All 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico have established crime victim assistance and compensation programs. Crime victim assistance programs can provide a range of services to hate crime victims and their families, including crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, criminal justice advocacy, and emergency transportation. Crime victim compensation programs can provide substantial financial assistance to hate crime victims and their families.

The compensation programs reimburse victims for crime-related expenses such as medical costs and mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs, lost wages or loss of support. A number of programs also cover crime-scene cleanup, travel costs to receive treatment, moving expenses, and the cost of house-keeping and child care. Some expenses are not covered by most compensation programs, including theft, damage, and property loss.

Applications are usually available through law enforcement or victim assistance and service programs, or through direct contact with the compensation program. Each state operates under its own law, rules, policies and procedures, and while all of the programs share broadly similar eligibility requirements, it is important for those accessing any program to check with the individual state to learn exactly how it operates. The victim generally must report the crime promptly to law enforcement; cooperate with police and prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of the case; submit a timely application to the compensation program (generally one year from the date of the crime, though a number of states have longer time frames, and most can waive these requirements when appropriate); have a cost or loss not covered by insurance or some other readily available collateral source; and be innocent of criminal activity or significant misconduct that caused or contributed to the victim's injury or death. Apprehension and/or conviction of a perpetrator is not a prerequisite to receiving compensation. The victim should file an application for compensation in the state where the crime takes place, regardless of the victim's residency. With just a few exceptions, the programs will cover foreign residents injured in the state.

Maximum benefits available to victims from the state programs generally range between $10,000 and $25,000, though a few states have higher maximums. In addition, many states have lower limits on specific compensable expenses, like funerals and mental health counseling. A few states can provide extra benefits in homicides or catastrophic-injury cases. All compensation programs are "payers of last resort." This means that any other collateral sources of payment to the victim, such as medical or auto insurance, employee benefit programs, Social Security, and Medicaid, must be accessed first before the programs will consider payment. Since restitution, if paid at all, is often received over a long period of time, compensation programs usually will pay in advance rather than force the victim to wait to receive restitution.

For more information on crime victim assistance and compensation programs, including contact information and more detailed descriptions of each state's requirements, benefits, and procedures, please see the links below.

• OVC Links to Victim Assistance & Compensation Programs
• OVC Fact Sheet, State Crime Victim Compensation and Assistance Grant Programs
• Crime Victim Compensation Program Directory
• OVC Fact Sheet, What You Can Do If You Are a Victim of Crime
• OVC Links to National Victim Serving Organizations