Eligibility

Requirements


To be eligible for financial assistance through the Crime Victims' Compensation program, you must:
  • Be a resident of Texas, a resident of another state with the crime occurring in Texas, or a Texas resident who becomes a victim in another state or country without a compensation program
  • File the application within three years of the date of the crime
  • Report the crime to a law enforcement agency within a reasonable period of time but not so late as to interfere with or hamper the investigation and prosecution of the crime

Qualified Individuals


Examples of people who may qualify for the Crime Victims' Compensation program include:
  • An authorized individual acting on behalf of a victim
  • A dependent of a victim
  • Immediate family or household members related by blood or marriage who require counseling as a result of the crime
  • An innocent victim of crime who suffers substantial threat of physical and/or emotional harm or death
  • An intervenor who goes to the aid of a victim or peace officer
  • A peace officer, firefighter, or individual who has a duty to protect the public and is injured in a crime
  • A person who legally assumes the obligations or voluntarily pays certain expenses related to the crime on behalf of the victim

Ineligibility


Benefits may be reduced or denied if the victim:
  • Contributed to the crime
  • Did not cooperate with the appropriate law enforcement agencies
  • Engaged in illegal activity
  • Knowingly or intentionally submitted false or forged information to the Crime Victims’ Compensation program
  • Participated in the crime
  • Was an inmate at the time of the crime