Crime victim compensation programs across the country offer important financial assistance to victims of violence. This overview provides information on how the programs operate and what victims can do to seek help.

Victims of violent crime may suffer financial stress as devastating as their physical injuries and emotional trauma. Recovering from violence or abuse is difficult enough without having to worry about how to pay for the costs of medical care and counseling, or about how to replace lost income due to disability or death.

The good news is that every state has a crime victim compensation program that can provide substantial financial assistance to crime victims and their families. And while no amount of money can erase the trauma and grief victims suffer, this aid can be crucial in the recovery process. By paying for care that restores victims' physical and mental health, and by replacing lost income for victims who cannot work and for families who lose a breadwinner, compensation programs are helping victims regain their lives and their financial stability.

Victims of rape, assault, child sexual abuse, drunk driving, and domestic violence, as well as the families of homicide victims, are all eligible to apply for financial help. Nationally, close to a third of the recipients of compensation are children, most of whom are victims of sexual abuse.

Compensation programs can pay for a wide variety of expenses and losses related to criminal injury and homicide. Beyond medical care, mental health treatment, funerals, and lost wages, a number of programs also cover crime-scene cleanup, travel costs to receive treatment, moving expenses, and the cost of housekeeping and child care. And states continue to work with victims and advocates to find new ways to help victims with more of the costs of recovery.

Telling victims about compensation is the responsibility of every individual who works in victim services and law enforcement. This resource also should be made known by those who provide medical and counseling services. Compensation programs depend largely on these professionals who work with victims daily to get the message out that financial assistance is available, and programs typically expend a great deal of time and effort in providing training and information to them. We encourage everyone with a role in helping victims to get more details from the program in their state by contacting it directly.

Funding

Programs obtain their funding from a number of different sources, but the states can be divided into two basic categories: those that receive the bulk of their funding from fees or charges that offenders pay, and those that depend on general-revenue?appropriations from legislatures. More than four-fifths of the states are in the first category, gaining most of their income from offenders; in fact, in a large majority of states, no tax dollars are involved at all in either the administration of the program or in the awards given to victims.

The types and level of offender assessments vary somewhat from state to state. Many states require that offenders pay a set penalty or fee, such as $50 per felony and $25 per misdemeanor, into a crime victim compensation fund. Other states will take a certain percentage of the offender's fine, or place a surcharge upon that fine, and use it for compensation funding. Some states also gain income from wages inmates earn in prison industries.

Fund Recovery

Because offenders and others liable for injury to victims should pay for the consequences of crime, and because programs need to make the most of the resources available for compensation, "fund recovery" has become an important concern for many programs. Some are aggressively seeking restitution from offenders by working with prosecutors and judges to ensure restitution orders are sought and issued, and by monitoring payment through appropriate channels.?While for most programs fund recovery is a minor source of total income, a few programs are beginning to recover close to 10% of their awards.

The Application Process

Application procedures vary slightly from state to state, but typically a victim will be referred to a compensation program by police, prosecutors, victim-witness programs or service providers. Victims also find out about compensation through posters, brochures, or PSAs developed by the program. Applications are usually available through law enforcement or victim assistance and service programs, or through direct contact with the compensation program. The process begins when an application is signed and submitted by the victim.

Most programs process claims through a staff centralized in one office in the state capital, but a few states have branch or regional offices or make use of locally based individuals in other agencies to perform preliminary work on applications, such as gathering documents.

Typically, states request and analyze police reports to confirm that a crime took place and to determine whether the victim was involved in any illegal or contributory activity when victimized. Information from service providers like hospitals, doctors, counselors, and funeral homes, as well as employers if work loss is claimed, forms the basis for benefit determinations.

Decision-making authority varies from state to state, with about a third of the states using part-time boards or commissions to determine eligibility?and awards, and the rest authorizing full-time administrative staff (usually program directors) to make determinations. In three court-based programs, judges or court officials decide claims.

The victim should file an application for compensation in the state where the crime takes place, regardless of the victim's residency. All of the programs will cover terrorist crimes against their residents, and a few states will accept claims from residents for other types of crimes in foreign countries. With just a few exceptions, the programs will cover foreign residents injured in the states.

