As stated in the Victim Witness Grant Program Guidelines, Eligible Applicants for VWGP funding must assist victims of crime in seeking crime victim compensation benefits. This includes maintaining a supply of victim compensation brochures and applications, establishing procedures to identify clients who may be eligible for victim compensation, ensuring that all grant-funded staff are familiar with the compensation program, assisting clients with the application process, and checking on claim status. Grant recipients must provide services to victims beyond compensation referral.
The following are service/expense types identified in the OVC Victim Compensation performance measures.
Crime Scene Clean-Up: Expenses related to cleaning a crime scene.
Dependent Care: In-home or at-agency care, that is not medical, provided to any individual (of any age) including children and older people.
Economic Support: Payments made to cover lost wages, loss of support, education benefits, annuities, and other related subsistence payments.
Funeral/Burial: Payments for funeral, burial, and all other related expenses.
Medical/Dental (except mental health): Expenses including doctors, dentists, hospitals, physical therapy, ambulance, and other medically related expenses such as transportation costs, prosthetic devices, and pharmaceuticals.
Mental Health: Mental health treatment, both in-patient and out-patient, including psychiatric care, counseling, therapy, and medication management.
Relocation: Victims who need immediate assistance to move may receive financial assistance to relocate that is consistent with state law.
Replacement Services: Costs for clothing, bedding, or property seized as evidence or rendered unusable as a result of the investigation.
Sexual Assault Forensic Exams: Costs for sexual assault forensic exams. These include all amounts paid regardless of whether each payment is part of a compensation claim or paid through a separate process.
Travel: Travel-related costs to seek medical treatment or other services consistent with state law.