California Victim Compensation Board: victim restitution: eligibility for compensation.

Existing law authorizes, under certain conditions, the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for specified losses suffered as a result of being a victim of those crimes. Existing law sets forth eligibility requirements and limits on the amount of compensation the board may award, and requires the application for compensation to be verified under penalty of perjury. Existing law requires an application to be denied if the board finds that the victim or derivative victim failed to cooperate reasonably with a law enforcement agency in the apprehension and conviction of a criminal committing the crime, as specified. This bill would prohibit an application for a claim from being denied solely because a police report was not made by the victim or derivative victim, nor because the victim or derivative victim has not notified law enforcement of the crime. The bill would require the board to adopt guidelines that allow the board to consider and approve applications for assistance relying upon evidence other than a police report to establish that a qualifying crime has occurred, as specified. By expanding the number of people who may be eligible for compensation from the Restitution Fund, this bill would make an appropriation.