U.S. Senate Passes VOCA Fix
NAVAA was elated to share that the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 1652 VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (“VOCA Fix”), on July 20, 2021.
Passage of the VOCA Fix represents a monumental victory for the future of victim services nationally. Sustainable funding to the Crime Victims Fund is critical to ensure that victims of crime are met with high-quality services that are trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and reflective of diverse communities. The VOCA Fix will provide immediate relief to the administration of programming and is critical in building the Fund back up in the future.
Changes to the VOCA statute will provide for increased funding and flexibility in the management of VOCA awards, including:
- directing federal criminal settlements from non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreements, currently deposited into the General Treasury, into the Fund.
- increasing the percentage that state compensation programs may be reimbursed from 60 percent to 75 percent;
- providing the U.S. Attorney General the ability to issue no cost extensions on VOCA awards;
- giving states the ability to waive the local match for VOCA assistance grants for the duration of the pandemic; and,
- providing additional flexibility for compensation programs to provide support for victims even if they do not interact with law enforcement prior to requesting assistance.
- removing the restitution recovery penalty from annual state compensation certification forms.
Thank you to all of your advocacy efforts over the last 18 months to support the VOCA Fix and our efforts to move this across the finish line. We are grateful for your partnership and critical work to support victims and survivors.