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Crime victim services director outlines compensation, restitution and looming federal grant cuts
Summary
The Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services briefed the Judiciary Committee on direct assistance programs for victims — including a $10,000 cap for compensation and a $5,000 restitution advance — and warned that special fund and federal VOCA grant revenues are declining.
Jennifer Pullman, executive director of the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, told the Judiciary Committee Friday that the center administers victim compensation, restitution and a grants program for victim services and that several of the center’s funding streams are under pressure.
Pullman described the victim compensation program as providing up to $10,000 of support upon a finding of probable cause; the program can reimburse or directly pay for medical care, mental-health counseling, emergency housing and other crime‑related costs. She described the restitution program as providing up to $5,000 to satisfy a court restitution judgment on behalf of a victim while the state seeks repayment from the responsible person.
Why it matters: These programs are direct financial supports for victims and survivors. Changes to fund levels or eligibility affect individuals’ immediate safety and ability to access medical, housing and counseling services after a crime.
Key details
- Victim compensation: Pullman said the program can provide up to $10,000 to qualifying victims upon a finding of probable cause; the program can reimburse victims or pay vendors directly and is not dependent on conviction.
- Restitution program: The center’s restitution unit can provide up to $5,000 toward a victim’s restitution judgment and then pursue repayment from the person ordered to pay. Pullman said the program’s collection rate is about 48% and that the program no longer relies on incarceration for nonpayment.
- Funding pressures: Pullman said the center receives only about $100,000 in general‑fund support; most funding comes from special funds (fees and fines tied to tickets and convictions) and federal grants. She warned federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding is forecast to decline (her office cited a forecasted 40% decrease) and that several federal grants received during the pandemic/ARPA period are ending.
- Program innovations: The center has worked with private partners to arrange hotel payments for survivors who cannot present a credit card or must conceal their identity for safety reasons; Pullman cited a partnership with a vendor that allows direct payment without requiring survivors to provide a card or full name.
Committee response and next steps
Committee members flagged the importance of the center’s work and asked about sustainability. Pullman said she would return for a deeper budget discussion; the center planned a more detailed hearing on victim issues and funding on February 4.
Ending
Pullman said the center will make more detailed budget and program information available to the committee in a scheduled follow‑up and emphasized that the compensation and restitution programs are intended to make victims whole without requiring a conviction.
