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I. Number of New Victims Served This Quarter

As mandated under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is required to establish strategic planning, performance planning, and reporting as a framework to communicate progress in achieving its mission. The Performance Measurement Tool (PMT) collects information to determine whether a program achieved its goals and objectives. Information from PMT is used to improve the operation of the program. This data is not used to “evaluate” programs but to understand the progress that programs achieve on the state and national level toward meeting program objectives and the mission of the agency.

OVC’s intent is to use performance measurement data to understand the trends and changes grantees experience over time. With this practical understanding, OVC is better able to meet the requests of Congress, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Department of Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, and other stakeholders and to offer insight into programmatic and policy considerations.

Virginia has developed the Victims Services Data Collection System (VSDCS) to comply with federal and state reporting guidelines. The VSDCS includes all services outlined by the OVC Performance Management Tool.  The performance measures indicate to what extent grant activities meet the following goals and objectives:

  • Support the provision of direct services to crime victims;
  • Improve victim access to services;
  • Increase victim knowledge of the criminal justice system;
  • Assess impact of funded programs using performance management data;
  • Provide more emphasis on evidence-based programs and practices;
  • Increase partnerships with other OJP agencies that work with victims;
  • Collect and analyze OVC performance management data; and
  • Increase stakeholder satisfaction with OVC.


The Victim Assistance program performance measures are reported in two formats: quantitative (numeric responses) and qualitative (narrative responses).

This section includes all new direct and generic service victims with whom initial contact was made during the quarter being reported.

Each fiscal year (July 1–June 30), Enter the count of individuals who received services based on each presenting victimization type during the reporting period.  An individual MAY be counted in more than one victimization type.  An individual MAY NOT be counted more than once within the same victimization.  See the Office for Victims of Crime Performance Measure Dictionary and Terminology Resource for service category definitions.  Because some individuals may receive muliple services, the total number of times that services were provided within a service category (Information & Referral, Personal Advocacy/Accompaniment, Emotional Support or Safety Services, Shelter/Housing Services, and Criminal/Civil Justice System Assistance) may be greater than the number of clients who received those services.  

VICTIM

According to Virginia’s Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act, “Victim” means a person who suffered physical, psychological, or economic harm as a direct result of the commission of any felony, or certain misdemeanors (Assault and battery; assault and battery against a family or household member; stalking; sexual battery; attempted sexual battery; or driving while intoxicated).

The definition of “victim” includes spouses and children of all victims, parents, guardians of minor victims, parents, siblings, or guardians of mentally or physically incapacitated victims and/or victims of homicide, and foster parents or other caregivers, under certain circumstances.

Note: The actual deceased victim of a homicide is never counted as a direct service victim.

Programs may continue to offer services to crime victims not included in the Act’s definition. For example, extended family and close friends of a victim can be counted as victims in VSDCS if they receive the program’s services. Providing services to victims not specifically outlined in the Act is at the discretion of the staff, and largely depends on the available resources of the locality. Any person served by the program should be counted in the Quarterly Progress Report.

Count all individuals served by your organization with the use of VOCA plus match funds during the reporting period. This number should be an unduplicated count of people served during a single reporting period, regardless of the number of services they received or victimization types with which they presented.  The VSDCS provides a unique count of individuals served within the reporting period and fiscal year as of January 2023.  

(A) DIRECT SERVICE VICTIM

A direct service victim receives the services described under the “Direct Services” category.

DIRECT SERVICES

Direct services are program services provided to victims which go beyond the provision of routine, or generic services (see definition of generic services below). Such services seek to alleviate problems or inconveniences arising from the commission of a particular crime. Examples of direct services include crisis intervention, assistance with crime victims’ compensation claims, court accompaniment, etc. For example, with restitution, if a staff person helps a victim to determine the amount of restitution and then monitors payments, count that victim under “Direct Service”.

(B) GENERIC SERVICE VICTIM

A generic service victim receives only the services listed under the “Generic Services” category.

GENERIC SERVICES

Generic services include, and are limited to, the provision of pre-printed information, routine contact related to the advanced notice of judicial proceedings, restitution, and case dispositions.

Routine contacts are brief, limited encounters with a victim. For example, with restitution, if a staff person mails a restitution check to a victim, and that is the only contact with that victim, count that victim under “Generic Service”.