Description
VOCA Statutory Set-Asides
OVC supports direct services for victims of federal crimes through the following federal agency programs:
- The Children’s Justice Act (CJA) provides up to $20 million annually to help states and tribes develop, establish, and operate programs to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases—particularly cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation—and to improve the handling of cases of suspected child abuse or neglect fatalities. Each year, OVC provides the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with up to $17 million to support CJA Task Forces in every state and territory. An additional $3 million supports new targeted programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities and is integrated into DOJ’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation.
- OVC provides funding to the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) to support victim specialists who assist victims of federal crimes during justice system proceedings and provide advice regarding victims' rights, such as the right to make oral and written victim impact statements at sentencing hearings. In FYs 2019 and 2020, over $51 million in VOCA funding supported 180 (full-time equivalent) victim specialists serving in the 93 USAO districts and 12 victim specialists exclusively serving Indian Country.
- OVC provides the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) with funding to support financial and technical assistance to communities that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In FYs 2019 and 2020, Congress-required VOCA set-asides to OVW totaled $497.5 million and $435 million, respectively.
- OVC provides the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with funding for victim specialists assigned to field offices throughout the Nation who personally assist victims of federal crimes and impart information on criminal cases as they develop and throughout court proceedings. FYs 2019 and 2020 funds of over $63 million helped support the salaries, benefits, and related expenses for 227 victim specialist personnel.
- Each year, OVC provides approximately $5 million to the Victim Notification System (VNS), an automated database that notifies victims of federal criminal case events regarding offenders, including the status of an investigation, filing of criminal charges and the disposition of those charges, release or detention status, and public court hearings. In FYs 2019 and 2020, OVC funding supported EOUSA’s efforts to upgrade, enhance, and operate the VNS to continue providing timely and consistent notification to federal crime victims, as mandated by the Justice for All Act of 2004 and the Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance.
- Since 2015, Congress has allocated $10 million per fiscal year in VOCA funds for the Office of the Inspector General to use in auditing and assessing risks and deficiencies in the management of OVC programs.
- For the first time, in FY 2018, a 3 percent tribal set-aside for victim services made $133 million available for use in fulfilling critical, long-standing needs among tribes. In FY 2019, a 5 percent tribal set-aside ($167.7 million) was designated to provide grants to tribes to enhance services for victims of crime, consistent with the requirements of VOCA. The tribal set-aside was again authorized in the FY 2020 budget at 5 percent of the Crime Victims Fund, for a total of $132.5 million.