Ohio Unclaimed Funds Claim: Fill & Download for Free

No, If in crisis, you have a discussion and explain, I am sure any child will understand and you deal with it,. But I see over 100+ answers here and this struck a nerve, So I am adding one more.Yes, reading all the comments here and other stories, It DOES damage the relationship, I agree. I had similar, x2 to add insult to injury.Growing up, I opened my own bank account with my parents help early on for summer jobs and farm work for neighbors. I always spent the money but it was a lesson by my parents to try and save. I picked berries and even during school I did part time work & sold greeting cards too! I still have my old bank statements and I always found something to spend it on, but was a great lesson. ** A side note, At that time US Bank in my region had full time and career employees. When I returned from the military many of these same people were still working at the local branch. Sadly that ended a few years later and US Bank did away with full time hourly staff and shifted the burden on the rest of us. (Like health care bennies). I no longer bank with them because of it.My Dad invested for both me and my sister into several investments including a life insurance plan for college. The idea is by the time we graduated high school, there would be a nice chunk of money in there. (Should have been over $10k I am told) So my parents divorced and I ended up with my Dad, my sister with my Mom. Mom made some questionable decisions in crisis over the years and few turned out well. (Those are a story in itself) But after high school I went off into the military, My sister became a perpetual college student and never truly left. She is still at College and now a professor.So, after extensions and overseas tours, I finally returned back to the US and home. I was looking at going to school or work post military. My Dad got anxious and said we needed to talk. He told me, (I had forgotten) about the investment accounts. One of them, the insurance, My Mom had forged my signature and cashed it in to support herself and my sister. My Dad had often bailed her out, but this was one of her crisis decisions. He told her, Either you come clean or I will tell him. So a day or 2 later she shows up and admits she did it. She then says she cant pay the whole amount but here is a check for $200 or some amount like that. Promised to pay me the rest. (might have even been $250!)It was a shocking moment and I felt bad for her. I told it was okay and dont worry about it. She never paid any more and years later tried to claim she paid me back. I think in her distorted mind she actually believes it! But you are right! It breaks the relationship and trust. It wasnt about the money, It never was. I have always managed on my own and never counted on any such thing. It was trust. It was being lied to. And while I told her dont worry about it, It annoyed me.I could not care less if it was only 10 dollars. It just showed me she valued my sister and her own needs above anyone elses and if my Dad had never told me and made a stink about it, To this day I would never have known. But something broke there and then.So years later, Inexplicably Dad made my sister in charge of trust accts and part of his estate. She was always the “Saver” of the family so I didnt worry. Without going into details, She is pretty damaged and very angry. So the estate and trusts were her revenge and its still going on since 2012. She refuses to acknowledge the other investment accts, and one of the insurance investments when they found out he had been dead for some time were pretty upset. (They had to backtrack a lot and messed up their books) That one DID pay out but not because of any great effort on her part. I have a letter from them and its pretty snarky. They were seriously upset that she knowingly never notified them.I tried tracking down some of the investment accounts, Even my Mom says she knows there is at least one other acct. Ironic isnt it? My Mom claimed that Dad had told her she was entitled to another $10k or so out of the other acct and there was money for us kids. But until (Hopefully) that company turns it into lost property with the State, its missing. Of course a employee could easily steal the money too so I am not holding out much hope of it turning up.** Always a good idea to see if any proceeds of settlements, dividends or old inactive accounts are turned in. Many states run a lost property setup and you can do a online search. My Dads estate has several items related to him and his second wife sitting there in State accts because my sister wont act on them. As executor of the estate she is the only authorized person and I would have to go to court to change that. Here is my States, look up yours! See:https://oregonup.us/upweb/up/up_search.asp“ Oregon is holding millions of dollars in unclaimed assets – savings bonds, stock dividends, tax refunds and uncashed checks. State law requires businesses and organizations to send all unclaimed funds to the Department of State Lands if the owner cannot be contacted after a certain amount of time, usually three years.”So years later, She still has portions of my share of the estate and money owed to me. As well as family photos, even family photos that belong to my cousins in Ohio. At this point I am hiring a lawyer, (My Dad was an atty) and thats never fun. In estate disputes only the lawyers come out ahead. She every year sends out a statement showing she has some of this money sitting in a bank account.She wont answer calls, letters or respond and tells people I am dangerous and threatening. Sadly some people believe it. It broke my heart and I havent spoken to anyone in my family for years. I walked away from the mess and moved on with my life. I have my own health issues and could die at any time (already did once) so In order to get my own affairs in order, am pursuing it finally. Sucks, I hate it, But after all these years its gotta be done. Here she is,, what a piece of work! Gail L. Towsley, PhD, NHA** I wonder if her co-workers know the truth about her? Recently on RallyPoint, which is a social media site for veterans and active duty, I saw her University is now doing research into military and veterans health issues. I posted that she was not a good fit in my opinion for working with veterans and the military in general. Several members posted that they had not good interactions with her or heard less than stellar accounts of dealing with her.One of the reasons I dont think she should be involved with veterans is my Father was in the Army Air Corp in WW2. All of our family going back to the continental army have served with only one exception. So my Dad was proud of his service and he had pre-arranged to be buried in the veterans cemetary.**All honorably discharge military are eligible for this, its a great honor and benefit. When he passed, his second wife was already buried in his reserved plot but I asked her if she wanted me to notify veterans affairs to move the process forward for his burial.This also broke my heart. She announced he would NOT be buried there! She claimed he told her he wanted to be buried elsewhere. I lost it. Sank me into a deep depression someone could be so cruel. Fortunately, He had already made prior arrangements and it was already set in stone. (Literally, there was a tombstone already in place). She wasnt able to subvert that and he eventually got placed where he always wanted to be.But she hurriedly scheduled services so she could leave town. Many of his friends and even family were not able to attend due to short notice. I made sure we had a second service at the national cemetery and it was an emotional time.But, the money is one thing, Disrespecting my father this way? Unforgivable.So, I guess lawyers and legal actions it is Gail. Sucks,, but she is sitting on thousands of dollars out of spite. Cuckoo for cocoa puffs in my opinion.

