Financial Help for Crime Victims

Are you a victim of a violent crime looking for financial help?

What is the Victims’ Compensation Program?

The New Hampshire Victims’ Compensation Program provides financial reimbursement to victims and their families for crime-related costs that are not covered by insurance or other resources.

What costs are covered?

Costs directly caused by the crime may be covered in an amount that does not exceed $40,000 per victim. Medical insurance or other available financial sources must be used first. Costs covered by the Victims’ Compensation Program include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision costs
• Mental health counseling (up to $4,000, or 40 visits, whichever comes first)
• Lost wages
• Loss of support for dependents of homicide victims
• Funeral, burial, and grave marker costs for homicide victims (up to the cap of $7,000 for funeral and grave marker and $3,000 for burial costs)
• Relocation expenses (must meet with a crisis center advocate)
• 10 days of temporary emergency funds (must meet with crisis center advocate)
• Replacement of window and door locks
• Installation and one-year of monitoring for security systems (up to the cap of $3,000)

It’s important to note that hospitals and medical providers should never bill anyone directly for a forensic sexual assault examination. The cost for this type of exam should be directly billed to the Victims’ Compensation Program by the health care provider if the victim does not have insurance or opts not to use their insurance.

What costs are not covered?

• Costs not directly connected to the crime
• Property that was damaged or stolen
• Pain and suffering
• Household living expenses
• Costs already paid by another financial resource, such as insurance, donations, court restitution, charitable or free medical care

Who is eligible?

• Any person that sustains physical and/or mental injuries as a result of a felony or misdemeanor crime that occurred in New Hampshire.
• Any person who was injured because another person was driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances (so long as the injured party did not know the driver was impaired)
• Immediate family members of a misdemeanor or felony crime victim
• Any New Hampshire resident who sustains physical and/or mental injuries from a felony or misdemeanor crime that occurred outside the US in a country that does not have a compensation program

The offender does not have to be convicted of a crime for the victim to be eligible for compensation.

Who is not eligible?

• A person whose own actions contributed to the crime
• A person who was injured or killed while committing a crime
• A person involved in a non-crime-related accident (like someone injured when another driver hits their car, or someone who slips and falls on another person’s property)

What crimes are eligible?

Victims of a misdemeanor or felony level crime are eligible for Victim’s Compensation. Examples of such crimes may include:

• Physical Assault, including domestic violence
• Sexual Assault and child sexual abuse
• Human trafficking
• Child and elder abuse
• Injury or death caused by someone driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI)
• Murder or manslaughter
• Robbery with physical injury.

What must I do to be eligible?

You must:

• Report the crime to law enforcement, unless there is a reasonable explanation why you did not
• File the application within 2 years from the date of the crime, unless there is a reasonable explanation why you could not
• Cooperate with the reasonable requests of law enforcement and prosecutors in their investigation and prosecution of the crime
• You must have at least $100.00 in out-of-pocket expenses as a direct result of the crime
• You must not have contributed to the injury or death
• You must not have been assisting in or committing a criminal act that resulted in your injuries

However, victims of sexual assault who report to a local hospital within 5 days of the crime and participate in a forensic sexual assault examination are eligible for victims’ compensation, even if they decide not to report to law enforcement.

How do I apply?

We highly recommend applying for Victims’ Compensation with the help of an Advocate, either from the prosecuting agency or your local domestic violence crisis center if you are the victim of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. To find your local crisis center, click here.

You can also apply on your own online by visiting https://ccvcnh.org/

You can also complete a paper application found at https://www.doj.nh.gov/bureaus/victims-compensation-program

If you choose to submit a paper application, you can email it to , fax it to (800) 735-2964, or mail it to:

New Hampshire Victims’ Compensation Program
Office of the Attorney General
1 Granite Street South Concord, NH 03301

After your application is reviewed, more information or documents may be needed.

For more information on the Victims’ Compensation Program

Website: https://www.doj.nh.gov/bureaus/victims-compensation-program

Call: 603-271-1284

Alternative phone: 1-800-300-4500 (in NH only)

TDD Access: Relay NH 1-800-735-2964