About the Program

The Victim / Witness Division places a strong emphasis on compensating a victim for the expenses related to the crime perpetrated upon him / her. Through the Victim's Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP), the financial impact of a crime on a victim and his / her family is greatly diminished because it allows for certain eligible expenses to be covered.

The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office has specially trained advocates to answer questions and to assist a victim in filing a claim. In addition, our Office will provide follow-up assistance with the victim and work with the claims specialist at VCAP.

What Expenses Can Be Covered?

You may be eligible for financial help for various expenses through this program. The eligible expenses covered include:

• Counseling
• Crime scene clean-up
• Funeral expenses
• Loss of earnings
• Loss of support (homicide cases)
• Medical
• Relocations expenses
• Stolen cash benefits (social security, retirement, pension, child or spousal support)

VCAP does not cover the following:

• Pain and suffering
• Property loss
• Vehicle-related injuries, unless inflicted in a DUI crash or when a vehicle is used as a weapon

Filing a VCAP Claim

A VCAP claim can be filed in several different ways:

• You may complete the claim yourself on the Pennsylvania Office of Victim Services' Website.
• You may contact an advocate at a social service agency referred by a District Attorney’s Office Victim / Witness Coordinator or call VCAP directly at 800-233-2339 (in PA) or 717-783-5153 (outside PA).
• You can also have a Victim / Witness Coordinator walk you through the process to assist with the filing of the claim.

Once a claim is submitted, you may check the status of the claim online once you have a claim number and pin.

This program is the payer of last resort. Victims must meet eligibility requirements to apply for the program.

If you should have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office at 570-825-1674.