Frequently Asked Questions

Visit our U.S Citizens Victimized Abroad page to learn about programs that provide funding and assistance to victims in the aftermath of a terrorism event outside the United States.

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov or JustGrants technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the Office of Justice Programs Response Center at [email protected] within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline.

Applicants must submit their application electronically. OVC will not accept paper submissions.

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) specifically requires compensation to crime victims and survivors of victims of criminal violence for certain expenses resulting from physical injury from a compensable crime as defined by the state.

VOCA places priority on violent crime, but it does not prohibit coverage of nonviolent crimes. States may choose to broaden the range of compensable crimes to include those involving threats of injury or economic crime where victims are traumatized but not physically injured. Please keep in mind that eligibility requirements, in the end, are left up to the state.

Please contact your State Victim Compensation Program to learn about eligibility requirements. 

If you are a teen in an abusive relationship or are concerned about someone's safety, please contact the Loveisrespect.org Helpline at 866–331–9474 or 866–787–3224 (TTY) by phone, by texting "LOVEIS" to 866–331–9474, or via live chat.

Visit the Loveisrespect.org website for more information.

If you applied for victim compensation through your state victim compensation program and have any questions, including information about the status of your claim, contact your state victim compensation program directly. A list of state victim compensation programs is available on our Help in Your State page.

Visit the OVC Help for Victims microsite to find additional information and referrals which may also assist you.

Ribbons for NCVRW are not available to order from OVC. Please visit the NCVRW section of our website to view the theme colors. These color codes will be helpful when ordering ribbons from an arts and crafts distributor.

Information on the phenomenon known as the "cycle of violence," in which a childhood history of physical abuse may lead the survivor to be more likely to commit violence in later years, is available in the National Institute of Justice resources:

• Pathways Between Child Maltreatment and Adult Criminal Involvement
• Effects of Child Maltreatment, Cumulative Victimization Experiences, and Proximal Life Stress on Adult Crime and Antisocial Behavior
• An Update on the Cycle of Violence
• Childhood Victimization: Early Adversity, Later Psychopathology

To learn more, visit the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence, a series of publications funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Information on police response to victims with disabilities is available in the OVC Victims with Disabilities: Collaborative, Multidisciplinary First Response (DVD and Guidebook). For additional information, visit the Victims with Disabilities section of our website.

Information about drug-facilitated sexual assault can be found in Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces, an article in the National Institute of Justice Journal.

Additional information about drug-facilitated rape/sexual assaults is available in the National Institute of Justice-sponsored resource Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study.

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) is a depressant drug that is sometimes used in to perpetrate crimes, such as sexual assaults and rapes. Information about its use in drug-facilitated rape/sexual assault can be found in the following National Institute of Justice (NIJ) produced resources—

• Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces,
• Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study, and
• Estimate of the Incidence of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault in the U.S.