Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding VOCA

Q:	What is VOCA?
A:	VOCA stands for the Victims of Crime Act. It is a federal law that provides financial assistance to support a variety of services and activities to assist crimes of crime. Under VOCA, each state and certain U.S. territories and possessions may receive a formula grants to support direct victim assistance services.

Q:	When did VOCA begin?
A:	Congress enacted VOCA in 1984. It was originally due to expire ("sunset") in four years, but in 1988, Congress repealed the sunset provision and made VOCA permanent. There have been numerous amendments and changes to VOCA since then.

Q:

Where does the money come from?

A:

All of the money used for VOCA comes from various federal criminal fines, forfeitures, assessments and penalties. This was formally established as the federal Crime Victim Fund. None of the money used by VOCA comes from taxpayer appropriations. Since the first deposits were made into the Fund in 1985, a total of $5 billion has been deposited. The amounts have varied considerably from year to year.

Q:	What have been the annual collections nationwide?
A:	The amounts collected each year have been: 1985 - $68,312,956 1986 - 62,506,345 1987 - 77,446,383 1988 - 93,559,362 1989 - 133,540,076 1990 - 146,226,664 1991 - 127,968,462 1992 - 221,608,913 1993 - 144,733,739 1994 - 185,090,720 1995 - 233,907,256 1996 - 528,941,562 1997 - 362,891,434 1998 - 324,038,486 1999 - 985,185,354 2000 - 776,954,858 2001 - 544,437,014

Q:

How much money does Massachusetts receive?

A:

The amount of federal funding received by states for victim service programs varies from year to year and depends upon the amount of federal assessments collected. Massachusetts has received the following amounts per federal fiscal year from the Federal Crime Victims Fund: 1986 - $972,000 1987 - $718,000 1988 - $807,000 1989 - $980,000 1990 - $1,482,000 1991 - $1,494,000 1992 - $1,427,000 1993 - $1,544,000 1994 - $1,456,000 1995 - $1,774,000 1996 - $2,854,000 1997 - $8,920,000 1998 - $6,121,000 1999 - $5,250,000 2000 - $8,183,000 2001 - $7,941,000 2002 - $8,412,000

Q:

Why have the amounts fluctuated?

A:

There has been a steady increase in amounts collected and deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. There have also been several years in which there have been significant spikes in collections. Those spikes are largely attributable to several very large criminal anti-trust and security fraud cases. For example, in 1996, a Japanese bank paid a criminal fine of $340 million, more than had ever before been deposited into the Fund in a single year.

Q:

Are there any limits on the Fund?

A:

When VOCA was first enacted in 1984, Congress imposed limits on how much could be deposited into the Fund. This was originally set at $100 million and gradually increased to $150 million. The limit on deposits was eliminated in 1992. Another cap on the amount, this time on the amount that could be obligated from the Fund, was imposed by Congress in 2000. That was first set at $500 million and increased to $537.5 million in 2001. In 2002, the cap was set at $550 million, but Congress authorized an additional $68.1 million to provide counseling services to victims of the September 11 terrorism attacks. To find out how you can use your voice to urge Congress to raise the cap, click here.

Q:

Where does the money go?

A:

All the funds deposited into the Crime Victim Fund are used to support a variety of services to crime victims at the federal, state and local levels. Most of the funds are distributed by formula grants to states who use those funds to provide financial support to local direct victim service providers, such as domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and victim-witness assistance programs as well as direct compensation to crime victims.

Q:

How exactly is the money in the Fund spent?

A:

The following programs and services are supported by the money in the Crime Victims Fund: Children's Justice Act (to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases) Victim witness coordinators in United States Attorney's offices Victim assistance staff in FBI offices Federal Victim Notification System (VNS) Formula grants to state crime victim compensation programs Formula grants to states to support direct victim assistance services Discretionary grants by the Office for Victims of Crime(OVC) to support services to victims of federal crimes and national scope training and technical assistance.

Q:

Is the Crime Victims Fund used for anything else?

A:

Yes, under changes made to VOCA by the USA Patriot Act, OVC can retain up to $50 million in an antiterrorism emergency reserve fund. The emergency reserve fund can be used by OVC to: make supplemental grants to State crime victim compensation and victim assistance programs and non-profits organizations to respond to incidents of domestic terrorism or mass violence make grants to States and other public agencies and non-governmental victim service organizations to assist in response to incidents of international terrorism to fund the International Terrorism Victims Compensation Program. In March of 2002, MOVA received two million dollars in OVC Anti-terrorism funds.

