Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund
NNEDV supports raising the VOCA cap for Fiscal Year 2009 and protecting the VOCA Fund balance from elimination.
The Victims of Crime Act (Fund) was created by Congress in 1984 to provide federal support to state and local programs that assist victims of crime. The VOCA Fund is derived entirely from fines and penalties paid by offenders at the federal level, not taxpayer revenue, and is largely distributed to the states through a formula grant. The state money funds both crime victim compensation funds and victim assistance grants.
More than 4,400 local agencies from all 50 states depend on VOCA assistance grants to serve over 3.8 million crime victims each year. VOCA assistance grants provide funding for crisis intervention, counseling, tranportation, services for elder victims and victims with disabilities, volunteer coordinators, translation services, needs assessments and other support services that help victims deal with the trauma and aftermath of a crime. Approximately 50% of VOCA assistance grants at the state level fund domestic violence services.
Fines and penalties paid by offenders at the federal level are deposited into the fund. Because the deposits vary from year to year, Congress decided to set a "cap" on the fund, limiting the amount of money that can be distributed from the fund in a given year. The cap is intended to ensure stable funding over time, despite fluctuation in deposits. There is approximately $2 billion in the fund currently.
The President's FY '09 Budget Request institutionalizes the FY '08 cut of $35 million to the VOCA cap. The Budget Request also calls for the elimination of the balance of the VOCA Fund - a $2 billion loss! This would leave no money in the fund for FY '10, which would severely jeopardize victim services across the nation.
Cuts to VOCA will force programs to turn away victims due to lack of resources.
This year, we must urge Congress to raise the VOCA cap to at least $717 million and to protect the VOCA Fund from elimination - to ensure that lifesaving programs can continue to reach victims in need!
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Definitions:
The VOCA Fund Cap - The annual amount distributed out of the VOCA Fund. The cap is set in the Congressional Budget each year.
The VOCA Fund - The balance of money deposited into the fund through fees and fines paid by convicted federal criminals. Currently, the balance of the VOCA Fund is around $2 billion.
VOCA Victim Assistance Grants - Funding distributed by states to victim service providers such as domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, victim assistants in law enforcement and prosecutors offices.
VOCA Crime Victim Compensation - Pays out-of-pocket expenses incurred by victims.
Learn more about VOCA:
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