VOCA Compensation Grant Program
State Performance Report
Instructions - Definitions

States receiving VOCA crime victim compensation grant funds are required to submit an Annual Performance Report that is provided by OVC. The Report requests specific information about claims for compensation. The Performance Report covers the Federal Fiscal Year ending September 30 and is due to OVC by December 30 of the same year. States must submit a Report each year.

DEFINITIONS

A victim is a person who suffers personal injury or death, directly or indirectly, or who suffers any economic loss covered by the program. This definition includes family members and other secondary victims.

A claim is an application or claim form received by the program from or on behalf of a victim (a family member or other secondary victim). The definition does not include supplemental claims or requests for benefits, but rather only the initial claim filed.

Domestic Violence is a crime in which there is a past or present familial, household, or other intimate relationship between the victim and the offender, including spouses, ex-spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends, ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends, and any family members or persons residing in the same household as the victim.

Forensic Sexual Assault Claims are claims made solely or primarily for payment of expenses relating to forensic sexual assault exams and are handled by the program through a separate claims form and procedure other than the regular compensation form and process.

SECTION I. STATE GRANT IDENTIFICATION

1-2. Complete items as indicated.

SECTION II. CLAIMS DATA

1. Indicate the total number of claims or applications received during the reporting period, October 1 through September 30. Count only one claim per victimization. Do not include supplemental or subsequent requests for payment made by a victim. Do not include on line 1 claims made solely or primarily for payment of forensic sexual assaults, if such claims are made through a process other than your regular compensation claim. Include such claims only on line 5.
   
   
2. Indicate the number of claims that meet the state's eligibility requirements/criteria, whether payments are subsequently made or not. In other words, include claims that are determined eligible, but for which no payment is made because there is not a compensable expense. Do not include forensic sexual assault claims in any information provided on line 2 or 2a-e.
   
   2a-e. Of the claims that meet the state's eligibility requirementsl criteria, indicate the number approved for victims (including secondary victims) who are: (a) state residents and (b) non-residents. Indicate on lines (c), (d) and (e) the age of victims (including secondary victims) receiving benefits. For example, if a homicide victim is under the age of 17, and a family member receiving benefits as a result of the homicide is between 18-64, count one claim in the 17 and under category and one claim in the 18-64 category. (Note: if your program counts only one claim per victimization or crime, count the claim in the category relating to the direct victim's age.)
   
   
3. Indicate the number of claims that do not meet the state's statutory requirements for eligibility, and which your program has determined are ineligible or has closed out. Include claims that have been denied or closed for failure to provide information. Do not include pending claims.
   
   
4. Indicate the average number of weeks to process a claim and mail a first payment to a victim or a provider providing compensable services. This processing period begins when the compensation program first receives an application and ends when a check is mailed to or on behalf of an eligible victim. Count all calendar days during the processing period, including days in which the program is awaiting information, as well as the days from the time your program requests a check to be sent until the time the check is actually sent. Do not include the time it takes to process and make supplemental payments. Do not include emergency payments in your calculation of processing time.
   
   
5. Indicate the total number of Forensic Sexual Assault Examination claims received during the reporting period only if your program handles such claims with a separate form and procedure other than your regular compensation claim form and process. If your program pays for forensic sexual assault examinations through its regular claim form and process, leave this space blank.

SECTION III. PAYMENT STATISTICS, BY CRIME CATEGORY

For each of the listed crimes, report in column (a) the total number of claims in which payments have been made during the reporting period, including claims involving domestic violence; and report in column (b) the number of claims involving domestic violence in which payments have been made. See definition of domestic violence above. Report in column (c) the total amount paid to victims in each crime category, including supplemental payments.

SECTION IV. PAYMENT STATISTICS, BY TYPE OF SERVICE

Indicate the total expenses paid for the following services:

1. Medical/Dental. Report the total amount paid for all medical/dental-related expenses, including doctors, dentists, hospitals, physical therapy, ambulance, and other medically-related expenses such as transportation costs, prosthetic devices and pharmaceuticals.
   
   
2. Mental Health. These include payments made for mental health treatment, both in-patient and out-patient, and including psychiatric care, counseling, therapy, and medication management.
   
   
3. Economic Support. Includes payments made to cover lost wages, loss of support, education benefits, annuities, and other related subsistence payments.
   
   
4. Funeral/Burial. These include payments made for funeral, burial and all other related expenses.
   
   
5. Crime Scene Clean-up. Report all expenses related to cleaning and securing a crime scene.
   
   
6. Forensic Sexual Assault Exams. These include amounts awarded regardless of whether each payment is part of a compensation claim or paid through a separate process.
   
   
7. Other. If payments are made for services other than those listed in items 1-6, please identify the type of service and the total amount paid for that service. Include an additional sheet if necessary to identify other expenses.
   
   
8. Total. The totals reported on line 13 of Section III may differ from the totals reported on line 8 of Section IV when payments for forensic sexual assault exams are included on line 6 of Section IV.

SECTION V. NARRATIVE DESCRIPTIONS

Please answer each of the questions in this section in sufficient detail to provide a full description of your program.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. We try to create forms and instructions that are accurate, can be easily understood, and which impose the least possible burden on you to provide us with information. The estimated average time to complete and file this information is 120 minutes or 2 hours. If you have comments regarding the accuracy of this estimate, or suggestions for making this form simpler, you can write to the State Compensation and Assistance Division, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, 810 7th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20531.