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Klamath County DA authorized to apply for VOCA funds amid dispute over new DOJ language
Summary
The Klamath County Board of Commissioners approved the district attorney’s office applying for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant funding for 2025–26 even as Oregon and other states challenge new Department of Justice application language the state says conflicts with Oregon law.
The Klamath County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 2 to authorize the district attorney’s office to apply for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding for fiscal 2025–26 and to let the county finance director sign the certificate of non‑supplanting.
The application move comes amid uncertainty after the U.S. Department of Justice added immigration‑related language to the VOCA application that the state of Oregon is challenging in court. Lena Johnson, of the district attorney’s office, told commissioners that Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed suit Aug. 18 with about 20 other states seeking to reverse the new requirement.
The action matters because VOCA grants are a central federal funding source for direct services to crime victims. Johnson described services that her office and partners provide — including medical expense help, counseling and crime‑scene cleanup reimbursement — and said the county has relied on VOCA funding for decades. “This money has already been approved by Congress. It is sitting there until the requirements have been, hopefully we reverse those requirements,” Johnson said.
Johnson told the board that the county’s victim services program provided more than 24,000 services last year to 9,384 distinct victims. She said the office expects losing VOCA funds would reduce staffing and that three victim‑services positions are at risk; one victim advocate position was left open, she said. She also said the office is carrying roughly $50,000 in VOCA grant reimbursement for the current award.
Commissioners approved the motion without further discussion. The motion authorizes the DA’s office to apply for VOCA funding for 2025–26 and authorizes Finance Director Vicky Noll to sign the certificate of non‑supplanting. The board recorded the vote as unanimous.
How the federal rule change will affect Klamath County’s awarded funds remains unclear. Johnson said the Department of Justice asked applicants to complete the application process “without a budget at this time,” and that county finance staff are working to manage any gaps until litigation or federal action resolves the dispute.
The board’s approval allows the county to remain eligible for VOCA funds while broader legal and policy questions are decided.
