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Step Five: Compensation Expenses

Filing a Claim

OVS recommends applying for victim compensation through their online portal, OVS Compass, The pages or screen you can access and the information that is required depends on the type of claim you are requesting – personal injury, essential personal property, or death. Based on the claim type, here is the information you’ll be required to complete for each individual page that applies to your claim.

REMEMBER: Your claim is not filed until you to print, sign, and upload the authorization page to OVS. If you do not submit this page, your claim will be rejected.

This Guide is being updated to reflect the changes that went into effect 12/31/25.

Need help understanding legal terms? Please see the NY Court Help Glossary.

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Step Five: Compensation Expenses

Step Five: Compensation Expenses

In this section, OVS asks about the types of expenses you are seeking compensation for.

For Death Claims, you will be asked if your expenses are related to :

Counseling for yourself or other victims
Funeral/Burial
Loss of Support
Or other

For Essential Personal Property, you will also be asked for:

Items that were lost or damaged and how much each item costs
If you lost cash, or had money taken from a credit card, gift card, or benefit card

You will also be required to answer the following questions:

Number of dependents
Annual income from all sources
How much you have in savings, stocks and bonds
If you own property, how much that property is worth
Your mortgage or rent payment amount
Total loans

Important to know:

There may be a maximum amount that OVS can give you for compensation. 
The maximum award for a cash loss is $2,500 unless the loss is due to larceny.
The total maximum award for loss of essential personal property is $2,500.

Updated 9/24/26