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Military Medal Protection — Abandoned Medals Are Held by the State Treasurer, Not Sold

When a military medal turns up as abandoned property, the State Treasurer holds it until the owner or the owner’s heirs or beneficiaries can be identified and the medal returned. The Treasurer may appoint a custodian, such as a veterans organisation, to hold it in the meantime.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

When a military medal turns up as abandoned property, the State Treasurer holds it until the owner or the owner’s heirs or beneficiaries can be identified and the medal returned. The Treasurer may appoint a custodian, such as a veterans organisation, to hold it in the meantime.

What it's worth: An abandoned military medal held for return to the veteran or the veteran’s heirs

  • The value is the medal itself and the family history attached to it. No dollar figure is claimed and none is published.
  • The department states the medal is held "until the owner or owner’s heirs or beneficiaries can be identified for the return of the medal", which is a duty to hold rather than a period after which it is disposed of.
  • The department states the Treasurer may appoint a custodian such as a veterans organisation to hold abandoned medals, so the physical medal may not sit in Nashville.

Who is entitled to it

  • The medal returns to its owner first.
  • Heirs and beneficiaries are named alongside the owner.
  • Your home is in Tennessee.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Search under the veteran’s name, not only your own. A medal reaches the Treasury as the veteran’s abandoned property, so it is indexed to the person who earned it.
  2. 2Search under maiden names, misspellings and every county the veteran lived in. Abandoned property records are only as good as the name that was recorded when the property was surrendered.
  3. 3Go to the Treasury’s own Military Medal Protection Program page to start a claim: https://treasury.tn.gov/UCPmedals.
  4. 4Be ready to evidence the relationship if you are an heir. The department’s wording is that the medal is held until the owner or the owner’s heirs or beneficiaries can be identified, so identification is the hurdle.
  5. 5Ask the Treasury whether a custodian holds the medal. The department states the Treasurer may appoint a custodian such as a veterans organisation, which affects where the medal physically is and how it is handed over.
  6. 6Ask the Department of Veterans Services for help if the Treasury search comes back empty. The department publishes this programme on its own pages and can be reached at (615) 741-2345 or TN.Veterans@tn.gov.
Form
An unclaimed property claim to the Treasury
File with
Tennessee Department of Treasury, Unclaimed Property Division
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionA medal surrendered to the state as abandoned property is not liquidated the way abandoned cash or securities are. The department’s wording is that it is held until the owner or the owner’s heirs or beneficiaries can be identified for its return.
Worth knowingBecause the Treasurer may appoint a custodian, the office you speak to and the place the medal is stored may be different. Ask which before arranging to collect anything.
Known gapThe Treasury’s own programme page at treasury.tn.gov would not load on 23 August 2026 — the connection was reset on every attempt — so the claim process, the search tool, any fee, any documentary standard and any time limit are unverified here. The department’s page names no Tennessee Code section either.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.