Free Help After Crime: The Victims of Crime Act Assistance Program

Being the victim of a crime is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure. Whether it is a violent assault, a sexual attack, a robbery, the murder of a loved one, domestic violence, child abuse, or even a financial crime like fraud or identity theft, the aftermath of crime brings not just physical injuries but emotional devastation, financial hardship, and a shattered sense of safety. In the immediate aftermath, victims need help—and they need it fast. They need someone to talk to. They need to understand their rights. They need help navigating the criminal justice system. They may need help paying for medical bills, funeral costs, or temporary housing. They need to know they are not alone.

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), passed by Congress in 1984, created the Crime Victims Fund—a remarkable federal fund that is financed not by taxpayer dollars but by fines, penalties, and forfeitures collected from convicted federal criminals. This fund, which has distributed over $30 billion since its inception, supports a nationwide network of more than 4,400 community organizations that provide free services to crime victims. In a single recent year, VOCA-funded programs served over 7 million victims of crime across the country.

VOCA victim assistance is one of the most widely available but least known federal benefit programs. If you have been a victim of any type of crime—or if a family member has—you are likely eligible for free services in your community, regardless of your income, insurance status, immigration status, or whether you reported the crime to police.

Opportunity Snapshot

Types of Crime Covered

VOCA victim assistance programs serve victims of virtually every type of crime, including:

Violent crimes: Assault, aggravated assault, battery, attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking. Victims of violent crime often need immediate medical attention, safety planning, trauma counseling, and assistance navigating the criminal justice system.

Sexual assault and rape: Sexual violence survivors can access forensic medical exams (rape kits) at no cost under federal law, crisis counseling, ongoing therapy, legal advocacy, and support through the investigation and prosecution process.

Domestic violence and dating violence: While FVPSA is the primary federal domestic violence funding stream, VOCA provides substantial additional resources for domestic violence services, including shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and safety planning.

Child abuse and neglect: Child victims and their non-offending family members can access specialized therapy, forensic interviews at child advocacy centers, court preparation, and family support services.

Homicide survivors: Family members and loved ones of murder victims—often called “co-victims” or “survivors of homicide victims”—can access grief counseling, crisis support, funeral and burial assistance, assistance with victim compensation claims, and support through the criminal justice process.

DUI and vehicular crimes: Victims of drunk driving crashes and other vehicular crimes can access medical advocacy, counseling, financial assistance, and victim impact support during criminal proceedings.

Human trafficking: Both sex trafficking and labor trafficking victims can access a range of VOCA-funded services including safe housing, legal advocacy, trauma therapy, and assistance with immigration relief.

Elder abuse: Older adults who experience physical abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or emotional abuse by caregivers or family members can access specialized services.

Hate crimes: Individuals targeted because of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics can access crisis support, counseling, legal advocacy, and community resources.

Financial crimes: Victims of fraud, identity theft, and other financial crimes can access assistance with recovery, credit repair, legal referrals, and emotional support.

Stalking and harassment: Victims of stalking, cyberstalking, and harassment can access safety planning, technology safety assistance, legal advocacy, and counseling.

Mass violence and terrorism: VOCA provides specialized resources for victims of mass violence incidents and acts of terrorism, including crisis response teams and long-term recovery assistance.

Services Available

Crisis Intervention

When a crime occurs, VOCA-funded programs provide immediate crisis response. This includes 24/7 crisis hotlines staffed by trained victim advocates, on-scene response to crime scenes, hospitals, and police stations, immediate safety planning, emergency shelter referral, and emotional support during the acute crisis period. Crisis intervention recognizes that the hours and days immediately following a crime are a critical window—the support a victim receives during this period can significantly affect their long-term recovery.

Counseling and Therapy

The psychological impact of crime can be devastating and long-lasting. VOCA-funded programs provide individual therapy with licensed counselors or therapists, group therapy and support groups for survivors, child therapy using age-appropriate modalities including play therapy and art therapy, family counseling to address the impact of crime on relationships, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and other evidence-based trauma therapies. These services are provided free of charge. In the private sector, therapy sessions cost $100 to $250 or more per hour—VOCA ensures that crime victims can access the mental health treatment they need without worrying about cost.

Legal Advocacy and Court Accompaniment

The criminal justice system can be confusing, intimidating, and retraumatizing for victims. VOCA-funded legal advocates help victims understand their rights under state and federal victim rights laws, navigate the criminal justice process from investigation through sentencing, prepare for court appearances, testifying, and victim impact statements, obtain protective orders, address restitution and victim compensation, and understand plea agreements and sentencing outcomes. Court accompaniment is one of the most valued services—having a trained advocate sitting beside you in the courtroom, explaining what is happening, and providing emotional support can make an enormous difference in a victim’s experience of the justice system.

