The Bureau of Victim Compensation is funded through the Crime Compensation Trust Fund. The trust fund collects revenue through local court costs paid by individuals convicted of felony and misdemeanor offenses; subrogation recovered from civil awards paid by third parties to crime victims; the Federal Victims of Crime Act which distributes fines, fees, and forfeitures collected on federal convictions; restitution ordered for offenders to reimburse the Bureau of Victim Compensation for compensation paid on behalf of a victim; and donations.

Due to many variables involved, it is difficult to provide a time frame. Applications submitted with a sufficient law enforcement report by the proper authorities and all applicable supporting documentation may take 4-8 weeks to have an eligibility or denial determination rendered. Depending on the complexity of the case, it may take longer.

The Bureau of Victim Compensation does not make an independent judgment on whether a crime occurred, but instead relies on the law enforcement report from the proper authorities. For benefits through the Victim Compensation Program, the report must verify that a compensable crime was committed which resulted in physical, psychological, psychiatric, mental injury, or death; that the victim was not involved in illegal activities; did not contribute in any way to his/her injuries; and is cooperating with law enforcement and the State Attorney's office in prosecuting known offenders. There are additional qualifications for each of the programs managed by the Bureau of Victim Compensation.

Victims may submit itemized bills for consideration with their Victim Compensation Claim Form. Bills are reviewed in the order received. Additional treatment bills may be submitted after eligibility is determined. It is important to write the claim number on all subsequent itemized bills submitted so that the request for additional expense consideration can be forwarded to the appropriate claim.

No. Victims may submit additional crime-related treatment bills to the Bureau of Victim Compensation for services rendered within one year from the date of crime. (Exceptions for minor victims apply.) It is important to write the claim number on all subsequent itemized bills submitted.

Itemized bills are typically prepared by the treatment provider on industry standard forms (e.g., CMS-1450, 1500, J400), or on the provider’s letterhead. They must include the following information:

• Service provider/facility’s name, street address, city, state and zip code, email address, and telephone number (including area code);
• Organization/treatment facility’s mailing address;
• Federal tax identification number;
• Beginning and ending date(s) of service;
• Name and address of individual being billed for services rendered;
• Revenue code, description of service, CPT or equivalent code, service date, service units, and total charges;
• Diagnosis code, diagnosis, or nature of injury; and
• First and last name of attending medical professional and license number.

The Bureau of Victim Compensation is committed to helping victims recover from the adverse financial hardship caused by crime. While it is the express intent to deliver on that commitment, there is no guarantee, pre-approval, or promise to reimburse the costs associated with treatment. Each bill is reviewed to determine if it meets the qualifications as prescribed by law and in accordance with the Schedule of Benefits.

Treatment providers may bill victims for services not compensable or covered by the Bureau of Victim Compensation. However, if the service was compensated, payments made by the Bureau of Victim Compensation are payment in full. Payments authorized at reduced rates satisfy the entire bill, and thus, victims cannot be billed for the amount remaining.

No.

The Victim Compensation Program does reimburse the victim directly for travel to medical appointments, counseling visits, and trips to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for crime related injuries. The Bureau of Victim Compensation considers only the most direct route, and requires documentation proving each trip was the outcome of having crime-related treatment services rendered. Travel reimbursement is not available for events involving the need to meet with law enforcement officials, collecting supporting documentation, meeting with an advocate, or court proceedings.

Victims who were employed at the time of the crime, or were collecting Reemployment Assistance, may be eligible for wage loss compensation. Assistance is available for the dates excused by a licensed physician due to crime related physical injuries. Victims must submit supporting documentation from their physician and employer, and the Bureau of Victim Compensation must be able to verify the exact loss. Lost wages are not available when no physical injury was suffered, for future absence from work, to attend official court proceedings, meetings with victim advocates, meetings with law enforcement officials, or to collect supporting documentation. The department does not reimburse physician or employer fees for completing required documentation.

The Bureau of Victim Compensation may reimburse for any losses not fully covered by Workers' Compensation or any other collateral source, up to the maximum benefit limits.

If convicted of the offense, the offender is obligated to reimburse the Crimes Compensation Trust Fund for monies paid to or on behalf of the crime victim, and pursuant to their court order. If restitution is ordered directly to the victim, the victim must reimburse the Bureau of Victim Compensation.

Yes. The Bureau of Victim Compensation is the payor of last resort following all other funding sources. This includes charitable donations and insurance.

The Special Notice of Insurance Waiver Provision, pursuant to s. 624.128 of the Florida Statutes, is a notice sent to victims who were deemed eligible by the Bureau of Victim Compensation with collateral sources to otherwise compensate the loss. Once the victim is deemed eligible, the notice is distributed instructing them to submit a copy of the waiver to their insurance carrier and any service provider who rendered services for crime related expenses. The waiver exempts the victim from applicable copays or deductibles. If the insurance carrier disregards or refuses to honor the provision, victims are directed to forward refusal documentation to the Bureau of Victim Compensation.

No. Awards are not taxable income.

There are monetary limitations and time restrictions for the various types of benefits covered by the Bureau of Victim Compensation. Benefits may also be reduced or denied without prior notice or appeal rights. Please refer to the Schedule of Benefits for additional information.

All claim applications are manually data entered and digitally scanned into the Victim Assistance Network (VANext). Upon entry, the claim application is assigned a claim number and forwarded to a trained claims analyst for review. Upon review, the analyst will send correspondence notifying the victim/applicant of their claim number and providing the analyst’s name.

The Bureau of Victim Compensation manages seven different programs: Victim Compensation (VC), Property Loss (PL), Domestic Violence Relocation (DV), Sexual Battery Relocation (RS), Human Trafficking Relocation (HT), Sexual Battery Forensic Examination (SB), and Emergency Responder Death Benefits (ER). The first five listed require a Bureau of Victim Compensation Claim Form while the other two require a different application. Depending on the selections made on the application, multiple claim numbers may be assigned. For example, if both medical expense assistance administered by the VC Program and property loss assistance administered by the PL Program were selected, a separate claim number for each of the programs selected will be assigned.

The Property Loss Program is available to assist victims of certain types of property damage and loss caused by a criminal or delinquent act. Only victims over the age of 60, or adults with previously existing documented disabilities, are eligible to apply.

In many cases involving financial crimes such as fraud or identity theft, victims lose large quantities of cash or monetary investments. Regrettably, none of the programs offered by the Bureau of Victim Compensation provide compensation for those offenses. The Property Loss Program is available to qualified victims whose loss consists of tangible personal property which directly affected their quality of daily living. Monetary losses are not considered tangible property.

Claims denied may be appealed within 60 days of the denial determination. The Notice of Rights form, which is attached to the Notice of Determination Ineligibility letter, provides instructions on how to appeal the decision. If the victim responds to the Notice of Rights and presents genuine issues of material fact, then an evidentiary hearing will be granted. If the victim responds to the Notice of Rights and there are no material issues of fact, then Division Counsel will grant an informal hearing or recommend that the claim be reconsidered. No additional action is taken if the victim does not respond to the Notice of Rights. There is no formal process to appeal when benefits have been denied. However, victims can contact the Bureau of Victim Compensation to find out why a benefit requested does not qualify for compensation.