Overview
The California Victim Compensation Board was created to lessen the financial impact of crime on qualifying victims. Under California law (Government Code Sections 13959-13969.3), qualifying victims of crime may receive financial assistance for losses resulting from a crime when they cannot be reimbursed by other sources.
The crime must have occurred in California, or to a California resident, and the victim cannot have been a participant in the crime.
This program is a "payer of last resort" for victims' out-of-pocket (non-reimbursed) losses and applies only where the crime directly involved physical injury or threat of injury. New domestic violence guidelines adopted by the State Board of Control provide that a child who witnesses an incident of domestic violence is now considered to be at risk of physical injury and qualifies as a direct victim of a crime.
More Information
Local Victim-Witness Assistance Program staff can also assist victims in filing State Victim of Crime Compensation claims and provide information about other methods of loss recovery.
For more information and applications, call CalVCB at 1-800-777-9229. Or email: [email protected]
Download a copy of Crime Hurts Everyone, We Can Help (PDF) by the California Victim Compensation Board.