Upon passage of P.A. 223 of 1976 Michigan became the 17th state to offer crime victims’ compensation. The crime victim compensation program was established to provide limited financial assistance to innocent persons who receive bodily injury from the commission of a crime in Michigan and who incur un-reimbursable financial losses as a result of the injury. Victim compensation is awarded as a last resort, publicly or privately sponsored insurances and court ordered restitution must be paid first. In addition, victim compensation is only awarded when the losses represent a financial hardship for the victim.
The program may award financial assistance to crime victims for the un-reimbursable costs of medical expenses, counseling, loss of earnings or support, and burial assistance to survivors. Medical expenses include hospital bills, doctor bills, laboratory fees, ambulance charges and other related costs. Loss of earnings may be paid to a victim for the period of medical disability resulting from the criminal injury, and loss of support may be paid to survivors upon the death of a victim of homicide if the victim was their primary source of support.
There are limits on the amounts that can be paid for weekly loss of earnings and support, for burial, for counseling and on the total amount that may be paid as a result of a crime. See the brochure in this website for current program maximums and more detailed benefit information. Claims should usually be filed within one year from the date of injury although there are exceptions to this requirement. Applications for crime victim compensation are available from this website, from the Commission’s office, from your county prosecutor, and from many victim service organizations and providers throughout the state.
Program eligibility requires that the victim not be responsible for the crime or an accomplice, that the victim did not contribute to the injury by doing something dangerous or illegal to cause the injury to happen, and that the victim cooperate with the reasonable requests of law enforcement and prosecution. It is not required that there be an arrest or prosecution of the person responsible for committing the crime, however, the victim is expected to reasonably assist with the investigation and any subsequent criminal case proceedings.
Money for crime victim compensation benefits is received from convicted criminal defendants who pay crime victim assessments ordered by Michigan courts. The program also receives federal VOCA funds from criminal fines ordered in federal courts.
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