Eligibility Requirements

While eligibility requirements vary somewhat from state to state, all programs have the same basic criteria. The victim generally must:

• Report the crime promptly to law enforcement (many states have a 72-hour standard, but nearly all states have "good cause" exceptions applied liberally to children, incapacitated victims, and in other special circumstances);
• Cooperate with police and prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of the case (again, some states can make exceptions);
• Submit a timely application to the compensation program (generally one year from the date of the crime, though a number of states have longer time frames, and most can waive these requirements when appropriate) and provide other information as requested by the program;
• Have a cost or loss not covered by insurance or some other readily available "collateral source ;
• Be innocent of criminal activity or significant misconduct that caused or contributed to the victim's injury or death.
Apprehension and/or conviction of a perpetrator is not a prerequisite to receiving compensation.

All of the programs are authorized to deny or reduce benefits to people who are injured while committing crimes or engaging in substantial misconduct contributing to their victimization. Programs rely primarily on police reports to make these determinations, and expend considerable effort to make careful and appropriate decisions on these issues. Five state compensation laws also authorize denial based on prior criminal activity unrelated to the current victimization.

The eligibility of a victim's dependents or other secondary victims generally hinges on the eligibility of the "direct" victim (the one who suffered the injury or death). For example, if a homicide victim was engaged in criminal activity, the family generally would be ineligible for any benefits.?Each state operates under its own law, rules, policies and procedures, and while all of the programs share broadly similar eligibility requirements, it's important for those accessing any program to check with the individual state to learn exactly how it operates.

Compensable Costs

All compensation programs cover the same major types of expenses, though their specific limits may vary. The primary compensable costs covered by all states are the following:

. Medical expenses;
. Mental health counseling;
. Lost wages for victims unable to work because of crime-related injury;
. Lost support for dependents of homicide victims; and
. Funeral expenses.

Statistically, fees to hospitals, doctors and therapists comprise well over half of the amounts paid. Lost wage and support payments are the next largest expense category for most states. In addition, a number of other costs are paid for by some, but not all, programs, including the following:

• Moving or relocation expenses, often limited only to instances where the victim is in imminent physical danger, or if the move is medically necessary (because of severe emotional trauma from sex assault, for example);
• Transportation to medical providers, usually limited to occasions when the provider is located in a place distant from the victim's residence, or when other special circumstances exist;
• Replacement services for work the victim is unable to perform because of crime-related injury (primarily child care and housekeeping), sometimes limited to payments to non-family members;
• Crime-scene cleanup, or the cost of securing a home or restoring it to its pre-crime condition;
• Rehabilitation, which may include physical therapy and/or job therapy;
• Modifications to homes or vehicles for paralyzed victims; and
• Fees for attorneys who help victims apply, usually in limited amounts and sometimes only for appeals.

Personal property stolen, lost or damaged during the crime is not covered, with just a few very limited exceptions (see Florida, New Jersey, and New York). All states will cover medically necessary equipment, such as eyeglasses or hearing aids; Only three states currently pay for pain and suffering (Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Tennessee).

Maximums and Limits

Maximum benefits available to victims from the state programs generally range between $10,000 and $25,000, though a few states have higher maximums. In addition, many states have lower limits on specific compensable expenses, like funerals and mental health counseling. A few states can provide extra benefits in homicides or catastrophic-injury cases. Many states are continuing to raise benefit levels overall as well as on individual categories, through legislative changes.

Below is a list of state by state compensation programs for victims of crime.

Alabama
Cassie Jones, Executive Director
Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission
P.O. Box 231267
Montgomery, AL 36123-1267
(334) 290-4420 FAX: (334) 290-4455
1-800-541-9388 (victims only)
www.acvcc.state.al.us

Alaska
Susan Browne, Administrator
Violent Crimes Compensation Board
P.O. Box 110230
Juneau, AK 99811-0230
1-800-764-3040 FAX: (907) 465-2379
www.admin.state.ak.us/Vccb.htm

Arizona
Tony Vidale, Manager
Arizona Criminal Justice Commission
1110 W. Washington St., Suite 230
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 364-1146 FAX: (602) 364-1175
1-877-668-2252
www.acjc.state.az.us

Arkansas
Avis Lane, Administrator
Crime Victims Reparations Board
Office of the Attorney General
323 Center St., Suite 600
Little Rock, AR 72201
(501) 682-1020 FAX: (501) 682-5313/683-5569
1-800-448-3014 (in-state)
www.ag.state.ar.us

California
Julie Nauman, Executive Officer
Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board
P.O. Box 48
Sacramento, CA 95812-0048
1-800-777-9229 FAX: (916) 491-6420
http://www.vcgcb.ca.gov

Colorado
Anthony Tilger, Victim Compensation Administrator
Office for Victims Programs
Division of Criminal Justice
700 Kipling St., Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80215
(303) 239-4493 FAX: (303) 239-5743
www.dcj.state.co.us/ovp

