Press Release
For Immediate Release: September 26, 2018
Contact: Janice Mackey, (916) 491-3821
janice.mackey@victims.ca.gov
@helpingvictims

Help is Available for Counseling, Income Loss and More; Application Deadline Approaches

Sacramento, CA — The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) is alerting victims and their families impacted by the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas that help and resources are still available.

Anyone in attendance at the concert, as well as immediate family members may apply. CalVCB can help with medical bills, counseling, lost wages, funeral and burial expenses, medical costs and more.

Victims and their families are encouraged to apply to both the California and the Nevada victim compensation programs to maximize the benefits available in each state. Applicants should be aware that Nevada’s deadline to apply is October 1, 2018 and California’s deadline is October 1, 2020.

The application is available at https://victims.ca.gov/for-victims/victims-of-mass-events/.

“We know that victims of mass violence can still be affected by the trauma of the crime many years later. Anniversary dates play a role and can be triggers for some survivors,” said CalVCB Executive Officer Julie Nauman. “We want all victims and their families to know that help and resources are available should the need arise today or months later.”

Survivors and family members can apply now, regardless of whether or not an expense has been incurred. Having an application on record within the filing deadlines allows for resources such as counseling and income loss to be available many years down the road.

For those who would like assistance in applying, or want to know more about resources available, contact your local victim advocate or dial 1-800-777-9229.

There were approximately 24,000 ticket holders at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 1, 2017 with 65 percent of them from California. Thirty-five of the 58 deceased were from California.To date, CalVCB has received nearly 3,000 applications and paid out over $3.4 million in benefits for mental health treatment, income loss, burial costs and other crime-related expenses.

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The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) provides compensation for victims of violent crime who are injured or threatened with injury. Among the crimes covered are domestic violence, child abuse, sexual and physical assault, homicide, robbery, and vehicular manslaughter. Last fiscal year, the program processed over 54,000 applications and provided over $57 million in compensation to crime victims.

If a person meets eligibility criteria, CalVCB will compensate many types of services when the costs are not covered by other sources. Eligible expenses include medical and dental care, mental health services, income loss, funeral expenses, rehabilitation and relocation. Funding for CalVCB comes from restitution fines and orders, penalty assessments levied on persons convicted of crimes, traffic offenses and federal funds.