Emergency Financial Assistance

Crime often creates immediate financial crises. VOCA-funded programs may provide emergency funds for crime-related expenses including temporary housing after a crime, relocation expenses for safety, emergency food and clothing, transportation to court, medical appointments, and service providers, lock changes and security improvements, and crime scene cleanup. In addition to direct financial assistance from VOCA-funded programs, most states operate victim compensation programs (also funded through VOCA) that reimburse crime victims for out-of-pocket expenses including medical bills, dental care, mental health treatment, lost wages, funeral and burial costs, and rehabilitation expenses. State victim compensation awards typically range from $10,000 to $75,000 depending on the state.

Forensic Medical Exams

Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), sexual assault victims have the right to a forensic medical exam (rape kit) at no cost, regardless of whether they choose to report the crime to police. VOCA-funded programs provide advocates who accompany victims to the hospital, explain the exam process, provide emotional support, and ensure that victims’ rights are respected.

Notification and Information

VOCA-funded programs help victims stay informed about their cases through notification of arrest, arraignment, court dates, plea agreements, and sentencing, information about parole hearings and release of offenders, assistance with victim impact statements, explanation of victim rights under state and federal law, and information about available benefits and services.

State Victim Compensation Programs

In addition to direct victim services, VOCA funds state crime victim compensation programs in every state and territory. These programs provide financial reimbursement to victims of violent crime for unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses resulting from the crime:

Covered expenses typically include: Medical and dental care, mental health counseling, lost wages due to injury, funeral and burial costs, crime scene cleanup, rehabilitation and physical therapy, and childcare for incapacitated parents.

Maximum awards range from $10,000 to $75,000 depending on the state, with most states falling in the $25,000–$50,000 range. Some states have higher limits for catastrophic injuries.

Eligibility for compensation typically requires that the crime was reported to law enforcement (though some states waive this requirement for certain crimes), the victim cooperated with the investigation, the victim was not the perpetrator or substantially at fault, and the application is filed within the state’s time limit (typically 1–3 years, with exceptions for child victims and newly discovered crimes).

Compensation is the “payer of last resort”—it covers expenses not paid by insurance, Medicaid, or other sources. But for uninsured victims or for expenses that insurance does not cover, victim compensation can be a financial lifeline.

How VOCA Funding Works

The Crime Victims Fund is unique among federal funding sources because it is not funded by general tax revenue. Instead, it collects fines, penalties, forfeited bail bonds, and special assessments levied against convicted federal criminals. In this way, offenders—not taxpayers—fund the services that help victims recover.

The fund distributes money through several channels. State victim assistance grants go to state administering agencies, which then fund local victim service organizations. State victim compensation grants supplement state compensation programs. Tribal victim services grants support victim services in tribal communities. National scope training and technical assistance grants support program development, research, and best practices. And discretionary grants address emerging crime types, underserved populations, and innovative service models.

How to Access Victim Services

Step 1: Call a crisis line. If you have been the victim of a crime and need immediate help, the following national hotlines can connect you with local VOCA-funded services:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-4673
• National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
• Victims of Crime Helpline (VictimConnect): 1-855-484-2846

Step 2: Contact your state VOCA administrator. Each state has an agency that administers VOCA funds and can direct you to local victim service programs. You can find your state’s administrator through the Office for Victims of Crime at ovc.ojp.gov.

Step 3: File for victim compensation. If you have crime-related expenses, contact your state’s victim compensation program. Most states allow online or mail-in applications. Your local victim advocate can help you complete the application.

Step 4: Ask law enforcement or prosecutors. If your case is in the criminal justice system, ask the detective or prosecutor’s office about available victim services. Many law enforcement agencies have victim-witness coordinators.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to report the crime to police to get help? For most victim services (counseling, advocacy, crisis support), no police report is required. For victim compensation, most states require a police report, though exceptions exist for domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.

How long after the crime can I get help? There is no time limit for accessing victim services. Even if the crime happened years ago, you can still access counseling, support groups, and other services. Victim compensation programs have filing deadlines (typically 1–3 years), but extensions are often available.

Are services available for family members of victims? Yes. Family members of crime victims—especially survivors of homicide victims—are eligible for counseling, crisis support, legal advocacy, and victim compensation.

Will I have to testify in court? Receiving victim services does not obligate you to testify or participate in criminal proceedings. Decisions about cooperating with the justice system are yours to make.

Can undocumented immigrants receive services? Most VOCA-funded victim service programs serve all victims regardless of immigration status. Additionally, crime victims may be eligible for U-visas or T-visas that provide immigration relief.

How to Get Started

1. Call VictimConnect at 1-855-484-2846 for referrals to local victim services
2. Call RAINN at 1-800-656-4673 for sexual assault services
3. Visit ovc.ojp.gov for information and state contacts
4. Contact your local police department’s victim services unit
5. Search victimconnect.org for help in your area
6. Ask your district attorney’s office about victim-witness services

Crime can shatter lives—but it does not have to define them. VOCA-funded victim assistance programs provide the support that crime victims need to heal, recover, and rebuild. These services are free, confidential, and available in every community in America. If you have been a victim of crime, you deserve help, and help is available.