Frequently Asked Questions

Each year, states and territories receive Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds to support community-based organizations that serve crime victims. Grants are made to domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, child abuse programs, and victim service units in law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, hospitals, and social service agencies. States and territories are required to give priority to programs serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. Additional funds must be set aside for underserved victims, such as survivors of homicide victims and victims of drunk drivers.

More information is available on the Laws & Policies section of our VOCA Administrators microsite.

For additional information, please contact your State Victim Assistance Program.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) is not accepting applications for the Consultant Network at this time. Please contact the OVC TTAC Consultant Management Team at 866–682–8822 or [email protected] if you have further questions.

According to the Victim Compensation Program Guidelines, at a minimum, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) requires states to award compensation for medical expenses, mental health counseling, lost wages, and funeral expenses when they are attributable to a compensable crime.

For more information regarding expenses covered in your state, please contact your State Victim Compensation Program.

Contact your state Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Administrator for questions regarding what expenses are allowable if your organization receives VOCA funding.

College-specific crime statistics can be found on the Campus Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool website from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Postsecondary Education.

Additional data and information can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's Campus Security page.

Crime in the United States, an annual report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, provides university/college campus crime data that are reported by law enforcement.

Learn more about campus crime and serving victims of crime on the Campus Crime section of our website.

For a complete listing of OVC’s online trainings, visit the Online Training section of the OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center site.

Visit the Training and Technical Assistance section of the OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center website for specific eligibility requirements and application information for training and technical assistance or requesting an event speaker.  

Requests for assistance must be submitted at least 90 days prior to the date of the event.

Visit the Professional Development Scholarship Program section of the OVC TTAC website for specific eligibility requirements and application information.

Applications must be submitted at least 60 calendar days prior to the date of the event.

A program can apply directly to OVC for funding. A certain percentage of discretionary monies in the Crime Victims Fund are used to support national scope training and technical assistance projects to improve services to victims of crime. For available funding opportunities, visit the Current Funding Opportunities section of our website.

The Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system allows crime victims across the country to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day—via phone, email, text message (SMS) or TTY device. Please visit the VineLink website to register.