By Carlotta Mohamed
State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) and state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) met with Flushing residents Tuesday to return thousands of dollars worth of forgotten funds.
In partnership with state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s Office of Unclaimed Funds, the event was held at the SelfHelp Apartments at 137-39 45th Ave. in Flushing. The money includes forgotten savings accounts, lost paychecks or inactive stock and bond accounts that banks, insurance companies and employers have turned over to the state.
Through programs like this, New York state has been able to return $1 million a day to those who file claims. In the New York City region, Queens County has 1,075,977 accounts,with a total value of $590,728,370 in unclaimed funds, according to the comptroller’s office.
“Comptroller DiNapoli provides a great service to New Yorkers by returning these forgotten funds to its rightful owners,” said Stavisky. “Whether it be an old savings account you forgot you had or a misplaced check from years ago, we want to be sure as much of these unclaimed funds can be returned as possible. I urge everyone to take advantage of this wonderful and perfectly safe way to regain access to forgotten money.”
Rozic, who hosted the event with Stavisky, said she was “proud to help ensure that all funds are returned to their proper beneficiaries so that all New York residents receive the money that they are entitled .”
Last month, Stavisky held a similar event in Forest Hills, in which thousands of dollars were discovered by DiNapoli’s staff. Although Tuesday’s event was open to everyone, its target was the Asian-American community, especially non-English speakers, who may not be familiar with the process or unable to navigate it on their own.
The event was open to everyone to participate regardless of immigration status. For those who were unable to attend the event they can check DiNapoli’s website to see if they are owed money at www.osc.state.ny.us/
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmoha
