“Hello, thank you for calling the California Victim Compensation Board. How may I help you?”
Thousands of victims,
victim advocates and providers hear those words every month when they call
Customer Service and that didn’t change during California’s Stay-at-Home order.
In fact, CalVCB’s dedicated staff exceeded expectations since transitioning to
telework in mid-March.
“Recognizing the
important role we play within the Board, we take pride in delivering
information to our victims in a compassionate manner and expeditiously
resolving issues,” said Tisha Heard, the Customer Service Section manager.
Her team is made up of 12 dedicated,
knowledgeable, empathetic and trauma-informed individuals, and serves as the
primary point of contact for those in need. They handled more than 10,400 calls
in May from applicants looking for answers about their applications and
compensation.
The transition to telework didn’t come without challenges but
Heard said they quickly overcame the obstacles and found solutions. Since
transitioning to telework, they’ve increased productivity and people calling
into CalVCB have experienced decreased wait times, a trend Heard is confident
will continue in the coming months
Despite the challenges
of the job, CalVCB’s Customer Service Section regularly recognizes the
accomplishments made by individual team members and takes pride in knowing
they’re able to help victims.
“My team and I get the
opportunity to offer emotional support and program assistance to victims of
crime and their families throughout the State,” said Heard. “It is truly
gratifying knowing that you’ve helped someone begin the healing process as they
try to get back to ‘normal.’ Despite the stress and challenges that come along
with my job, I wouldn’t trade places with anyone. I love my job. In my next
life, I see myself continuing this type of work. It’s in my DNA.”
Some of those applicants
Heard and her team help are victims of older and dependent adult abuse, which
CalVCB observes and raises awareness of in June. From July 1, 2018, through
June 30, 2019, CalVCB approved nearly 220 compensation applications from both
direct and derivative victims. Applicants received more than $200,000 in compensation,
with the majority covering medical ($88,904), dental ($32,031) and
funeral/burial ($29,921) expenses. Compensation is also available for mental
health treatment, income loss, relocation and residential security. Older
Californians who have suffered abuse may apply for compensation at
victims.ca.gov.
