Working Toward Healing

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

Last month, CalVCP received a letter announcing it was the recipient of a donation of nearly sixteen thousand dollars from two California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) work programs and was to be honored at a ceremony at the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton. While thrilled by the donation, I hesitated at first on the decision to attend the presentation at a correctional facility out of respect for victims and their families. However, as I learned more about the program, I felt compelled to participate and meet the young men who chose CalVCP as the beneficiary of this donation.

For those not familiar, CALPIA is an inmate work program that provides productive job opportunities for inmates in California correctional institutions. Its primary function is to rehabilitate inmates and facilitate their successful reentry into society. Many times they partner with outside private firms, in this case Free Venture Program (FVP), to learn computer repair, welding and other trade skills. And while this work may help inmates with their own healing process, it is also mandated by law that twenty percent of their earned wage be donated to victim service organizations. As they get paid, these offenders are reminded they owe a debt to their victims, and to society as a whole, for the criminal choices they made.

The youth offenders who donated this money are serving time for crimes like sexual assault and other serious felony convictions. While getting intense treatment, all are learning new skills to help them adjust to the outside world as well as a new way of thinking about their crimes and the impact they have had on their victims.

The money from CALPIA’s donation was raised by youth offenders at two California Division of Juvenile Justice facilities who participated with FVP. This unique program allows incarcerated juvenile offenders to work for private sector companies from within correctional facilities and earn a wage comparable to what they would make outside the facility for the same job. Those participating in the program pay taxes, room and board, and family support.

At the donation presentation ceremony, I listened to these young offenders talk about the pride they take in their work and the joy they find by being able to earn a paycheck, pay for child support and meet their obligation to pay restitution. Some got up and talked about a fresh start for themselves and their families. Others discussed how helping the people they hurt the most—the innocent victims, is the best part of the program. I realized—they were working to heal as well.

While this contribution came from an unlikely source, I was more than pleased to accept it on behalf of the crime victims of California. The money will go directly toward helping victims heal, by reimbursing them for crime-related costs such as mental health treatments and funeral bills. These youth offenders are now, in effect, helping other crime victims through their generous donation and we hope the lessons they have learned will resonate in the community and help reduce crime and its impact on victims.

Meeting Budgetary Needs

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

Last week, members of the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board made some very difficult decisions regarding the services CalVCP provides. These decisions, while not easy, were necessary in the face of a diminishing Restitution Fund. For the past few years the amount of revenue received from restitution fines, orders and penalties has declined. For FY 2010-11 the Governor’s budget estimates our revenues will be down by 3%, while claim payments are projected to increase by 2.1%.  At this pace without budget reductions, the Restitution Fund will be $4.2 million in the red by June 2012 and have a $36.2 million negative balance by June 2013.

 In an effort to assure that the Board can continue to compensate victims of crime, the Governor’s Budget for FY 2011-12 calls for more than $5.8 million in savings which includes a $2.2 million savings in operating expenses and a reduction in Joint Power (JP) and Criminal Restitution Compact (CRC) local assistance program contracts of $700,000. It also places a cap on the growth rate of benefit payments to victims of 2.5 percent for claims from FY 2010-11 to FY 2011-12. However, even with these proposed savings in the Governor’s budget, the Restitution Fund would still have a deficit of $20.3 million in 2013.

 That is why the Board took decisive actions and voted on measures that will provide a savings of $15.7 million and better align the program benefit payments with its revenues. Specifically, the Board voted to:

• Limit chiropractic, physical and occupational therapy to a combined total of five sessions and require a physician’s recommendation for additional sessions up to a maximum of 20 sessions.
• Limit income and support loss benefits to victims who are actually employed at the time of the crime and require income and tax records to verify income.
• Establish a maximum benefit of $30,000 for vehicle purchase, renovation and retrofitting per qualifying crime.
• Determine appropriateness of attorney fee limit of payment in statute and prepare a regulation that requires verification of the reasonable value of legal services provided to an applicant.
• Establish a maximum benefit for funeral and burial expenses of $5,000 and remove food and beverages as reimbursable expenses.
• Establish a maximum benefit amount of $63,000.
• Reduce the CalVCP medical reimbursement rate to the flat Medicare rate and reduce restorative cosmetic surgery, prosthetics, hearing aids and eyeglasses, and foreign provider rates by 20%.
• Reduce the CalVCP mental health reimbursement rate by 10%.
• Continue the reduction of the reimbursement rate for mental health services provided by interns adopted by the Board on December 16, 2010 and implemented by staff in January 2011.

These actions adopted by the Board along with the other cost savings measures that the Board has already implemented such as reducing our administrative costs, holding positions vacant, limiting outreach and training and travel expenditures, will allow CalVCP to realize a balance of approximately $14 million by 2013. We will continue to work with our stakeholders on finding more long-term solutions to ensure solvency of the Restitution Fund for years to come so that we may continue to provide vital services to victims of violent crime in California.