Connecticut
Linda Cimino, Director
Joanna Buikus, Compensation
Office of Victim Services
Connecticut Judicial Branch
225 Spring St., 4th floor
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 263-2761 FAX: (860) 263-2780
1-888-286-7347 (in-state)
www.jud.ct.gov/crimevictim

Delaware
Barbara Brown, Director
Violent Crimes Compensation Board
240 N. James St., Suite 203
Wilmington, DE 19804
(302) 995-8383 FAX: (302) 995-8387
1-800-464-4357 (in-state)
1-800-273-9500
http://courts.delaware.gov/vccb/

District of Columbia
Laura Banks Reed, Director
Crime Victims Compensation Program
D.C. Superior Court
515 5th St., N.W., #104
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 879-4216 FAX: (202) 879-4230
www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/superior/cvcp.jsp

Florida
Gwen Roache, Compensation Bureau Chief
Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs
Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
(850) 414-3300 FAX: (850) 487-1595/413-0633
1-800-226-6667 (victims only)
http://myfloridalegal.com/victims

Georgia
Shawanda Reynolds-Cobb, Division Director
Nicole Jenkins, Compensation Director
Crime Victim Compensation Program
Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
104 Marietta St., Suite 440
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 657-1956 FAX: (404) 657-1957
1-800-547-0060 (victims only)
1-877-231-6590
www.state.ga.us/cjcc

Hawaii
Pamela Ferguson-Brey, Executive Director
Crime Victims Compensation Commission
1136 Union Mall, Suite 600
Honolulu, HI 96813-2711
(808) 587-1143 FAX: (808) 587-1146
www.hawaii.gov/cvcc

Idaho
George Gutierrez, Bureau Chief
Crime Victims Compensation Program
Idaho Industrial Commission
317 Main St.
Boise, ID 83720-0041
(208) 334-6080 FAX: (208) 332-7599
1-800-950-2110
www.iic.idaho.gov/cv/crimevictims.htm

Illinois
Matthew J. Finnell, Administrator
Illinois Court of Claims
630 South College
Springfield, IL 62756
(217) 782-7101 FAX: (217) 524-8968

Cindy Hora, Chief
Crime Victim Services Division
Corey-Anne Gulkewicz, Bureau Chief
Crime Victim Compensation
Office of the Attorney General
100 W. Randolph, 13th floor
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 814-2581 FAX: (312) 814-4231
1-800-223-3368
www.ag.state.il.us/victims/cvc.html

Indiana
Sandy Warren, Director
Violent Crime Victim Compensation Fund
101 W. Washington, Suite 1107
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-2927 FAX: (317) 233-3912
1-800-353-1484
www.in.gov/cji/

Iowa
Marti Anderson. Division Director
Robert Wheeler, Administrator
Crime Victim Assistance Division, Dept. of Justice
321 E. 12th St., Room 018
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-5044 FAX: (515) 281-8199
1-800-373-5044
www.state.ia.us/government/ag/cva.html

Kansas
Frank Henderson, Jr., Executive Director
Crime Victims Compensation Board
120 S.W. 10th Ave., 2nd floor
Topeka, KS 66612-1597
(785) 296-2359 FAX: (785) 296-0652
www.ksag.org/content/page/id/117

Kentucky
Richard Dinkins, Executive Director
Crime Victims Compensation Board
130 Brighton Park Blvd.
Frankfort, KY 40601-3714
(502) 573-2290 FAX: (502) 573-4817
1-800-469-2120
www.cvcb.ky.gov

Louisiana
Robert Wheeler, Deputy Assistant Director
Linda Gautier, Program Manager
Crime Victims Reparations Board
1885 Wooddale Blvd., Suite 708
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 925-4437 FAX: (225) 925-1998
1-888-6-Victim (in-state)
www.lcle.state.la.us/programs/cvr.asp

Maine
Deborah Shaw Rice, Director
Victims’ Compensation Program
Office of the Attorney General
State House Station #6
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-7882 FAX: (207) 624-7730
1-800-903-7882 (in-state, victims only)
www.maine.gov/ag/?r=crimeandvictims

Maryland
Robin Woolford, Executive Director
Criminal Injuries Compensation Program
Suite 206, Plaza Office Center
6776 Reisterstown Road
Baltimore, MD 21215-2340
(410) 585-3010 FAX: (410) 764-3815
1-888-679-9347
www.dpscs.state.md.us/victimservs/vs_cicb.shtml

