By Efigenia “Gina” Vázquez
For four years, I’ve been trying to reclaim money that the Pennsylvania Treasury is holding in my name. They say it’s easy, “Just search your name and file a claim.” But it’s not easy. It’s exhausting.
I’ve submitted every required document, verified my identity, and followed every step. Yet my emails go unanswered, my calls are redirected, and my claim remains unresolved.
My claim was filed using the official website of the Pennsylvania Treasury: www.patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property .
I even reached out to two state representatives, and still nothing.
Recently, the Treasury began issuing “impasse loans” during the state budget standoff. Treasurer Stacy Garrity says she’s confident in her legal authority to do so. But for those of us still waiting for our unclaimed funds, this raises real questions: Are they loaning money that rightfully belongs to citizens like me?
And if so, why don’t we earn interest while they hold it? The Treasury claims to hold billions of dollars in unclaimed property, but if the system worked, that number would be shrinking not growing. Thousands of Pennsylvanians are likely facing the same barriers: silence, delay, and frustration.
There’s no local office to visit, no clear appeals process, and no accountability when the Treasury makes errors. In my own case, supervisors within the department have repeatedly entered incorrect personal information including an incorrect date of birth and requested verification documents that don’t even exist because of their own input mistakes. Despite providing every form of proof they’ve asked for, I still have not received a response to my emails or calls.
This experience has left me feeling invisible like my time, documentation, and persistence don’t matter. I’m not asking for special treatment; I’m asking for fairness. I just want what belongs to me, money sitting idle in an account that earns me no interest while the state likely benefits from its use.
It shouldn’t take an attorney, political connections, or media attention to get your own money back. The system needs reform starting with transparency, live assistance, and fair payment of interest on funds the state holds.
This isn’t just about one person’s frustration. It’s about fairness and trust. When a government agency can use citizens’ unclaimed funds to issue loans but can’t return rightful property efficiently, something is deeply wrong. The Pennsylvania Treasury must remember: these funds belong to the people not the state. And it’s time they start acting like it.
Pennsylvania Treasury holds my money hostage while issuing loans to others | Opinion
