California Victim Compensation

The compensation program: CalVCB

The California Victim Compensation Board repays victims of violent crime, and their families, for crime related costs that are not covered elsewhere. Eligible costs include medical care, funeral expenses, mental health support and the cleanup of a home or vehicle where the crime happened. The fund is paid for largely by restitution fines and penalties on offenders.

To qualify, the crime must generally have occurred in California and been reported to law enforcement, and the application must reach the board within the program's filing window, which runs in years rather than months but should never be left to the last moment. Family members who paid for cleanup at the victim's residence can apply for that cost. Keep the cleanup company's written quote, the paid invoice and the waste transport paperwork; the board reimburses against documents.

How to apply

1. Ask the victim advocate at the police department or district attorney's office handling the case for the CalVCB application; advocates help with these forms daily.
2. Alternatively, apply through the CalVCB website or by post.
3. Attach proof of the crime report, proof of the cleanup cost, and proof of anything insurance already paid, since the program considers the remainder.
4. Keep copies of everything and note the claim number for follow up.

The registration angle: who may clean legally

California law treats the residue of a death or crime scene as trauma scene waste. Companies that manage it must register with the California Department of Public Health as trauma scene waste management practitioners, and the waste itself must move through authorised transport to approved disposal. That gives California families a check most states do not offer: a legitimate firm can show its registration. It is also why copy anywhere promising you a company is "licensed in all 50 states" should be distrusted; no such licence exists, and California's own system is a registration, specific to this state. Our choosing a company page explains the checks, and California crews in our network are checked against this registration.

Finding a crew in California

California has the deepest crew coverage in our network. The California locations page lists the cities and ZIP codes served, including Los Angeles. For the wider help paying picture, see the victim compensation hub and the insurance coverage page.

Questions families ask us