New, Streamlined Application for Individuals Seeking Help from the State with Crime-Related Expenses.

New, Streamlined Application for Individuals Seeking Help from the State with Crime-Related Expenses. The New York State Office of Victim Services (OVS) has revamped its application to eliminate questions, simplify language, and reduce its length to help ensure a more user-friendly process. OVS provides a critical financial safety net for individuals with no other resources to pay for expenses they incurred as a result of being victimized, such as medical and counseling bills, funeral and burial costs, and reimbursement of lost wages, among other financial assistance. The redesigned application provides the information necessary for the Office of Victim Services to assign claims to staff members, who then obtain any additional documents to make decisions as needed, depending on the type of help sought. The application now has five pages instead of nine, and the number of questions has been cut in half to seven from 14. In addition, in December, Governor Hochul signed legislation (S.214A/A.2105A) to expand eligibility to victim compensation funds for victims and survivors of crime. The law removes the requirement that victims provide documentation from law enforcement to be eligible for compensation and applies to crimes occurring on or after Dec. 31, 2025.