Massachusetts
Sandra Clark, Acting Division Chief
Victim Compensation and Assistance Division
Office of the Attorney General
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 727-2200 FAX: (617) 742-6262
www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1657

Michigan
Janine Washburn, Compensation Manager
Crime Victims Services Commission
320 S. Walnut St.
Lansing, MI 48913
(517) 373-7373 FAX: (517) 334-9942
www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2940_3184_8579---,00.html

Minnesota
Marie Bibus, Director
Crime Victims Reparations Board
445 Minnesota St., Suite 2300
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 201-7300 FAX: (651) 296-5787
1-888-622-8799
www.dps.state.mn.us/ojp/

Mississippi
Janet Kennedy, Director
Crime Victim Compensation Program
Office of the Attorney General
P.O. Box 220
Jackson, MS 39205
(601) 359-6766 FAX: (601) 576-4445
1-800-829-6766
www.ago.state.ms.us/divisions/crime_victim/cvcp.php

Missouri
Susan Sudduth, Program Manager
Crime Victims’ Compensation Unit
Dept. of Public Safety
P.O. Box 3001
Jefferson City, MO 65102
(573) 526-6006 FAX: (573) 526-4940
1-800-347-6681 (victims only)
www.dps.mo.gov/cvc/

Montana
Kathy Matson, Program Officer
Crime Victims Compensation Program
P.O. Box 201410
Helena, MT 59620-1410
(406) 444-3653 FAX: (406) 444-4303
1-800-498-6455 (in-state)
www.doj.mt.gov/victims/victimcompensation.asp

Nebraska
Michael Behm, Executive Director
Crime Victims Reparations Program
Commission on Law Enforcement
P.O. Box 94946
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2194 FAX: (402) 471-2837
www.ncc.state.ne.us

Nevada
Bryan Nix, Coordinator
Victims of Crime Program
2200 S. Rancho, Suite 130
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 486-2740 FAX: (702) 486-2825
4600 Kietzke, Building I, Suite 205
Reno, NV 89502
(775) 688-2900 FAX: (775) 688-2912
www.voc.nv.gov

New Hampshire
Bette Jane Riordan, Coordinator
Victims’ Assistance Commission
33 Capitol St.
Concord, NH 03301-6397
(603) 271-1284 FAX: (603) 271-6804
1-800-300-4500 (in-state)
www.doj.nh.gov/victim/compensation.html

New Jersey
Victims of Crime Compensation Board
50 Park Place, 6th fl.
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 648-2107 FAX: (973) 648-3937/7031
1-800-242-0804
www.njvictims.org

New Mexico
Larry Tackman, Director
Crime Victims Reparation Commission
8100 Mountain Road, N.E., Suite 106
Albuquerque, NM 87110-7822
(505) 841-9432 FAX: (505) 841-9437
1-800-306-6262 (victims only)
www.state.nm.us/cvrc

New York
Tina Stanford, Chair
Crime Victims Board
55 Hanson Pl., 10th floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 923-4325 FAX: (718) 923-4347
1 Columbia Circle, Suite 200
Albany, NY 12203-6383
(518) 457-8727 FAX: (518) 457-8658
65 Court St., Room 308
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 847-7948 FAX: (716) 847-7995
www.cvb.state.ny.us

North Carolina
Janice Carmichael, Director
Crime Victims Compensation Program
4703 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4703
(919) 733-77974 FAX: (919) 715-4209
1-800-826-6200 (in-state only, victims only)
www.nccrimecontrol.org/vjs

North Dakota
Paul Coughlin, Administrator
Crime Victims Compensation Program
Box 5521
Bismarck, ND 58506-5521
(701) 328-6195 FAX: (701) 328-6186
1-800-445-2322 (in-state)
www.nd.gov/docr/parole/victim_comp.htm

Ohio
Carol Mosholder, Assistant Attorney General
Victims of Crime Compensation Program
150 East Gay St., 25th fl.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-5610 FAX: (614) 752-2732
1-800-582-2877/1-877-584-2846
www.ag.state.oh.us/victim/compensation.asp

Oklahoma
Suzanne Breedlove, Administrator
Crime Victims Compensation Board
421 N.W. 13th, Suite 290
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
(405) 264-5006 FAX: (405) 264-5097
1-800-745-6098
www.ok.gov/dac

