If you are a victim of crime, you may have many costs related to the crime and your recovery. This can include medical and mental health care costs, lost income, and repairing or replacing damaged or lost property. Crime victim compensation may be able to help you with these financial matters.

Anyone can apply for victim compensation, but if you need help, do not hesitate to contact a crime victim advocate or a civil legal organization funded by NYS Office of Victim Services (OVS).

For more information, please go to the OVS website. 

Crime victim compensation is a government program that pays back victims and their families for expenses that resulted from being a victim of crime. It’s important to know:

• Not all crime victims are eligible for victim compensation.
• OVS is the "payer of last resort." This means that OVS only pays compensation after all other resources, such as insurance or worker’s compensation, are exhausted. 
• Victims of crime in NYS can apply for compensation through the NYS Office of Victim Services' Online Portal or by completing a written claims application.

What is the Victim Compensation Online Application Guide?

This guide was created by the NY Crime Victims Legal Network to help both crime victims and advocates using the NYS Office of Victim Services' Portal to complete and submit victim compensation claims online.

The online application may be challenging for anyone new to the process. Our goal is:

• To direct you to resources that can help you with the application process,
• Let you know what information you may need to complete the application, and
• Offer tips to help you submit the application successfully.

How do I use the Victim Compensation Online Claim Application Guide?

This guide can be reviewed before using the online portal or used while completing the online application. You can print out pages of this guide to help you with the online claims process.

Update 1/29/24