about other state or federal benefits. Our mission is to serve, and our staff is here to assist all of Maine’s veterans.”
To check the unclaimed property list, visit maineunclaimedproperty.gov.
