The Office of Victims of Crime at the Department of Justice implements programs authorized by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and uses funds from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to provide grants. State and local organizations serving survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, and other crimes use these funds to provide counseling, case management, crisis hotlines, emergency shelters, and community-based direct service programs. 

The Crime Victims Fund is non-taxpayer sourced and is supported by monetary penalties associated with federal criminal convictions and deferred and non-prosecution agreements. The account has declined over the past several years and remains unstable, unable to fully fund critical and much needed services. This proposed legislation adds a source of funding by redirecting unobligated funds collected through the False Claims Act to the Crime Victims Fund through FY 2029, while maintaining critical protection and compensation for whistleblowers.  

The False Claims Act provides that those guilty of knowingly and falsely claiming money from the U.S. or knowingly failing to pay money to the U.S. are liable for three times the government’s damages plus a penalty. In FY 2023, the Department of Justice’s prosecution settlements and judgments exceeded $2.68 billion. For example, the False Claims Act is used to recover funds from those in health care who falsely bill Medicare or Medicaid, fraud in pandemic relief programs, or companies that violate federal government contracts. 

The Crime Victims Fund was created in 1984 to provide grants to state and local programs that assist victims of crime. These funds are the most essential and flexible source of funding for crime victim services across the nation. The proposed bipartisan legislation will allow federal financial penalties from the False Claims Act to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and used to serve victims of crime. These programs need a steady and consistent stream of funding. Without such funding, potentially hundreds of thousands of victims nationwide will lose access to lifesaving and life-sustaining child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and other victim services. Without access to these critical services, the real-time impact will not only be felt by individuals and families, but also in communities nationwide.