Q:	How much does each state get?
A:	State funding levels are also determined by a formula. Most states receive a base amount of $500,000; American Samoa, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands each receive a base amount of $200,000. The remaining amount allocated for victim assistance grants is then distributed based on population.

Q:

Who administers the program?

A:

At the federal level, the fund is held in the U.S. Treasury and is administered by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in the U.S. Justice Department Office of Justice Programs (OJP). OVC is responsible for overseeing and monitoring programs that receive Crime Victim Fund monies. For the past nineteen years, Massachusetts has received annual federal grants under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to fund compensation and direct services to victims of violent crimes. Compensation is provided by the Victim Compensation and Assistance Division through the Office of the Attorney General. All direct services grants are administered by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA).

Q:	What is the purpose of VOCA?
A:	The purpose of VOCA is to expand and enhance direct services to victims of crime. This includes responding to the immediate needs of crime victims, reducing the severity of psychological consequences of victimization, helping restore a victim’s sense of dignity and self-esteem, and assisting and encouraging victims to participate in the criminal justice system.

Q:

How does MOVA distribute VOCA grants?

A:

VOCA grants are traditionally awarded on a three-year funding cycle. Thus, the open bidding process only occurs every three years. Although presumptively eligible for funding, VOCA recipients are not guaranteed renewal funding each year. VOCA recipients are required to apply for renewal funding each year. Funding levels will be reviewed each year and decisions will be contingent on a program’s submission of a complete and satisfactory application for funding each fiscal year, satisfactory performance, compliance with VOCA regulations and funding availability. All grant awards are made by the Victim and Witness Assistance Board.

Q:	What is the process for applying for a VOCA grant in Massachusetts?
A:	The funds are distributed through a competitive application process to state agencies and community-based nonprofit agencies across the state. Massachusetts VOCA grants were available through an open competive bid for FY2004. The RFR was posted on Comm-PASS. The next open bid process will begin in Winter of 2006 for grants to begin in FY2007.

Q:

Are there priority areas for VOCA awards?

A:

Federal guidelines require states to allocate at least 10% of their VOCA funds to victim populations in each of the following priority areas: child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and a “previously under-served” victim population defined by the discretion of each state. For the current funding cycle (FY01-03), Massachusetts selected Post-conviction victim services, Floater Advocacy Services, Hate/Bias Crime Victim Services, Hospital-based Victim Services, Services for Disabled Victims and Child Advocacy Centers as additional priority categories for the current awards cycle. In practice, each priority area receives considerably more than 10% of the total state VOCA grant. In preparation for the open bid for funding in FY2004, MOVA conducted a needs assessment in the Fall of 2002. The following areas of need were identified as a result of this needs assessment. 1)Advocacy Services for Victims with Multiple Needs: Victim advocate positions within state or community-based agencies to serve victims of crime with multiple needs, including, but not limited to housing, legal services, medical care, translation services, and transportation. 2)Comprehensive Services to Child and Teen Victims: Direct service positions within state or community-based agencies to provide counseling and/or advocacy to children and/or teens who have been victimized. School-based services, treatment and support for victims of teen dating violence, assistance with housing, substance abuse, pregnancy, and other basic and special needs can be considered. 3)Services to Victims with Disabilities: Direct service positions within state or community-based agencies to provide counseling and/or advocacy to victims of crime who experience physical, mental, and/or developmental disabilities. 4)Victims with Limited or No Access to Services: Direct service positions within state or community-based agencies to provide counseling and/or advocacy to victims of crime who have significant barriers to accessing services including, but not limited to, elderly, homeless, male victims, victims of trafficking, and immigrants/refugees. You may read futher findings in our Fall 2002 MOVA Needs Assessment Report.

Q:

What is a typical VOCA award look like in Massachusetts?

A:

In Massachusetts, most subgrants range between $50,000 and $180,000. They fund services to victims of sexual assault, victims of domestic violence, child witnesses to violence, physically and sexually abused children, survivors of homicide victims, refugee victims of crime, victims of extreme and multiple trauma, victims of hate crimes, victims of terrorism and political trauma, and communities which have experienced trauma due to crime. Funded services include crisis intervention, short and long term counseling, support groups, therapy, advocacy, and community crisis response. The subgrants are reviewed annually and are monitored for compliance with performance standards.

Q:	How can I find out more about VOCA grants in Massachusetts?
A:	For more information, please contact Allison Tassie, VOCA Program Manager, at the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, (617) 727-0115.