Provider Update: Mental health Services for Victims of Violent Crime

Mental Health Services Play Vital Role in Benefits Available from California Victim Compensation Program

Crime often strikes without warning. An unexpected death by violence, a shooting, a sexual assault, child molestation or domestic violence complicates the healing process for victims, survivors and family members. Crime can leave families emotionally, physically and financially devastated.
Provider Update: Mental Health Services for Victims of Violent Crime

The California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board helps crime victims and their loved ones to access resources to cope with the aftermath of violent crime. Every year, thousands of people turn to the Victim Compensation Program for help with paying the cost of mental health treatment.

The Victim Compensation Program provides reimbursement for services provided by licensed mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists and others.

Working With the Program

If you are a mental health practitioner providing services to a victim of violent crime, you may want to consider referring your client to an advocate at your local victim assistance center for help with the program’s application process. In most counties victim advocates are part of the District Attorney’s office. Advocates can connect crime victims with a host of other services in addition to compensation. Applications are available at www.boc.ca.gov/victims/default.aspx.

If you are working with a client who has already applied for compensation from the program, it is easy to submit bills. The following will help providers in getting their bills paid efficiently:

• Include your client’s application number on each bill. If your client does not know their application number, they can call 1-800-777-9229, or their local victim advocate, for help.
  
• With the first bill submitted to the program, it helps to include verification of your licensure and a completed IRS Form W-9.
  
• All bills must be submitted on HFCA (CMS 1500) forms. Required information includes treatment diagnostic codes, your license number and your federal tax identification number.

Recent program enhancements have made it more convenient for practitioners to work with the program. Therapists continue to be required to complete a treatment plan by the end of the fifth session. In most cases practitioners are no longer required to submit the treatment plan. The practitioner must maintain the treatment plan with the client’s records.

Most eligible clients can access up to 30 or 40 sessions initially, depending on the type of crime and their relationship to the victim. Practitioners may submit an additional treatment plan to request approval for additional sessions. For more information on rates, forms, session limits, claim limits and procedures for requesting authorization for additional treatment.

Request a Presentation

To request a presentation on the program for your professional association or other group, submit the online Provider Information Forum Registration form available on the Victim Compensation Program website, www.victimcompensation.ca.gov/victims/default.aspx. The program has a consulting Psychologist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker on staff who work to assist providers who provide services to victims of crime.

Not all crime victims qualify for compensation. For example, the program cannot cover an applicant’s expenses if they are on felony probation, on parole, in jail or in prison. Applicants also must cooperate with law enforcement and with the program.

California has been a leader in providing service to victims of violent crime for over 40 years. It was the first state to establish a Victim Compensation Program in 1965. The program has since paid nearly $1.8 billion to help victims of crime. During the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the program paid out $19 million to cover mental health treatment for crime victims.

In addition to mental health treatment costs, the program can also pay for services such as medical and dental care, funeral and burial, rehabilitation, income and support loss, and relocation.

The program is not funded by taxpayer dollars. Instead, it is funded by fines, fees and penalties paid by state and federal criminal offenders.

The California Victim Compensation Program invites you to share all of this information with your colleagues. The more practitioners who are aware of the program, the more victims will be able to find quality mental health services.

For more information, visit www.boc.ca.gov/victims/default.aspx or contact Robin Foemmel Bie, LCSW, at (916) 491-3759 or by e-mail at Robin.FoemmelBie@vcgcb.ca.gov.