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Financial Impact
If you have been a victim of crime in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's Victims Compensation Assistance Program may be able to help by paying you back for money you had to pay or lost because of a crime. Compensation may be paid to you or others for medical expenses, counseling, lost work earnings, loss of support, funeral expenses, travel costs, childcare, stolen cash, relocation, the costs to cleanup a crime-scene and other expenses.
To receive compensation,you have to:
- Be a victim of a crime that happened in Pennsylvania.
- Report the crime or file a Protection from Abuse Order (PFA) within three days.
- Cooperate with the police, courts and the Victims Compensation Assistance Program.
- File the claim within two years of the crime.
- Not be involved in illegal activity that caused the crime to happen.
- Lose at least $100 because of the crime (if you are less than 60 years old).
There are exceptions to the above requirements (especially if the victim is younger than 18 years old)
This program will not reimburse you for:
- Pain and suffering.
- Stolen or damaged property (except some medical things).
REMEMBER, you or a family member may receive compensation even if you don’t meet all of the above requirements. To see if you may be eligible or for help in filing a claim, please contact the Victims Compensation Assistance Program at (800) 233-2339. The best way to file a claim is with the help of a victim advocate at one of the places on this PA Victim Service Program map. You can also file a claim by yourself on the Internet. Just go to the PA Crime Victims website and click on “Financial Help.” Restitution
If you wish to check the status of the offender’s payment of costs, fines, and restitution on your case, you may be able to access this information via the public docketing information available through the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC). This task requires the use of a computer with access to the internet.
- Under the “e-services” tab at the top left of the page, select “Public Web Docket Sheets” from the drop-down menu, then “Court of Common Pleas” from the options provided.
- The next screen will allow you to enter the docket number, for example (CP-09-CR-000----2003) for your case in five fields. The first field allows you to choose between “CP” and “MC”; select “CP.”
- In the next field, enter the number 09. The third field allows you to choose between a number of options (CR, DP, JV, MD, SA, and SU); select “CR.”
- In the fourth field, enter your case number 000????. In the final field, enter the year of your case. Once the docket number is entered, use your mouse to click on the “search” button.
- Your case number will then appear in a selection beneath the docketing selection. Roll your mouse over the Print Preview icon to display the available case reports, then select “Docket Sheet.”
- You can also click on participant from the drop down menu. Enter the name of the offender. Then enter “criminal court” in the next menu. You can also fill in the county in which the crime was committed.
- A docket sheet will open in another window. At the bottom center of the window is a field indicating the page number, i.e., “1 of 13.” Use the mouse to advance to the last page, on which you should find details of all costs, fines, and restitution transactions, including the date and amount of all payments made to date.
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