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Victims and advocates press CalVCB on delayed claims, attorney fees and data access
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the Jan. 15 CalVCB meeting urged faster claim processing, immediate attorney‑fee payments, and better data access; an attorney said fee payments remained stalled and family members described years-long struggles and repayment demands.
Multiple victims and advocates used the board’s public‑comment period to press CalVCB for more timely claim processing, clearer communications and faster attorney‑fee payments.
Melissa Corona spoke on behalf of the Martinez family for claimant Johnny Martinez, who was paralyzed in a Sept. 8, 2023 shooting. Corona said the family filed an application in Nov. 2023, received an approval letter, and then received no follow‑up: "All we know is that it's, quote, unquote, pending review, and that's all we've been told," she said, asking the board who the family could contact for accountability.
Attorney Michael Siegel said he appeared two months earlier to raise the attorney‑fee cutoff and that the situation has worsened: "Still no money. It's worse than ever... I shouldn't expect to see any payments until February, maybe," he told the board, describing confusion about budget line items and the separate general‑fund and federal trust fund accounts he sees on budget documents.
Frances and Jose Rodriguez described long delays and administrative obstacles dating to 2013. Frances Rodriguez urged placement on a future agenda to document systemic process failures and requested that a portion of future allocations address administrative error repayments. Jose Rodriguez said he has been repeatedly told he must repay funds and that the process has felt like “stalling” for more than a decade.
Janelle Malone of the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers asked the board to reconsider staff concerns about a work group and requested a collaborative "good faith partnership" to discuss program improvements; she also said the Alliance purchased TRC performance data on a flash drive in October and still had not received it.
Board members acknowledged the hardships and asked staff to follow up directly with the Martinez and other families to clarify claim status and payment timelines.
What happens next: staff committed to follow up with the Martinez family on claim status and to continue work on attorney‑fee payment mechanisms with Finance and the Controller’s Office. Malone and other advocates were told staff would attempt to expedite the requested data delivery.
