What is the Crime Victims Compensation Program?

The State of Georgia has a program to assist you with crime-related expenses if you are a victim of a violent crime. The program can help compensate victims for financial hardship (lost wages or loss of support), medical, mental health counseling, funeral expenses, and/or crime scene sanitation.

The following can be covered under medical:

• Home health care
• Eye glasses
• Dentures
• Prosthetic devices
• Wheelchairs

What Compensation is Available?

You are eligible for the following categories of compensation only if they are not already covered by another source:

• Medical expenses
• Mental health counseling expenses
• Funeral expenses
• Financial hardship (loss of support/lost wages)
• Crime scene sanitation*

*Applicable to crimes occurring on or after May 13, 2002.

Who is Eligible for Victims Compensation?

Victims who have been physically injured in a violent crime are eligible for Victims Compensation. These include, but are not limited to, victims of:

• Assault/Battery
• Homicide
• Child Abuse
• Sexual Assault
• Domestic/Family Violence
• DUI Crash
• Hit-and-Run*
• Vehicular Homicide*
• Serious Injury by Vehicle**

*Applicable to eligible claims when the crime occurred on or after May 13, 2002.

**Considered when bodily harm to another deprives him of a member of his body; rendering a member of his body useless; seriously disfiguring his body or a member thereof; or by causing brain damage which renders the body or any member thereof useless.

Who is Not Eligible?

• Victims of property crime.
• Victims who consent, provoke, or incite the crime committed against them.
• Victims who were participating in a criminal act.
• Victims who do not report the crime to authorities.
• Victims filing applications two years after the occurrence of the crime.

Total Amount Allowable is $25,000

What is the Maximum for each Category?

• Medical Expenses $15,000**
• Counseling Expenses $3,000**
• Funeral Expenses $3,000
• Economic Support (loss of support/lost wages) $10,000**
• Crime Scene Sanitation $1,500**

Please note: The $25,000 cap is applicable to crimes occurring on or after July 1, 2002.

**Applicable to eligible claims when crimes occurred on or after May 13, 2002, but the maximum award amount cannot exceed $10,000.

Are there Limitations on Compensation?

• Compensation cannot be paid for stolen, damaged, or lost property.
• Victim/claimant must first exhaust funds from other sources such as health insurance, car insurance, social security, annual/sick leave pay, disability insurance, worker.s compensation, unemployment compensation, or funds from other government agencies.

What must I do to be eligible?

• You should report the crime to authorities within 72 hours unless good cause is shown.
• Application(s) must be filed within one year of crime or two years with good cause shown.*
• You must cooperate with law enforcement officials in their investigation and prosecution.

*The Board may consider claims filed within three years for crimes that occurred on or after July 1, 2005. (All claims received after one year must be appealed within 30 days for the Board to consider.) Applications received three years after the crime cannot be considered for compensation.

How do I apply?

You must file an application for assistance with the Crime Victims Compensation Program. An application will be sent to you when you call the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council at 404-559-4949 or 800-549-0060

You do not need an attorney to file an application.

Office of the Governor . Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
503 Oak Place, Suite 540, Atlanta, Georgia 30349
404-559-4949 (phone)
800-547-0060 (victims only)
404-559-4177 (TDY)
www.ganet.org/cjcc