DisasterAssistance.gov - Access to Disaster Help and Resources

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You may be eligible for 3 forms of assistance.

Forms of Assistance without Online Applications

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International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP)

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Program Description

The International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) reimburses eligible victims of designated acts of international terrorism that occur outside of the United States for expenses associated with that victimization. You can seek reimbursement for eligible victims of international terrorism for expenses associated directly with that victimization. Such expenses include the following:

Medical (including dental and rehabilitation)
Mental health care
Property loss, repair, replacement
Funeral and burial
Miscellaneous expenses (such as temporary lodging, local transportation, telephone costs, emergency travel)

General Program Requirements

In order to qualify for this benefit, you must be a U.S. national or a U.S. government officer/employee. The individual victim must have suffered "direct physical or emotional injury or death as a result of an act of international terrorism occurring on or after October 23, 1983, with respect to which an investigation or prosecution was ongoing or was commenced after April 24, 1996." If the victim is a minor, incompetent, incapacitated, or is killed, a family member or legally designated representative of the victim may receive expense reimbursement on behalf of the victim. In addition to the victim, claimants may include the following:

Spouse of the victim
Parents of the victim
Children of the victim
Siblings of the victim
Legally designated victim representative.

Application Process

To apply for this program, visit http://www.ovc.gov/itverp for an application and detailed instructions.

Program Contact Information

For more information, contact the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program:

Phone: 1-800-363-0441

Mail:
Office for Victims of Crime
ITVERP Resource Center
810 7th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20531

Email: Website: http://www.ovc.gov/itverp

Managing Agency

U.S. Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov

Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program

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Program Description

The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB) provides a death benefit to the eligible survivors of Federal, state or local public safety officers whose death was the direct and proximate result of a personal (traumatic) injury sustained in the line of duty (certain fatal, line of duty heart attacks and strokes are also covered). The act also provides a disability benefit to eligible public safety officers who have been permanently and totally disabled as the direct result of a catastrophic personal injury sustained in the line of duty. The injury must permanently prevent the officer from performing any gainful work.

General Program Requirements

Eligible beneficiaries for PSOB purposes, in this order, are spouses; children; designated PSOB beneficiaries on file with the agency at the time of the officer's death; or surviving parents. Eligible children include any biological natural, out-of-wedlock, adopted or posthumous child, or stepchild who is 18 years old or younger. Children between the ages of 19 and 22 may be eligible if a full-time student at the time of the officer's death, and children over 18 who are incapable of self-support at the time of the officer's death due to a disability.

Application Process

For information on applying for disability or death benefits, visit https://www.psob.gov.

Program Contact Information

You may find information on filing a PSOB claim and claim forms at: https://www.psob.gov/ For more information, please call:
1-888-744-6513

Or:
202-307-0635

Mail:
PSOB Office
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 7th Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531

Email:

Managing Agency

U.S. Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov

State Crime Victims Compensation

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Program Description

State Crime Victims Compensation programs reimburse victims for crime-related expenses. Such expenses include medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs and lost wages or loss of support. All states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico have established compensation programs for crime victims. Although each state compensation program is administered independently, most programs have similar eligibility requirements and offer comparable benefits. Maximum awards generally range from $10,000 to $25,000, though a number of states have higher or lower maximums.

General Program Requirements

Compensation is paid only when other financial resources, such as private insurance and offender restitution, do not cover the loss. Some expenses are not covered by most compensation programs, including theft, damage, and property loss. State compensation programs are not required to compensate victims in terrorism cases.

To receive compensation, victims must comply with state statutes and rules. This requires victims to cooperate with reasonable requests of law enforcement and submit a timely application to the compensation program.

To identify requirements, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) website, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/, provides links to Victim Assistance and Compensation Programs and corresponding state administrator contact information.

Application Process

To apply for this program, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/help/links.htm and locate your state's nearest Victim Assistance and Compensation Program.

Program Contact Information

Contact information for each state Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)-funded assistance and compensation program may be found at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/help/links.htm You may submit an email to the OVC program at: http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/askovc/ You may also call our OVC Resource Center using any of the following numbers:
Local: 301-519-5500
Toll-Free: 1-800-851-3420
TTY: 1-877-712-9279

For mail correspondence, please write to:
Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 7th Street NW., Eighth Floor
Washington, DC 20531

Managing Agency

U.S. Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov