Victims Compensation – Learn More

Victims Compensation eases the financial burden faced by victims of violent crimes by covering expenses related to medical bills, funeral expenses, mental health counseling and crime scene sanitization, as well as loss of income or support. In the state of Georgia, victims can apply to the Crime Victims Compensation (Victims Comp) program, which is a program of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Apply for Victims Compensation

  1. Find out if you are Eligible
    • Citizenship is not a program requirement for applying. However, there are eligibility and other requirements to qualify to apply for victims compensation. The CJCC Victim Comp website is the best resource to find out more and take a short quiz to help determine if you qualify.
  2. Learn what Victims Compensation Covers
    • Once you determine if you qualify, learn what Victims Compensation covers and what it does not cover. For example, expenses related to suicide or property crimes only are not covered. This information is available on the CJCC Victim Comp website – Our Programs.
  3. Apply
    • Follow the first two steps to expedite the processing of your claim:
      • Click here to download the application.
    • Gather and prepare to submit your Complete Application Packet. A Complete Application Packet includes:
      • A completed application with legible signatures where required.
      • A copy of the police/incident report from the proper investigative agency that lists the victim or witness’ name and a summary of the incident.
      • PLEASE NOTE: A statement verifying serious mental or emotional trauma for SMET (Serious Mental & Emotional Trauma) claims, must be completed by a licensed mental health professional (click for the form).
      • Mail a Complete Application Packet to Georgia Crime Victims Compensation at:
        • 104 Marietta Street NW, Suite 440 Atlanta, GA 30303.
      • Additional requirements and information can be found on the program application.
      • You can also apply online on the Georgia Victims Compensation Portal by first registering for access to apply at the victims comp online portal (approval can take up to 5-7 business days).

How the Application Review Process works

Download the graphic to see the steps and statuses for a submitted application, and the maximum number of days an application is in each status. If you have questions about the status of your application or the review process, please call 800.547.0060.

IMPORTANT: Approval for filed claims, processing times for application and exact compensation amount is on case by case basis. Please make sure you read and understand the reporting guidelines and filing requirements via the Georgia Victims Compensation website. For Appeals information click here.

DISCLAIMERS: 

This page was produced by Raksha, Inc under grant number 15POVC-24-GK-02976-NONF, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, & U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this page are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Content & Translation: The content on this page is provided on the Raksha website with the sole purpose of enhancing public access to information and basic awareness on Victims Compensation for our communities. The translations of any materials/information into languages other than English are not legally binding and are intended solely as a convenience to individuals who may have limited proficiency in reading or understanding English. Any translations provided on the Raksha website are to be viewed as an approximation of the original content. Raksha does not bear responsibility for the accuracy of translations provided by third party translation providers such as Google Translate or the language translation plug-in installed on our website or with the help of multilingual volunteers or native speakers of the language within our team. Due to the inherent complexities or nuances in translating from English to a foreign language, certain words may lose their full intended meaning or significance when translated from the original language to another. Hence, all text may not be translated correctly or with guaranteed accuracy. Some files and other items cannot be translated, including but not limited to, video content, graphical buttons, drop down menus, graphics, and photos. Additionally, some applications and/or services may not work as expected when translated and some portions of the page content may not be translated at all. In cases where we are not certain of the literal translation for a particular word, we may: (i) use the best match that comes closest to conveying the information needed to go out; or (ii) use the original English word written in the script of the language we are translating to. While we strive to provide the most current information, we cannot bear responsibility for maintaining status on updates or time relevance of the source materials, information or links to the official resources we source from. The content on victims compensation on the Raksha website has been sourced from the official website for the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program or related official sources. References identifying the original document in English will be made available in most non-English documents. If there are any concerns regarding the accuracy of the information presented within the translated versions of our site, please refer back to the official source website or English-language pages on our website. To access the current information and updates, please visit: www.crimevictimscomp.ga.gov/our-programs/victims-compensation.

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