Unclaimed funds flow to 21 in Ozone Park

Imagine finding money in today’s economy.
That’s exactly what happened to 21 lucky people on Friday, June 26, when Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer co-hosted an unclaimed funds event with State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli at the Ozone Park Senior Center.
Over 70 people attended, with the nearly two-dozen discovering that they had claims and money coming their way; each claim was for over $50.
“In these difficult economic times, every penny counts. I am thankful to have the opportunity of working with my other fellow elected officials for the benefit of my constituents,” said Addabbo. “I encourage all of my residents to contact the comptroller’s office to determine if they are owed any money.”
According to recent statistics, there are over $9 billion dollars in unclaimed funds that are being held by the New York State Comptroller’s office, which represents monies owed to residents, but not claimed by them. These can be from rebates that have been forgotten, stocks that a person may not know about or a variety of other refunds.
From April 2007 to March 2008, over $194 million dollars has been paid out to more than 260,000 different people. The amounts vary, but from April 2007 through
March 2008 over 59 percent of the claims were for over $100.
There is no fee for claiming any of these funds and the process itself only takes a few minutes.
Addabbo, in an attempt to ensure that all of his constituents have a chance to see if they are owed money, has already sponsored unclaimed funds events around the district. The senator’s next one will be on Thursday, July 23 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Middle Village Senior Center. For more information, call Addabbo’s office at 718-738-1111.
Individuals can call the New York State Comptroller’s office at 800-221-9311 or go to their web site at www.osc.state.ny.us at any time, to check whether there are any funds owed in their name