Michigan’s Crime Victim Compensation program is now more widely available to crime victims and their family members.
The maximum award limit has been increased from $25,000 to $45,000 and has expanded to allow more people impacted by crime to be eligible.
The program offered support for medical expenses, counseling, lost wages, and replacement services. The expansion will now offer support for residential security, bereavement, and relocation-related expenses.
The expansions were signed last year by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and broadened eligibility requirements for the program. The changes went into effect on Saturday, Aug. 12.
“These expansions reduce barriers and create greater accessibility to financial benefits for victims and their loved ones,” said Robin Hornbuckle, chair of the Michigan Crime Victim Services Commission. “We look forward to connecting more crime victims with financial assistance and thank our state lawmakers for enacting the changes necessary to make these benefits more broadly available.”
Who qualifies for compensation?
A person who was physically, emotionally, psychologically or mentally injured as the direct result of a crime in Michigan. This includes a sexual assault victim, a person injured while trying to help a crime victim, eligible individuals with out-of-pocket expenses as a direct result of a crime, and a Michigan resident injured in another state that doesn‘t pay compensation for a non-resident.
More answers for advocates and victim service agencies are available online.