Indiana's Crime Victim Fund and Crime Scene Cleanup Costs

If a violent crime happened in your home, the cost of making that home liveable again arrives at the worst possible moment. Many Indiana families do not realize there is a state fund that may help.

What the fund is

The Indiana Violent Crime Victim Compensation Fund is administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. It exists to help victims of violent crime with expenses that flow directly from the crime, and it is a payer of last resort, meaning it covers what insurance and other sources do not.

Crime scene cleanup is an eligible expense

For crimes occurring in Indiana on or after 1 July 2022, crime scene cleanup was added as an eligible expense, along with the replacement of windows and door locks damaged during the crime. That matters, because biohazard remediation after a violent incident is not a small bill and it is not something a family should be attempting themselves.

Other categories the fund has historically helped with include medical and counseling costs, lost wages, and funeral expenses.

What you will generally need

• A report of the crime made to law enforcement, and cooperation with the investigation.
• An application filed within the deadline that applies to your case.
• Itemized invoices showing what work was done and what it cost.
• Documentation of anything already paid by insurance or another source.

How we document remediation for a claim

Tell us on the first call that a compensation claim may be involved. We will photograph conditions before work begins, itemize the scope line by line rather than issuing a single lump sum, record the disposal chain for biohazardous waste, and date every invoice. Reviewers ask for exactly this, and assembling it after the fact is much harder than capturing it as we go.

Where to go next

Eligibility rules, deadlines and award limits change, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm current requirements directly with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, and speak to the victim advocate assigned to your case if there is one. They do this daily and their help is free.

If you need the property made safe now, call us on (812) 447-8928. We will get the work under way and make sure the paperwork supports whatever claim you decide to make.