Oregon
Cynthia Stinson, Director
Rebecca Shaw, Compensation Manager
Crime Victims Assistance Section,
Department of Justice
1162 Court St., N.E.
Salem, OR 97301-4096
(503) 378-5348 FAX: (503) 378-5738
www.doj.state.or.us/crimev/comp.shtml

Pennsylvania
Lynn Shiner, Manager
Victims Compensation Assistance Program
P.O. Box 1167
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1167
(717) 783-5153 FAX: (717) 787-4306
1-800-233-2339
www.pccd.state.pa.us

Puerto Rico
Carlos Quinones, Director
Office for Crime Victims Compensation
P.O. Box 9020192
San Juan, PR 00902-0192
(787) 641-7480 FAX: (787) 641-7477
www.justicia.gobierno.pr

Rhode Island
Judith A. Farley, Administrator
Crime Victim Compensation Program
40 Fountain St., 1st floor
Providence, RI 02903-1856
(401) 222-8590 FAX: (401) 222-4577
www.treasury.state.ri.us/crimevictim/

South Carolina
Ashlie Lancaster, Director
State Office of Victim Assistance
1205 Pendleton St., Room 401
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 734-1900 FAX: (803) 734-4039
1-800-220-5370 (in-state, victims only)
www.oepp.sc.gov/sova

South Dakota
Cynthia Greving, Manager
Crime Victims’ Compensation Program
700 Governor’s Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2291
(605) 773-6317 FAX: (605) 773-6834
1-800-696-9476 (in-state only)
www.sd.victims.com

Tennessee
Amy Dunlap, Claims Supervisor
Criminal Injuries Compensation Program
Andrew Jackson Building, 9th floor
Nashville, TN 37243-0243
(615) 741-2734 FAX: (615) 532-4979
www.tn.gov/treasury/injury

Texas
Herman Millholland, Division Chief
Crime Victim Services Division
Gene McCleskey, Director
Crime Victim Compensation Program,
Office of the Attorney General
P.O. Box 12198, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711-2198
(512) 936-1200 FAX: (512) 320-8270
1-800-983-9933
www.oag.state.tx.us/victims/victims.html

Utah
Ron Gordon, Director
Office of Crime Victim Reparations
350 East 500 South, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 238-2360 FAX: (801) 533-4127
1-800-621-7444
www.crimevictim.utah.gov

Vermont
Judy Rex, Executive Director
Center for Crime Victim Services
Carol Morgan, Director
Victims Compensation Program
58 South Main St.
Waterbury, VT 05676
(802) 241-1250 FAX: (802) 241-1253
1-800-750-1213 (in-state only)
1-800-845-4874 (TTY, in-state only)
www.ccvs.state.vt.us

Virginia
Mary Vail Ware, Director
Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund
P.O. Box 26927
Richmond, VA 23261
(804) 367-1018 FAX: (804) 378-4390
1-800-552-4007
www.cicf.state.va.us

Virgin Islands
Alrick Brooks, Administrator
Criminal Victims Compensation Commission
Knud Hansen Complex, Building A
1303 Hospital Ground
Charlotte Amalie, VI 00802
(340) 774-0930, ext. 4104 FAX: (340) 774-3466

Washington
Cletus Nnanabu, Manager
Crime Victim Compensation Program
P.O. Box 44520
Olympia, WA 98504-4520
(360) 902-5355 FAX: (360) 902-5333
1-800-762-3716
www.lni.wa.gov/claimsins/crimevictims/default.asp

West Virginia
Cheryle Hall, Court Clerk
Crime Victims Compensation Fund
1900 Kanawha Blvd., East. Room W-334
Charleston, WV 25305-0610
(304) 347-4850 FAX: (304) 347-4915
1-877-562-6878
www.legis.state.wv.us/joint/victims/main.cfm

Wisconsin
Janice L. Cummings, Executive Director
Office of Crime Victims Services
Kathy Zupan, Director
Crime Victim Compensation Program
P.O. Box 7951
Madison, WI 53707-7951
(608) 264-9497 FAX: (608) 264-6368
1-800-446-6654
www.doj.state.wi.us/cvs/programs/cvc.asp

Wyoming
Julie Tennant-Caine, Director
Division of Victim Services,
Office of the Attorney General
122 West 25th St., Herschler Bldg., 1st floor West
Cheyenne, WY 82002
(307) 777-7200 FAX: (307) 777-6683
http://vssi.state.wy.us

National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards
Dan Eddy, Executive Director
P.O. Box 7054
Alexandria, VA 22307
(703) 780-3200 FAX: (703) 780-3261
www.nacvcb.org