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April 2003

A claim can be made under the Crime Victim Compensation program. This is a program which provides compensation (money) to victims of violent crimes. To find out how to get compensation under the Crime Victim Compensation program, contact:

Crime Victim Compensation Program
Attorney General's Office
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
(515) 281-5044

The web site for Crime Victim Assistance is http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/cva.html

The Crime Victim Compensation Program can provide the following types of money to victims:

1. Reasonable medical care as a result of injuries suffered in the attack (up to $15,000.00).
2. Reasonable charges incurred for mental health care. This includes counseling by a licensed psychologist, person holding at least a masters degree in social work or counseling and guidance, or a victim counselor (up to $3,000.00).
3. Reasonable charges for counseling survivors of a homicide victim (up to $3000.00 per survivor).
4. Lost wages because of bodily injuries resulting from the assault (up to $6,000.00).
5. Loss of support for dependents (up to $2,000.00 per dependent).
6. Replacing clothing and bedding held as evidence by law enforcement (up to $100.00).
7. Funeral and burial expenses (up to $7,500.00).
8. Reasonable charges for counseling provided to secondary victims such as children, parents, siblings or persons residing in the victim's household at the time of the crime (up to $1,000 per person).
9. Reasonable expenses for cleaning a residence where a homicide occurred (up to $1,000.00).
10. In the event of a victim's death, reasonable costs for counseling for the victim's family (up to $3000 per survivor) and reasonable costs for health care for the victim's family (up  to $3000 per survivor).
11. In the event of a victim's death, loss of income of victim's family, up to $6,000.00
12. You can NOT be paid for property loss or repair, legal fees, phone bills, meals, or pain and suffering.

Money from Crime Victim Compensation Program may have an effect on public assistance, such as FIP or Medicaid. Any payments to people who get public assistance should be promptly reported to the Department of Human Services.

In order to apply for Crime Victim Assistance, a victim must report the crime to the police with 72 hours of when it happened. If it was not possible to report the crime within 72 hours after it happened, then it must be reported within 72 hours of the time a report could reasonably have been made.

A victim must also file a claim with the Crime Victim Compensation Program. A victim must apply within 2 years after the date of the crime, discovery of the crime, or date of the victim's death. A victim must cooperate with reasonable requests by appropriate law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of the crime.