Crime Victim Assistance Program

To be eligible for this program, you must be:

• A victim of a violent crime committed in British Columbia.
• A family member of a victim of violent crime committed in British Columbia
• A witness to a violent crime committed in British Columbia.

Benefits for victims of crime include:

• Medical and dental services.
• Prescription drug expenses.
• Counselling.
• Protective measures.
• Replacement of damaged or destroyed eyeglasses, clothing and disability aids.
• Childcare and homemaker services.
• Disability aids and related disability expenses or services.
• Support for a child born because of a crime.
• Vocational services.
• Income support or lost earning capacity.
• Transportation and related expenses.
• Crime scene cleaning.

Benefits for immediate family members include:

• Counselling
• Prescription drugs
• Transportation
• Crime scene cleaning
• Travel costs for the family of a deceased victim

In cases involving fatalities, benefits also include:

• Funeral expenses
• Bereavement leave
• Travel to justice-related proceedings
• Other benefits to support spouses, children and financially dependent family members

Benefits for witnesses include:

• Counselling
• Prescription drugs
• Transportation to attend counselling
• Crime scene cleaning

The program cannot cover the following types of losses:

• Compensation for pain and suffering
• Property-related offences, including stolen or lost items or money
• Injury or loss from motor vehicle accidents
• Injury or loss from work-related incidents covered by workers’ compensation

Social Insurance Number

The Crime Victim Assistance Program includes several applications forms that need to be completed depending on if the crime occurred before or after January 1, 2024.

To submit an electronic application by email

1. Download the electronic application form on a computer.
2. Save the electronic application form to your computer.

Instructions for providing a digital signature

1. Save the application form to your computer.
2. Close the browser.
3. Open the saved application form using the free Adobe Reader program.
4. Complete all sections of the application form, unless otherwise indicated.
5. Complete section 7 and section 8 (section 9 is optional) providing your signature through Adobe Acrobat’s “Fill and Sign” feature.

Note: Only a drawn signature or an uploaded image of an original signature are accepted. Typed signatures cannot be accepted. Typing a name in the signature field produces a generic cursive signature that is often not accepted by third parties (e.g., doctors, hospitals, employers, Service Canada). To draw a signature, open the application form in Adobe Reader or Acrobat and go to the “All tools” menu. Select “Fill and Sign” and “Add signature”. When the signature field opens, select the “Draw” option at the top of the field and draw the signature, or select the “Image” option to upload an image of an original signature. Once the signature is drawn or uploaded, select apply and place the signature in the appropriate fields. If Fill & Sign is used to provide a signature, no further changes can be made to the form once it is saved.

To apply by mail:

1. Print out the appropriate printable form.
2. Follow the instructions on the form to complete and mail it to the Crime Victim Assistance Program.
3. Mail the original application and any attachments to: Crime Victim Assistance Program PO Box 5550, Stn Terminal Vancouver, BC V6B 1H1.
4. If you need help, contact the Crime Victim Assistance Program at 604-660-3888 or toll-free in B.C. at 1-866-660-3888.

In most cases, the application must be received within one year from the date the crime took place. You do not have to wait for charges to be laid or for the offender to be convicted before applying for benefits.

Extensions to the one-year time limit are made in the following situations:

• The applicant is under 19. In this case, the victim has until they turn 20 to apply. Minors can apply on their own or a parent or guardian can apply on their behalf.
• The crime is a sexual offence that occurred after July 1, 1972. In this case, the victim (including minors) can apply at any time. The victim’s immediate family members must apply within one year of the date the crime took place or when the crime became known to them.
• The program provides an extension because the applicant could not, for a variety of reasons, reasonably have been expected to complete an application within one year.