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Abstract
Crime victim compensation (CVC) is intended to reimburse victims of violent crime for expenses such as medical bills and lost wages incurred from their victimization. Today, all 50 states operate CVC programs, overseeing the allocation of state and federal funds. CVC has the potential to significantly support violent crime victims during their recovery, but research has shown that few people successfully access CVC. Hospitals are often the first and only access portal violent crime victims have within the healthcare system. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are uniquely positioned to support patients’ comprehensive injury recovery and assist them access social benefits, like CVC. Conducting a mixed-methods study, I quantitatively described the extent of CVC underutilization in Illinois, comparing number of CVC claims to total reported incidents of violent crime, showing low application rates and high denial rates particularly for victims of assault, sexual assault and domestic violence. Circulating a survey to HVIPs nationwide and conducting qualitative interviews with HVIP workers, it became clear that they are often the most likely members of the trauma care team to assist patients with the CVC application process. Complicated application requirements, and stringent eligibility criteria were identified by HVIP workers as significant barriers for their patients trying to access CVC. While impactful when efficiently awarded, HVIP workers often describe how CVC is currently inadequate at substantively addressing their patient’s recovery needs. Informed by HVIP workers’ insights, this study offers several policy recommendations to transform CVC into a reparative policy tool to aid violence recovery.