Tuesday, September 17, 2013

State Treasury Holding "Refund The Toll" Event Saturday At Oakwood Mall

From State Treasurer John Kennedy:

State Treasurer John Kennedy is encouraging New Orleans area residents who are due Crescent City Connection (CCC) toll refunds to come out to Oakwood Center in Gretna this Saturday, September 21 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Treasury staffers will be available to assist the over 168,000 GeauxPass customers who have $5 million in unclaimed CCC tolls to process their claims and search for Unclaimed Property.

"The Legislature gave me the job of returning unclaimed CCC toll money to citizens, and we've made it as quick and painless as possible," said Treasurer Kennedy.  "Our team will walk you through our simple refund process, and we won't make you fill out W-9 forms or bring in your hard tags. No hassle. No fuss."

Employees from the Treasury's Unclaimed Property Division will be stationed at the JC Penney Wing of Oakwood Center, located at 97 Westbank Expressway in Gretna.  Citizens attending the RefundTheTolls.com event are asked to bring a valid photo ID and Social Security Card to speed processing of their claims.  Checks for all approved claims will be issued and mailed as quickly as possible after the event.  No paper checks will be issued at the event

Citizens are encouraged to begin their toll refund process today by visiting RefundTheTolls.com where they can get instructions and fill out the simple, one-page claim form in advance of the event or they can mail their claim form right away to State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy ATTN: Refund The Tolls (please list for faster processing) P.O. Box 44154, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4154.



Since July 1, the Treasury has issued nearly 10,000 checks for a total of over $350,000. While at Saturday's event, citizens can also search the state's $500 million Unclaimed Property database to see if they have additional lost money coming to them. 

Unclaimed Property is lost money owed to individuals that has been turned over to the State of Louisiana by businesses and other entities and is Treasury's responsibility to return to the rightful owners.  Examples of such lost money include uncashed payroll checks, insurance proceeds, utility deposits, among others.  The average claim is $200 to $400 owed to 1 in 6 Louisiana citizens, which means the odds of finding lost money are better than the Lottery. It only takes minutes to search for Unclaimed Property, and it's a free service.

NOTE:  Treasury staff will NOT be able to assist citizens with any issues related to the DOTD Toll Amnesty Program. Information on that program can be found at www.CCCTollAmnesty.com or by calling 1-877-452-3683