State aims to ease return of lost military medals

Claiming lost military medals and U.S. savings bonds would become easier for military members, bond owners and their descendants under new rules proposed by the state.

The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is seeking comment on proposed administrative rules that would:

Ensure military medals held by the state’s Unclaimed Property Program are kept safe and returned to the service member, their descendants, or appropriate custodians such as veterans’ organizations. Military medals and other military articles may come to the state as unclaimed property, for example when a safe deposit box is abandoned. The proposed rules create a website to make it easy for service members or descendants to identify and recover medals and other military articles, and establish the processes and criteria needed to ensure return of items.
Ensure U.S. savings bonds and bond proceeds are held safely for rightful owners and easy to claim. The proposed rules create a website for the public to search and claim U.S. savings bonds, identify strategies to locate owners and conduct public outreach, and establish related processes.

The proposed rules are available for review on the DSL rulemaking website.

A meeting to hear public comment on the proposed rules will be held:

Tuesday, May 21
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Oregon Department of State Lands, Land Board Room
775 Summer St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301

Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on May 31. Comments must be received by this time and date to be considered. Written comments may be submitted online, by email to rules@dsl.state.or.us or by mail to DSL Rules Coordinator, 775 Summer Street NE, Suite 100, Salem, Oregon 97301.

DSL developed the draft rules with the guidance of rulemaking advisory committees that included representatives from veterans’ organizations and financial institutions, as well state agencies. The advisory committee rosters and additional information are available on the DSL rulemaking website.