The State of Connecticut's Office of Victim Services offers a Compensation Program that may be able to pay for certain crime expenses that are not covered by insurance or other financial resources.  Our Advocates can provide assistance or answer questions in filling out this application. You can also contact the Office of Victim Services directly at 1.888.286.7347

Expenses Covered:

• Survivor Benefits- Up to $25,000
• Physical Injury-Up to $15,000
• Emotional Injury-Up to $5,000

You may be eligible to receive victim compensation, if you are are:

• Victim who suffered a physical injury;
• Victim who suffered emotional injury from a threat of either physical injury or death and received treatment. Crimes include, for example, robbery, kidnapping, child pornography, unlawful sharing of an intimate image, voyeurism (being watched, photographed, or recorded without your knowledge and permission), stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking;
• Dependent or the legal designated decision maker of a homicide victim;
• Relative of a sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, or homicide victim;
• Child who witnesses domestic violence (parent or legal guardian must file an application for a minor child (under the age of 18)
• Person who paid some or all of the funeral expenses;
• Person who paid some or all of the crime scene clean-up expenses;
• Person who missed time from work to provide care to a personal injury victim; and
• Person who has a disability and owns or keeps a service animal that was injured or killed during a crime.

Eligibility requirements to receive victim compensation:

• You were injured during a crime or injured while helping police during a crime
• The crime happened in Connecticut; or
  • you live in Connecticut and the crime happened in a country that does not have a victim compensation program that you are eligible for and you were a victim of international terrorism or a victim of a crime that would be eligible for victim compensation in Connecticut.
• You did not cause the crime or do anything illegal;
• The crime was reported to the police; or
  • you are a victim of domestic violence, human trafficking, or sexual assault and told a certified domestic violence counselor, a certified sexual assault counselor, an employee from a child advocacy center, an employee of the Department of Children and Families, certain medical providers, mental health providers, or certain school personnel about the crime; you went to a health care facility to have a sexual assault exam and evidence collection done; or a judge gave you a restraining order or a civil protection order; or you are a victim of domestic violence and told a domestic violence or sexual assault counselor about the crime or a judge gave you a restraining order or a civil protection order.
  • You are cooperating with the Victim Compensation Program.
  • You are cooperating with the police investigation; and
  • You are filing the application within 3 years of the date of the personal or emotional injury or death (a waiver form is available)

Please note: If you receive money from any other financial resources because of the crime, OVS is entitled to 2/3 of the amount the Victim Compensation Program paid. (Section 54-212 of the Connecticut General Statutes).

For example, if the Victim Compensation Program compensated you $15,000 and you receive a $40,000 insurance settlement for the same expenses paid by the Program, the Program is entitled to receive $10,000 from your settlement.

Examples of other financial resources include:

• private or public health insurance;
• auto and homeowners insurance;
• insurance or civil lawsuit settlements; and
• workers’ compensation.
• Go Fund Me and Crowd Source Campaigns for funeral expenses.

If the court orders the defendant to pay your financial losses (known as restitution) and the order includes the expenses that were already paid by the Victim Compensation Program, the Program is entitled by state law to receive back all of the victim compensation paid for those expenses, unless the court orders differently. (Section 54-215 of the Connecticut General Statutes)