Scattering Cremains in OhioBy T. Scott Gilligan, OFDA General CounselSeveral of the recent questions that have been presented to Ohio funeral homes1. May a family scatter cremated remains on the family’s own private property?There is no prohibition in Ohio against scattering cremated remains on private property with the permission of the property owner. Of course, if cremains are scattered without permission of the property owner, the person scattering the cremains could be found guilty of criminal and civil trespass.If a family indicates that they wish to scatter cremains on their property, funeral directors may want to advise the family that cremated remains are almost pure calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Therefore, they are very alkaline in nature. If they are to be scattered in a garden or used in planting a tree, the family will need to insure that the plants chosen are not alkali-intolerant. The family may want to contact a local nursery and ask about the alkali-tolerance of the plants.2. May a family scatter cremated remains in an Ohio park?We have been advised by the Ohio Division of Parks and Recreation that dumping or disposal of any foreign substances in Ohio parks is prohibited. However, the Division also advised that state parks may allow scattering of cremated remains as an accommodation to the family. The family should contact the local park manager of the state park where they wish to scatter the cremains and ask for special permission.3. May a family scatter cremains in Lake Erie without a permit?The Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge refuse or pollutants into navigable water without a permit. Oversight of the permit process is given to Region 5 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA, in turn, has delegated that authority to the individual states in Region 5, which include Ohio.In discussing this issue with Ohio EPA, its Chief of the Division of Surface Water informs us that the disposal of an individual person’s cremated remains into the surface water of Lake Erie does not require a permit. Therefore, there would be no prohibition against the scattering of cremated remains in Lake Erie.The Coast Guard advises that the occupants of a boat scattering cremains in Lake Erie should have with them the transit or burial permit as well as the authorization to scatter the cremains found on the Cremation Authorization form.4. Are there any restrictions against the scattering of cremated remains in lakes and river in Ohio?The Ohio EPA informs us that it does not issue a permit to authorize individuals to dispose of cremated remains on inland waterways in the State of Ohio. Nevertheless, they do not consider the scattering of cremains to be a disposal of materials that would require a permit. As a result, individual cremated remains may be scattered on state waterways without a permit.5. Can a funeral home establish a scattering garden on its property?According to Section 1721.21 of the Ohio Revised Code, a scattering ground used for the spreading of cremated remains is included within the definition of a cemetery. Therefore, for a funeral home to establish a scattering grounds, it would have to register the specific scattering area as a cemetery with the Ohio Department of Commerce. This would also require the establishment of a perpetual care fund. In addition, the funeral home would have to check with local zoning ordinances to determine whether that use would be permissible.6. What are the restrictions regarding the scattering of cremains in the ocean off the coast of the United States?Cremated remains may be scattered or interred in the ocean. The regulation of the cremains scattering or interment depends upon how far out in the ocean the disposition takes place.40 CFR Section 229.1 is the EPA regulation which governs the disposition of cremated and non-cremated human remains at sea beyond three miles from the coast. Cremated remains may be buried in or scattered on ocean waters without regard to the depth limitation provided that the disposition takes place no closer than three nautical miles from land. Flowers and wreathes consisting of materials which are readily decomposable in a marine environment may also be disposed with the cremains. Within thirty days of the disposition, a registration of the disposition must be filed with the Regional Administrator of the EPA Region by the operator of the vessel which carried the remains to the place of disposition.The ocean area within three nautical miles of the coast is considered an inland waterway. Permits for burial or scattering of cremated remains in this area would be required from the appropriate agency having jurisdiction of that inland waterway.7. May a funeral home dispose of unclaimed cremains by scattering?No. While Section 4717.27(c) of the Ohio Revised Code does permit a funeral home to dispose of cremated remains that have not been retrieved by the authorizing agent within sixty days of cremation, that section only permits disposition of the cremated remains in a grave, crypt or niche. Therefore, scattering would not be permitted.To defray the cost of disposing of unclaimed cremains, some funeral homes have begun to charge a security deposit at the time the cremation is arranged. When the family retrieves the cremated remains, the security deposit is returned to the family. If, however, the family fails to claim the cremated remains, the funeral home uses this security deposit to purchase a grave, crypt or niche where the cremated remains will be placed. As long as the charge is disclosed to the family at the time of the arrangements, there is no prohibition against imposing a cremation security deposit under the FTC Funeral Rule.If members have any questions regarding the scattering of cremains, please contact T. Scott Gilligan at 513-241-5540.Printer-Friendly Version

