Wed, 11/10/2021 - 09:05 pm

Mane Treasurer Henry E.M. Beck said Nov. 9 that the Office of the State Treasurer was recently able to reunite the family of a deceased Army soldier with a purple heart and other military affects that came to the Office through an abandoned safe deposit box at a local bank in 2014.

Private Benjamin E. Carter, who was from the Machias area, was awarded the purple heart in 1967 for wounds received in Action in the Republic of Vietnam. His sister and only living relative, Candace Carter, is working with the Office to retrieve the meritorious items belonging to her brother, according to a news release from the State Treasurer’s Office.

According to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services (MBVS), Maine has a long-standing history of military service and despite it being a very rural state, it is home to over 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 available resources and sharing information about recent veteran-related activity in unclaimed property.

OST run the state’s unclaimed property program, which currently holds over $289 million in four million accounts of unclaimed property that belongs to Maine citizens. This includes money and other financial assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a specified period of time of inactivity.

“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,” said Beck.

In addition to $289 million, the Treasurer’s Office also has several military medals, pins, dog tags, and bars.

“We’d love to these military items back into the hands of their rightful owners,” Beck said.

In recognition of veterans, OST recently scanned its accounts and found over 20 veteran-related/veteran-supporting organizations that have unclaimed property, representing well over $20,000.

Beck said that outreach to these 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 and reported that, earlier this week, three of those organizations, Franklin’s Veterans Club, American Red Cross and Wounded Warrior Project, had already filed claims totaling over $5,000.

To see if you or your organization has unclaimed property go to, www.maineunclaimedproperty.gov.

Veteran’s Day puts the spotlight on veterans and their families, and the Bureau of Veterans Services’ goal is to be a one-stop resource for all of veterans’ information needs and to offer exceptional advocacy for Maine’s veterans.

“We strive to provide streamlined services to Maine’s veterans. Whether it is a request for filing a claim for a service-connected disability or a question about other state or federal benefits.” Director David Richmond said, “Our mission is to serve, and our staff is here to assist all of Maine’s veterans.”

About the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services (MBVS) MBVS serves as the state’s advocates for veterans and their families. The Bureau has seven field offices (Bangor, Caribou, Lewiston, Machias, Portland, Springvale, and on the Togus Campus in Augusta) with specially trained Veterans Services Officers who can assist with connection to the VA and state benefits. MBVS also oversees the state’s Maine Veterans’ Cemetery System, and can assist with veterans’ identification, connection to employment, education, and provides homeless and justice affected veterans’ advocacy. MBVS’s field offices can be reached at 207-430-6035 or at mainebvs@maine.gov Monday- Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

About the Office of the State Treasurer: The Office of the Treasurer of State is established in Article V, Part Third of the Constitution of the State of Maine. The core duties of the Treasurer’s Office are debt management, cash management, trust fund administration and unclaimed property administration. Other major tasks assigned to the Treasurer are directorships on many of Maine’s quasi-governmental debt issuing agencies and distributions under the Municipal Revenue Sharing Program.

Below is the list of veteran-related organizations that have unclaimed property in Maine:

American Cold War Veterans Inc - Under $25

Back Woods Veterans Outreach - Under $25

Dept of Veteran Affairs - Over $2,000

Disabled American Veterans - Over $200

Franklin's Veterans Club - Over $25

Help Hospitalized Veterans - Over $25

Maine Veterans Home - Over $25

Paralyzed Veterans (of America) - Over $25

Togus Veterans Hospital - Over $400

US Department of Veteran Affairs - Over $25

Veteran s Affairs News - Over $25