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Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Administrators

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Additional Resources

Match Waiver Process
28 C.F.R. § 94.118 requires subrecipients to “contribute (i.e., match) not less than 20 percent (cash or in-kind) of the total cost of each project." Matching requirements are automatically waived for subrecipients “that are federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native Tribes, or projects that operate on Tribal lands" and for subrecipients “that are territories or possessions of the United States (except for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), or projects that operate therein." 

The VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (VOCA Fix) (Public Law No: 117- 27) amended the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 (codified at 34 U.S.C. § 20101 et seq.).

The VOCA Fix, sec. 3, codified at 34 U.S.C. § 20103(a)(7) and (8), allows State Administering Agencies (SAAs) to waive the VOCA Assistance Program matching requirement, which, for the VOCA Assistance Program, is currently set out in 28 C.F.R. § 94.118. It requires SAAs to establish and make public match waiver policies that describe how to request a match waiver, the eligibility criteria for the waiver, and the decision/notification process; and report waiver approvals to OVC. It also requires that SAAs issue match waivers for subrecipients during a pandemic national emergency, and for one year after it ends.

A September 2021 bulletin (en Español) provides the latest guidance on the match waiver approval process. A template is available for SAAs to use when reporting match waiver approvals made by the SAA to OVC.


Time and Effort Best Practices for VOCA-Funded Personnel
This document serves as a resource for VOCA recipients when documenting salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for grant funded personnel. Where grant recipients work on multiple grant programs or cost activities, documentation must support a reasonable allocation or distribution of costs among specific activities or cost objectives.

The allocation or distribution of costs should be an after-the-fact accounting not based on estimates. Payroll records must reflect actual time spent on the activity or activities. Additionally, records must be certified by the employee and approved by a supervisor with firsthand knowledge of the work performed.


VOCA Victim Compensation Certification
Released in April 2022, the revised VOCA Victim Compensation Certification (VCC Form) and instructions are intended to streamline the certification reporting process and help avoid common errors in the completion of this form.

OVC updated the VCC Form to reflect changes pursuant to the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (VOCA Fix) (Public Law No: 117-27), which amended the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 (codified at 34 U.S.C. § 20101 et seq.). For example, the VCC Form reflects the federal match increase from 60 percent to 75 percent on state compensation payments and recovery costs; and, no longer accounts for the deduction of subrogation and restitution recoveries.
 

National Association of VOCA Victim Assistance Administrators (NAVAA)
NAVAA's mission is to advance education, research, and public service to assure accessible quality services for crime victims nationwide, to strengthen exchange of information and communication among its members and to provide its members with training and technical assistance to effectively respond to the issues and challenges of supporting those services.
 

National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards (NACVCB)
NACVCB shares information and ideas through its network of victim compensation programs. Training and technical assistance activities and other resources focus on fiscal stability, outreach, communication, and advocacy.
 

VOCA-Funded Elder Abuse Programs
In 2016, the new VOCA Formula Victim Assistance Rule clarified and expanded states’ allowable uses of VOCA victim assistance funding. With this clarification, states were able to identify more ways to support all victims, including victims of elder abuse. Access this list of VOCA–funded elder abuse programs and the VOCA offices that funded them.
 

VOCA Administrator Regional Meeting Notes

Date Created: April 18, 2020