GET REIMBURSED FOR MUTILATED MONEY

Oh, no – your fat stack of cash got damaged and no one will take it!

Fret not, because the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has a solution to your problem. Whether your bills have been damaged by fire, water, animal consumption, or anything else, the BEP has an entire organization dedicated to helping you reclaim mutilated currency through one of its services, with its aptly named Mutilated Currency Division.  

The Mutilated Currency Division is a small organization of about 20 employees inside the BEP where people can send their mutilated currency for a claim of evaluation for a reimbursement. This was a free service introduced during the 1860s, with a purpose to replace the damaged currency with new currency so that there is no loss of currency in the economy’s circulation.

In present times, the division receives around 23,000 damaged currency claims and reimburses about $30-$40 million annually, with checks from the U.S. Treasury. In addition, according to Assistant Manager Eric Walsh in a YouTube mini-documentary posted by Great Big Story, the division also serves as somewhat of a humanitarian service, following a major or minor disaster.

“We’re called upon when a lot of people have hit their low point, so any relief you could provide someone… is very rewarding,’’ Walsh said.

While some might think that mutilated currency sent in to the MCD has to be relatively easy to count, the division has explained how it is willing to go through quite some lengths to count it properly. The most common claims submitted are bills that were damaged by fire or water, but the division has taken on cases where animals have consumed the money.

Walsh referred to perhaps the division’s most infamous case during the 1980s. A farmer had lost his wallet in the middle of the field, and came to find that one of his cows had mistaken his wallet for food. The farmer sent the cow’s stomach to division, where workers dissected it and reimbursed the amount they found inside in his wallet.

The division also has taken cases dealing with animal excrement. A 2018 story by “CBS Sunday Morning” mentioned that a man had followed his dog closely for a few days, waiting for it to excrete the rent money that it had eaten before sending it in for the division to evaluate and then reimburse him.

While the exact procedures used to dissect the cow’s stomach and the dog’s excrement are unknown (likely for good reasons), the division has shown commitment to helping people reclaim their lost money.

The formal process to file a claim with the division is to send your mutilated money to the BEP, with a written letter estimating the value of the damaged currency, your contact information, and explanation of how the money became defiled. After a process of 6 to 36 months, you should receive a treasury check for reimbursement.

While the process might seem very long and filled with uncertainty, the reward is that you get money back – reimbursed in full, dollar for dollar.