In general a country, at its formation, ‘owns’ all the land not privately owned. Thus as the Roman Empire in the West collapsed, much of the land became ‘unowned’. As the barbarians moved in and gained sovereignty, the land not privately owned became the land of the tribal Chief. As the barbarians settled down, the Chief (aka ‘King’ or sometimes Count or Duc) took ownership of the unattached land and distributed it to his allies, debtors, friends etc.Similarly, in the territories claimed by the European explorers for their sovereigns, nearly all the land was declared to belong to the monarch since none of the European colonizers recognized native American (aka Indians) claims to land. Note, the Indians didn’t generally claim ownership either.In the case of the United States, the original colonies were formed as grants and charters from the King/Queen of Britain. Grantees then provided settlers or sold parts of their grant to entrepreneurs who, in turn, provided settlers. The latter often got titles to their piece of the grant. In the case of the Spanish colonies, the King of Spain would grant vast swaths of land to individuals and they could then partition their ‘grant’ into smaller parcels and sell or give these parcels to others. In some cases, however, huge sections of these ‘Spanish Land Grants’ were not subdivided and remained intact into modern times. These tracts- many in California and New Mexico, some in Texas, however, were no longer owned by the sovereignty but were now privately owned.In the case of the United States, the colonial governments claimed title to the entire ‘royal’ grant except for that sold or given to private parties. In some cases, Indian tribes were allowed some degree of ownership- primarily in the northern colonies of New England and New York. In the South, the ‘Civilized Nations’ believed themselves ‘owners’ but were largely disabused of that by Andrew Jackson although some tribes remained in ‘constructive’ ownership and were eventually recognized as title holders (Florida, Texas).The formation of the United States after the Constitution resulted in a vast change in the conditions of ownership of the former royal nee colonial lands. Alexander Hamilton persuaded the various states to give up their trans-Appalachian lands to the Federal government in exchange for picking up their various state debts and veterans claims. [Note, my paternal ancestor arrived just in time (1783) to get a ‘veteran’ status and received 160 acres in Ohio- not sure who from but likely the Federal government). This act made the US dollar sound, relived the broke states of debt, provided the US with a huge source of income for decades and made the United States the Golconda of the immigrant farmers.The Homestead Act then made cash-free ownership available to hard-working farmers and, with ordinary purchases, much of the unoccupied land in the Midwest changed ownership from the Federal government to private parties. Land grants were made to encourage railroad building too and much public land moved to the railroads and thence to private owners willing to settle on the RR right of way.In various ways, most of the arable land (and a considerable amount of un-arable land) was transferred to private hands in the 19th Century. Most of the more barren lands became ‘free range’ and were used by private persons (aka ranchers) as commons. Titles did not change but the inference of ‘customary use’ made many persons using this land feel like owners. Private ownership did develop in the West as Homesteaders, RR clients, and ordinary land purchasers began to assert private ownership (see Range war - Wikipedia )After the Blizzard of 1881 Blizzard - Wikipedia , much of the western Great Plains was abandoned by settlers and ranchers alike. This region along with the more mountainous regions of the Far West was left in Federal hands and became subject to the Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Mining claims have resulted in some transfers from public to private ownership but these are small and widely scattered.Beginning at the turn of the 19th to 20th Century, vast parts of land became part of the National Park, National Monument, National Forest system and, except for a few ‘grandfathered’ tracts moved these largely unoccupied lands out of general ownership and into the ownership/custody of the Park and Forest Services.Much land in the West still remains in the hands of the Federal government, however- some of it quite valuable for tourism and vacation purposes.Texas, however, was and is a special case. When it was brought into the Union on December 29, 1845, the US Congress refused to accept the debt of the Republic of Texas and left the State of Texas ownership of the Republic’s unclaimed land. Much of this land was transferred to the purview of the Texas State Railroad Commission and was sold and/our given out in pieces. But in 1901, oil was discovered in Texas and, since the RR commission had mineral rights, the state had a huge boom in revenues. Much of the revenues had been assigned for education and thus, Texas quickly obtained a hugely funded educational system- still does.So, in short, yes, countries (aka ‘states’) often own much land.I hope that helps.