International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program FAQs

Submitting an International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) application requires substantial supporting documentation. Simply answering the questions on the application is not sufficient and your application will be considered incomplete. Before you submit your application, please be sure to include all the required supporting documentation.

The International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) is an expense reimbursement program administered by the federal government. It covers specific out-of-pocket expenses that a victim of international terrorism may have incurred.

ITVERP was created by Congress as an amendment to the Crime Victims Act of 1984. Since 2006, ITVERP has been providing financial support to victims of international terrorism.

Visit the ITVERP section of our site to learn more.

The International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) operates much like a state crime victim compensation program but is operated by the federal government. It reimburses victims for expenses they have already incurred that are directly linked to the terrorist incident that occurred outside the United States.

Victims must meet certain eligibility requirements, apply to the program, and submit all of their supporting documentation before their application is complete and can be considered for a reimbursement award.

ITVERP is available to victims only after they have exhausted all other sources that could cover their expenses. ITVERP only reimburses individuals for specific out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the international act of terrorism.

Funding for the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) comes from the Crime Victims Fund. The Victims of Crime Act established this fund, which is financed by fines and penalties from convictions in federal cases, not from tax dollars.

For an incident to be considered an international act of terrorism for the purposes of ITVERP, the incident must be designated as such by the National Security Division of the Department of Justice. If the incident you are looking for is not on the list, please contact ITVERP. Review the list of designated international terrorism incidents.

Yes. The only exception is under the mental health care expense category. Each family member is eligible for reimbursement of her/his individual mental health care expenses.

Learn about what expenses are covered under ITVERP and each category's reimbursement limit.

Generally, an applicant must submit copies of receipts to have their expenses reimbursed when their ITVERP application is submitted. Often this is not possible. If you do not have receipts, you may submit an itemized list of expenses certifying and attesting that original receipts are unavailable and that what is listed in the application is true and correct to the best of the applicant’s knowledge.

Visit the ITVERP microsite to learn more and apply.

An Itemized Application - For applicants who have not already submitted an ITVERP claim.

A Supplemental Application - For applicants who have already submitted an ITVERP claim and are requesting additional reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses not previously claimed or expenses that have changed since the first application (e.g., bills received late or newly required services).

An Interim Emergency - For applicants seeking funds for an immediate need, such as medical treatment, short-term lodging, or emergency transportation. Emergency applications are designed to avoid the substantial financial hardship likely to arise from delayed reimbursements. This type of application is processed at the discretion of the OVC Director.

In Progress: You started an application, but have not yet submitted it.

Submitted: Your application has been submitted to the ITVERP Program for review.

Pending Incident Designation: This incident has not yet been designated as a terrorist attack for the purposes of ITVERP and is being reviewed further for an official designation. 

Processing: Your application and expenses are being verified for eligibility and final determination.

Approved: Your claim has been approved, and information regarding your payment will be provided.

Denied: Your claim has been denied, and information regarding the denial will be provided.

ITVERP is authorized to reimburse eligible victims of acts of international terrorism that occur outside the United States for expenses incurred as a direct result of their victimization.

Eligible persons include:

• U.S. citizens.
• U.S. employees.
• U.S. contractors of the federal government, including foreign nationals.
• The victim must have been a U.S. citizen or foreign national working for the U.S. government at the time of the terrorist incident in order to be eligible.

When a victim is deceased, a minor, or is incompetent or incapacitated, a family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, or other person, at the discretion of the OVC Director) or legal guardian may apply for and receive reimbursement on behalf of the victim. A victim, family member, or legal guardian who applies for ITVERP reimbursement is referred to as a claimant.

Yes. For each expense category, an individual claim cannot exceed the following amounts:

Individuals are not eligible to apply for AEAP, but U.S. citizens who have suffered direct physical or emotional injury from an act of terrorism occurring outside the United States, and family members of U.S. citizens killed by such an act, are eligible to apply for financial reimbursement for qualifying expenses through ITVERP. Qualifying expenses include medical expenses, mental health care costs, property loss, repair, or replacement, and funeral and burial costs. For further information about ITVERP, visit the ITVERP website.

Once your eligibility is determined and all required supporting documents are received and collateral sources and expenses are verified, ITVERP then prepares your application for final submission to and review by the OVC Director. The OVC Director makes the final determination about payment awards and denials.

Processing time varies. The application process involves verification of expenses and whether the expenses have been paid by other sources. This involves identifying providers, obtaining their contact information, and verifying services provided and/or amounts of coverage. Sometimes unique issues arise that have policy implications and require additional time for adequate consideration. Other times the application process involves contacting multiple government entities to verify essential claim information which can also take additional time depending on what information is needed.

Yes. Generally the filing deadline is 3 years from the date of the terrorist incident. However the deadline may be extended at the discretion of the OVC Director, based on good cause.

A collateral source is another source of payment for expenses. Because ITVERP can only provide reimbursement for expenses that are not otherwise paid by another source, such as health insurance coverage or state crime victim compensation benefits, ITVERP has to confirm that each requested expense for reimbursement has not already been paid or should have been paid, by another source.

If you do not have the required documentation to show you incurred the expense that you are requesting reimbursement for, you must explain why you don’t have the documentation and provide an itemized, detailed description of each expense and how you determined the estimated value. ITVERP only reimburses for the cost of the item at the time of purchase—not at the time of loss. You must sign under penalty of perjury that your statements are true and correct to the best of your knowledge.

Copies of valid government issued identification, official documentation showing your relationship with the victim if you are the parent or spouse, copies of receipts of items lost or destroyed, insurance and service provider information as well as detail about each expense.

Yes. Please call the ITVERP Resource Center toll free at 800-363-0441. ITVERP staff is available between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., eastern time. If they are busy helping someone else, or if you happen to call outside the hours of operation, please leave your name, phone number, a brief message and a good time to reach you.

Yes. If you have additional expenses or on-going expenses directly related to the terrorist incident, you may submit a supplemental claim(s).

• Those not directly related to the terrorist incident.
• Those that exceed the category caps.
• Those that fall outside the expense categories, such as legal expenses, attorneys’ fees, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, or lost wages.

If a number of family members have expenses that are eligible for reimbursement, such as travel to a funeral, those expenses must be consolidated into one claim and the family must designate a family member (or legal representative) to complete and submit the application for reimbursement on behalf of all the family members. It is the family’s responsibility to determine who the designated representative is, and if awarded reimbursement, how the award is distributed among family members.

The rules and regulations that govern the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) can be found in the Federal Register (Volume 71, Issue 172; September 6, 2006).

Read the ITVERP Regulations

A legal representative is someone that the claimant chooses to speak to ITVERP on their behalf regarding their application.

There may be services available within your state of residence to cover expenses not covered by ITVERP. Please refer to our Help for Victims: Victim Assistance and Compensation page to find contact information for the victim compensation program in your state.

A Third Party Payer is someone other than the claimant who has paid for the expense. As ITVERP only allows one claim per victim, expenses paid for by a third party must be identified.

If you are trying to complete your ITVERP application from a mobile device, you may experience issues with resolution and uploading. Please contact an ITVERP Case Manager for assistance at 800-363-0441.

If you have any additional questions regarding the status of your application, please contact an ITVERP Case Manager at 800-363-0441 or [email protected].