An email from the Ohio Division of Unclaimed Funds shows there's a backlog of over seven months for processing complicated claims, following a record-breaking year of claims filed.
Theresa Racz of Reminderville reached out to News 5 after she received an email regarding her late father's unclaimed funds, which are tied to a life insurance policy.
She, like many people, filed a claim after the Ohio legislature made major changes to the state's unclaimed-funds program.
Last June, lawmakers directed the commerce department to pull money out of the unclaimed funds pool twice a year, starting on Jan. 1, 2026, and to put that money into a new fund for sports and cultural facility grants. The first deposit into that fund will be $1 billion, including $600 million earmarked for a new Cleveland Browns stadium in Brook Park.
For the first time, the state is setting a clock on how long people have to claim their misplaced money. Going forward, people will have a decade to file a claim. Lawmakers created a grace period of 10 years, through Jan. 1, 2036, to give people whose money initially gets taken a chance at being made whole.
"I was not happy about it," Racz said of the state legislature's move to use the money for sports facilities. "I don’t think they should be using public money to do it. That's not fair, that money should be saved for the people who it belongs to or used in a more socially conscious way."
She recently emailed the Division of Unclaimed Funds to follow up on her claim, months after she submitted her mother's death certificate, her father's death certificate, her birth certificate and a copy of a driver's license.
On Monday, she received the following email from an employee at the Ohio Department of Commerce saying:
Thank you for reaching out to the Division of Unclaimed Funds. I do apologize for the delay. We are currently reviewing claims that were submitted on July 28th. Your paperwork was received in October on the 16th . This process is taking longer than 120 business days due to the high volume of claims received. Please reach out to us in about 3-4 months.
Have a nice day!
After reading that email, Racz hopes the Division of Unclaimed Funds is able to speed up processing her claim - and other people's.
"They need to make it more of a priority," she said.
Racz first became aware of the money about 10 years ago but didn't start actively trying to obtain it until last summer.
"I didn't want the money going toward the Browns, and they had made the system easier to work so I started actively pursuing it again," she said.
Out of five claims for herself, her mother and her father, Racz said she was able to get a couple paid out fairly quickly.
"Within two weeks, I was pretty surprised, but it was like $20," she said.
When asked how much her father's life insurance policy would help her, Racz told News 5 it would feel like savings for the first time in a while.
"I was my mother's caretaker the last few years of her life," she explained. "Things are a little tight now that she’s gone. It would be a safety net."
In a statement to News 5, a spokesperson with the Division of Unclaimed Funds said they still have about 48,000 claims in process as a result of "continued high interest."
A spokesperson added that about half the claims paid in the past 11 months were completed in under 120 days thanks to the division's new system, meant to speed up processing for simpler claims.
RELATED: Ohio makes it easier and faster to get unclaimed funds back
Learn how Unclaimed Funds revamped their processing system in this September 2025 story:
"Some claims take longer due to complexity, especially those involving deceased individuals," a spokesperson added. "The biggest delay remains incomplete applications, so providing all requested documents helps speed things up."
To check your claim status, go to unclaimedfunds.ohio.gov or call 614-466-4433 or 877-644-6823.
News 5 has also reported how some Ohioans sued to stop the state from taking almost $2 billion in unclaimed funds for sports facilities and other projects.
The TRO (temporary restraining order) is extended until the judge rules on if she will grant a preliminary injunction or not (meaning a pause on the law while the case is litigated).@WEWS @WCPO @OhioCapJournal @mjarboe pic.twitter.com/k2KpXApt6O
— Morgan Trau (@MorganTrau) January 8, 2026
Right now, a temporary restraining order is stopping the state from moving the money. A Franklin County court is weighing whether to put a longer-term hold in place while the litigation plays out.
A decision could come any day now.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
