Victim compensation program asks for $9M to stabilize funds

(The Center Square) – Victims’ services providers daily see the toll that violent crime takes on the survivors who walk through their doors.

In Lancaster, they joined the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to give support for the Victim Compensation Assistance Program, or VCAP, which they say plays an essential role in mitigating the damage.

The program covers the cost of medical expenses, counseling, missed income, funeral expenses, and other financial burdens often borne by the victims of violent crime. Its resources, however, are running low, and the new budget proposes the state invest $9 million dollars to stabilize the fund.

“Turing our backs on victims is not an option,” said Kathy Buckley, director of the Office of Victims’ Services.

Her department has served over 67,000 claims in the past five years, covering more than $67 million in expenses through the funds across all 67 counties in the state.

“In the aftermath of a shooting, domestic violence, sexual assault, or other crimes, victims experience devastating mental, physical, emotional, and financial impacts that echo throughout their lives,” said Buckley. “PCCD’s VCAP program is a critical financial resource for people who have been impacted by violence and crime.”

The victims and survivors who receive those funds are often among the state’s most vulnerable. Mary Halye, manager of The Children’s Alliance in Lancaster, said her organization has seen more than 10,000 children who were victims of abuse since 2006, including 818 last year.

“Some of the children coming to us are coming on their worst days and find it hard to speak,” said Halye, whose organization conducts forensic interviews and provides medical evaluation and counseling services free of charge.

The YWCA also provides free services to victims of sexual assault. Mandy Billiman, Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Center director for its Lancaster branch, said that many of the women who come to them are reticent to speak up about what’s happened to them.

She noted that girls in college are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than any other group, while girls of college age who aren’t in school are four times more likely.

“We need to recognize the profound and far reaching ripple effects that criminal acts have on individuals, their families, and the surrounding communities. Victim-centric approaches such as the Victims Compensation Assistance Program are vital pieces of the criminal justice framework,” said Billman. “This is a crucial part of giving control back to those from whom it has been taken.”

Last year, the Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County served over 2,000 adults and children. Director Christine Gilfillan sais this number is up 9% from last year. They also took nearly 1,500 calls, an increase of 34% and provided 8,157 nights of emergency shelter. Their legal center served 1,200 individuals.

VCAP costs about $14 million annually, said Buckley. Its main revenue source comes from a $60 fine paid by offenders. The state also receives a 75% return on its investment from federal funds through the Victims of Crime Act. The less the state spends, the smaller the federal grant.

Asked if the state could rely on that federal reimbursement in the future in light of the federal government’s recent budget slashing, Buckley said, “As far as we know, we’re continuing to get those funds.”