VOCA Assistance for Crime Victims

VOCA Assistance for Crime Victims

What is VOCA? Enacted in 1984, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) is the central source of federal financial support for direct services to victims of crime. VOCA is administered at the federal level through the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime which annually awards a grant to each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories. Those state agencies, in turn, subgrant to organizations that provide direct services to victims of crime. The money for these grants comes from the Crime Victims Fund, a special fund into which fines, penalty assessments, bond forfeitures collected from convicted federal offenders and certain other collections are deposited; taxpayers do not fund VOCA grants. Each state has a designated VOCA assistance agency to administer VOCA grants. While minimal federal requirements must be met, each state is given great discretion in awarding specific subgrants. What types of agencies may receive a VOCA subgrant? Many types of public or private nonprofit agencies may qualify to receive a VOCA subgrant to provide direct victim services. Agencies that perform other functions may use VOCA funds only for victim services. Examples of these are: Domestic violence shelters or agencies Sexual assault/rape crisis centers Child abuse treatment programs Religiously-affiliated organizations Hospitals and emergency medical facilities Criminal Justice Agencies Social service and other public mental health agencies for services beyond their legislative mandates Nonprofit self-help groups (e.g. MADD, POMC)

What are the requirements to receive a VOCA subgrant? VOCA requires each subgrantee to meet certain minimal eligibility requirements. These are: Be a public agency or a private nonprofit organization. For-profit organizations and individual service providers are not eligible to receive a VOCA assistance subgrant. Demonstrate a record of providing effective services to crime victims which includes community support, a history of providing direct services in a cost-effective manner and financial support from other sources. New programs that cannot meet this requirement must have substantial non-federal financial support. Use volunteers. A state may waive this requirement for a specific subgrantee if there are "compelling" reasons to do so. Promote coordinated, public and private community efforts to aid crime victims. These may include serving on task forces, coalitions or multi-disciplinary groups. Assist victims in applying for crime victim compensation benefits, including help with completing an application and gathering the necessary documentation. Subgrantees must contribute a local match for the VOCA project. The local match may be in the form of cash or in-kind contribution. A minimum match of 20 percent of the total project cost is required from most subgrantees. The minimum match for Native American Tribes/Organizations is five percent of the total project cost. The U.S. Virgin Islands and all other territories and possessions of the U.S., except Puerto Rico, are not required to match VOCA funds. Each state is responsible for establishing its own plans, priorities and strategies for use of VOCA assistance grant funds. A State may also, consistent with federal guidelines, impose additional requirements or prerequisites to apply for or receive a VOCA subgrant.

What services can be supported with VOCA funds? Each state has sole discretion for determining which organizations will receive VOCA funds, and in what amounts, as long as the recipients meet the requirements of VOCA. Subgrants must be used to provide direct victim services. VOCA may cover those services which respond to the immediate emotional and physical needs of crime victims. The following are a few examples of typical services: Individual and group counseling or therapy necessary to provide emotional support in crises arising from the occurrence of a crime. Emergency shelter, transportation and crisis intervention services Domestic violence and sexual assault hotline counseling Advocacy to assist victims in obtaining and exercising their legal rights Assisting crime victims in participating in the criminal justice process Self-help and peer support groups for survivors of homicide victims, victims of drunk driving, robberies, etc. The following are examples of services and activities that may not be supported with VOCA subgrant funds: Prevention and training activities Perpetrator rehabilitation and counseling or services to incarcerated individuals General studies, surveys, research or needs assessments Fundraising, lobbying or legislative advocacy Most medical costs or in-patient treatment An agency interested in applying for a VOCA assistance subgrant should contact its state's designated VOCA victim assistance administrative agency for specific application information and funding criteria. Please call the VOCA Assistance Agency in your state for additional information on applying for a VOCA assistance subgrant. Visit the Office for Victims of Crime Web site at <www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc>, "Grants and Funding" for additional up-to-date information.

VOCA Assistance Agencies ALABAMA (334) 242-5819 ALASKA (907) 465-4356 AMERICA SAMOA (684) 633-5221 ARIZONA (602) 223-2480 ARKANSAS (501) 682-1074 CALIFORNIA (916) 324-9100 COLORADO (303) 239-4442 CONNECTICUT (860) 747-6070 DELAWARE (302) 577-5030 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (202) 727-4036 FLORIDA (850) 414-3340 GEORGIA (404) 559-4949 GUAM (671) 475-3324 HAWAII (808) 586-1152 IDAHO (208) 334-6512 ILLINOIS (312) 793-8550 INDIANA (317) 232-2560 IOWA (800) 373-5044 KANSAS (800) 828-9745 KENTUCKY (502) 564-3251 LOUISIANA (225) 925-1997 MAINE (207) 287-5060 MARYLAND (410) 767-7565 MASSACHUSETTS (617) 727-5200 MICHIGAN (517) 334-9180 MINNESOTA (651) 282-6256 MISSISSIPPI (601) 987-4990 MISSOURI (573) 751-4905 MONTANA (406) 444-3604 NEBRASKA (402) 471-2194 NEVADA (775) 684-4429 NEW HAMPSHIRE (603) 271-3671 NEW JERSEY (609) 588-4535 NEW MEXICO (505) 841-9435 NEW YORK (518) 457-1779 NORTH CAROLINA (919) 733-4564 NORTH DAKOTA (701) 328-6193 N. MARIANA IS. (670) 664-4557 OHIO (614) 466-5610 OKLAHOMA (800) 745-6098 OREGON (503) 378-5348 PENNSYLVANIA (717) 783-0551 PUERTO RICO (787) 721-7700 RHODE ISLAND (401) 222-2620 SOUTH CAROLINA (803) 896-8712 SOUTH DAKOTA (605) 773-3656 TENNESSEE (615) 532-3355 TEXAS (512) 463-1924 UTAH (801) 238-2360 VERMONT (802) 241-1250 VIRGINIA (801) 786-4000 VIRGIN ISLANDS (304) 774-6400 WASHINGTON (206) 923-4910 WEST VIRGINIA (304) 558-8814 WISCONSIN (608) 267-2251 WYOMING (307) 777-7200

navaa National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators 5702 Old Sauk Rd. Madison, WI 53705 phone: (608) 233-2245 www.navaa.org Office for Victims of Crime 810 7th Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20531 phone: (202) 307-5983 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc This publication was prepared by the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators under grant number 98-VF- GX-K006, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.