Jennifer Rocco, Deputy Executive Officer who oversees the Victim Compensation Division at the California Victim Compensation Board, on the advocate-portal webinar said the board is "committed to continuing" improvements after advocates reported challenges with the transition from CARES access to the portal.

The session explained how advocates can search for applications, manage users, view new letter templates and training videos, and submit questions via the portal feedback button. Rocco said staff will prioritize enhancements identified in the session and hold additional webinars to demonstrate changes.

The webinar emphasized three search methods in the portal: by applicant (first and last name plus DOB and either username or email), by application ID or temporary ID (for in-progress applications), and by office or advocate (including an unassigned-applications option). CalVCB staff demonstrated that an application in-process shows a temporary ID until it is fully submitted and an application ID is generated seconds later. Rachel, a CalVCB staff member, described the search as "tight" for victim security and explained that results show claimant name, date of crime, type of crime, advocate assignment, representative and account username and email.

Staff demonstrated the user-administration page for administrators. Peter, a CalVCB staff member, said admins may reset passwords, add or deactivate users, grant or revoke admin rights and view PINs and last-login dates. The short user-administration video and other help documents appear on the portal's resource tab, Rocco said, and the board added letter templates requested by advocates.

The board also answered frequently asked questions from the chat. Staff confirmed application data in CalVCB Online is accessible for submissions dated on or after Jan. 1, 2013. They said advocates may upload documents to claims and that advocates who represent claimants can see application status and numbers once a case is filed. For confidentiality reasons and because CARES stores mailed letters, advocates cannot view the exact mailed correspondence in the portal; the claimant may share letters or an advocate may call CalVCB customer service to review letters together.

On eligibility and benefits, Rocco said undocumented individuals may apply and that benefits remain available over time: "Our benefits are a life long benefit," she said, when asked about continuing mental-health reimbursements for claims approved in 2013 if funds remain on the claim and treatment is crime-related. Staff also confirmed that CalVCB does not reimburse property damage such as replaced personal items.

Several operational items are under active review for a future release. Rocco outlined four priorities: allow non-administrator users to assign and unassign applications, fix a nonfunctional "close" button that advocates reported, improve visibility when entering derivative applications (for example, parent/child relationships), and evaluate aligning the online portal more closely with the paper/PDF application format. She said any changes will be communicated and accompanied by training webinars.

Staff addressed process questions about minors, foster youth and representatives. If the victim is a minor, the portal requires an adult authorized to file on the minor's behalf; a parent does not have to be a claimant but someone must be authorized to sign. For children in foster care, the social worker is the applicant; foster parents can be derivatives but cannot file as the primary applicant. Staff said unaccompanied or emancipated minors are handled case by case and advised advocates to contact customer service for documentation requirements.

On account setup, advocates were told to coordinate with their organization's administrator or submit the required information by email to CalVCB for organizational access; there is no separate streamlined process for tribal organizations beyond the standard procedure. Staff said administrators are responsible for keeping office users current and periodically reviewing user roles.

The webinar closed with staff promising follow-up on parking-lot items and additional support materials. Rocco encouraged advocates without portal accounts to request access and those with accounts to explore the new resources and provide feedback through the portal.

","sections":{"lede":"Jennifer Rocco, Deputy Executive Officer who oversees the Victim Compensation Division at the California Victim Compensation Board, on the advocate-portal webinar said the board is \"committed to continuing\" improvements after advocates reported challenges with the transition from CARES access to the portal.","nut_graf":"The board demonstrated search and administration features, unveiled new letter templates and training videos, answered user questions about minors and foster-youth filings, and listed candidate portal improvements including broader assignment permissions and a fix for a nonfunctional close button.","ending":"Rocco said CalVCB will communicate next steps and hold additional webinars; advocates were directed to the resources tab and the portal feedback button for further questions and suggestions."},"topic_primary":"advocate_portal","topics":[{