Restorative Action Alliance is a member of the Fair Access to Victim Compensation Coalition

The Fair Access To Victim Compensation Campaign is a New York state-wide campaign, led by several local New York-based groups and national organizations who are fighting for expanded and equitable access to victim compensation funds. Currently in New York State, survivors of violence are subject to onerous law enforcement reporting requirements when filing for victim compensation funds, and barred from access if they allegedly contributed to the crime in question or failed to show physical injury associated with their harm. This denies resources to countless survivors that could be used to pay for medical bills, funeral expenses, replacement of personal property, relocation expenses, and other costs associated with the harm they experienced.

Restorative Action Alliance supports the goal of the Campaign to raise awareness about the victim compensation program and propose several legislative bills to eliminate any barriers to access that survivors face. The first bill of the campaign removes the requirement that survivors report their harm to police in order to be eligible for victim compensation by expanding the forms of evidence that could be used to show that a survivor suffered harm. On May 18th NYS Legislature listened to survivors and survivor advocates and passed the FAVC Act. on December 8, 2024, Governor Hochul officially signed the FAVC Act into law. The resounding impact of our collective voices was undeniable, and Governor Hochul's office has issued a press statement confirming the bill's signing.