Prosecutor warns steep VOCA cuts could force Cole County to fund victim advocates

The county’s prosecuting attorney told the Cole County Commission on March 24 that allocations from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), distributed through the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services, have been cut sharply and may force local governments to shoulder the cost of victim services.

"The allocation we got for the 2026 fiscal year was $54,169.15," the Prosecuting Attorney said, explaining that salary and fringe costs for the two advocate positions total roughly $143,000 while the office currently budgets about $27,000 in VOCA revenue. He said statewide allocations were cut about 33 percent for the most recent six‑month award and that a further reduction could cut the next 12‑month award nearly in half.

The prosecutor urged the commission to consider absorbing anywhere from one to two advocate positions to avoid service disruptions. "If we were to eliminate advocate positions, it would add a tremendous amount of work on the prosecutors," he said, adding that advocates act as liaisons ensuring victims receive constitutional rights, notifications of court dates and opportunities to be heard at sentencing.

Commissioners and county staff discussed options. One commissioner said the county should "tough it out" and budget for the positions for the remainder of the year; another warned that continuing to pay the positions may create a long‑term budget decision when the 2027 budget is prepared. A county staff member noted several Missouri counties (named in the meeting as Cape Girardeau, Platte and Greene) had absorbed advocate positions or cut them to part time.

The prosecutor cautioned that VOCA grants are specific about allowable duties and that moving an advocate entirely off a VOCA grant could change what that person can lawfully perform under grant rules. He also suggested that repurposing a staff position might mitigate the burden: "If he were to be moved out from under the grant, he could kind of fill a dual role...perform advocate duties as well as some sort of quasi investigator type role," the prosecutor said.

The commission did not take a final vote on absorbing positions at the March 24 meeting; members directed staff to monitor revenue projections and to include the matter in future budget discussions. "From my point of view, the rest of this year we don't have to do anything," a staff member said, noting the expense lines are already in the budget but revenue estimates have been lowered.

Next steps: staff will continue to track VOCA allocations, and the commission will consider funding options during upcoming budget planning for 2027.