The California Victim Compensation Board said Nov. 20 that a condition in the recently accepted Federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) compensation grant disallows attorney payments for attorneys representing undocumented immigrants, prompting the agency to seek a state general‑fund carve‑out and warning of delays in attorney fee payments.

"There is a condition in this grant that disallows attorney payments for, those who are representing undocumented immigrants," Executive Officer Linda Gledhill told the board. She said CalVCB accepted the federal grant in October and is working with the Department of Finance to isolate general‑fund dollars to continue attorney payments while preserving the federal award.

Why it matters: CalVCB said immigration status is not a condition of eligibility and the agency does not ask applicants about immigration. Gledhill said the finance carve‑out is the agency’s way to comply with the grant condition while maintaining access to federal funding, but that the process will take time and will delay payments.

"The solution for CalVCB is to apply, make sure that all attorney payments are not paid for through the federal grant," she said. "So we are currently working with the Department of Finance to carve out general fund dollars that can be used for this purpose."

CalVCB also gave an update on appeals and staffing. Since reinstating in‑person hearings, staff reported the agency offered 694 hearings and 119 people requested a hearing; about 60% of those who requested hearings attended while roughly 40% were no‑shows. Gledhill said the board approved 17 positions in a budget change proposal effective July 1 and the agency has hired five new attorneys and two support staff so far.

"We have about a 40% no‑show failure to appear rate," Gledhill said, and staff are continuing recruitment and regulatory work to streamline appeals processing.

Public comment underscored the impact of the payment pause. Attorney Michael Siegel told the board he stopped receiving notices of attorney fees about three weeks earlier and that his firm’s income had halted; he urged staff to expedite processing for victims and providers and asked to meet with legal staff.

"About 3 weeks ago, I stopped getting mail from the victim program, especially attorney fees and notices of payments for my clients," Siegel said. "I'm particularly, of course, worried about the fact that my income stopped about 3 weeks ago."

Trauma Recovery Centers: Gledhill and staff also reported follow‑up to the July TRC informational meeting. CalVCB extended the application window from 45 to 60 days for the FY26‑27 TRC NOFA, held a webinar that drew more than 70 participants, posted answers to 46 applicant questions, and expects the NOFA to close in December. Staff said they will report results and any recommended policy changes at the January board meeting.

What’s next: CalVCB said it will continue working with the Department of Finance to segregate funds for attorney payments and will update the board when more information is available at future meetings.