RD371 - Annual Report of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund


Executive Summary:
Citing the Commonwealth’s “moral responsibility” to provide financial assistance to victims of crime, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (CICF) was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1977 to pay unreimbursed expenses of innocent victims of crime who had suffered physical or emotional injury or death (§ 19.2-368.1, Code of Virginia). The fund is administered by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.

For nearly thirty years the Fund has assisted victims of crime and their families by easing the financial burden that crime often creates, providing relief in the form of reimbursement for medical expenses, lost wages, funeral expenses, relocation, counseling costs and other “necessary and reasonable” expenditures incurred by the victim. Claimants are eligible for awards up to the statutory maximum of $15,000 for compensable expenses. By law, CICF is the payer of last resort, assisting victims with expenses that are not covered by any other source. While the Fund does take collateral resources into account, assistance from the Fund is not income-based. Since its inception, the Fund has processed over 30,000 claims from Virginia victims of violent crime.

The Fund receives no tax dollars from the citizens of Virginia. CICF is funded by court fees, assessments on offenders, and restitution. The Fund also receives federal funds to supplement monies available to victims of violent crime. These funds are generated by court fines at the federal level, not public tax dollars.

In order for a victim to meet the Fund’s eligibility requirements, the crime must occur in Virginia or against a Virginia resident in a state, country, or territory that does not have a compensation program. The crime must be reported to law enforcement within 120 hours unless good cause for the delay can be shown. A claim must be filed with the Fund within one year of the occurrence of the crime unless good cause exists for not doing so. The claim must have a minimum value of $100. The victim must fully cooperate with law enforcement and must not have engaged in illegal activity or contributed to his or her injuries in any way. Apprehension and conviction of the offender are not prerequisites for a crime victim’s CICF eligibility.