Colorado Crime Victim Compensation: What Families Can Claim After a Violent Death

When someone dies as the result of a violent crime, the financial fallout compounds the grief. Funerals must be paid for. Counseling is needed. Crime scenes require professional cleanup. And the household income may disappear overnight. Colorado's Crime Victim Compensation (CVC) program exists precisely for this situation — but most families don't know it exists, let alone how to access it.

This post explains what the program covers, who qualifies, how to apply through your local District Attorney, and what to watch out for.

What Is the Colorado Crime Victim Compensation Program?

The Colorado Crime Victim Compensation program is a state-administered fund that reimburses eligible victims and their surviving family members for out-of-pocket losses caused by violent crimes. It is not a lawsuit and it is not criminal restitution — it is a separate administrative benefit funded by court fines and fees.

The program is administered locally. Each of Colorado's 22 judicial districts operates its own CVC office, housed within the District Attorney's office for that district. Denver's program is run through the Denver District Attorney's Consumer Protection and CVC unit, while El Paso County's is managed through the 4th Judicial District DA's office, and so on. This means application deadlines, intake processes, and staff contacts vary by county.

The CVC fund acts as a payer of last resort. If the family has life insurance, homeowner's insurance, or any other applicable coverage, those sources must be applied first. CVC covers what remains.

Who Qualifies

The program covers survivors and family members of victims of violent crimes, including:

• Homicide (murder, manslaughter)
• Vehicular homicide
• Assault resulting in death
• Child abuse resulting in death
• Domestic violence resulting in death

Even relatives who were not financially dependent on the victim can qualify for reimbursement of burial or medical expenses if they personally paid those costs. You do not need to have been the spouse or a dependent — if you paid a funeral bill because no one else could, you may be eligible.

The crime must have been reported to law enforcement. CVC applications are linked to a police report or case number. If a report was filed late or the family did not call police immediately, the program can still consider the application in some circumstances, but you will need to explain the delay.

The offender does not need to be convicted, or even arrested, for the family to receive benefits. The standard is that a crime occurred and was reported, not that someone was prosecuted.

What Expenses CVC Can Cover

Colorado's CVC program reimburses a defined set of expenses:

Funeral and burial costs. This is the most commonly claimed benefit. CVC can reimburse funeral home fees, burial or cremation costs, casket or urn expenses, and interment fees. The program caps funeral reimbursement, so check with your district's CVC coordinator for the current maximum in your county.

Crime scene cleanup. If the death occurred in the family's home or another property, professional biohazard remediation is covered. Standard household cleaning services are not — it must be a licensed crime scene cleanup company.

Mental health counseling. Surviving family members — spouse, parents, children, siblings — can receive reimbursement for counseling sessions with a licensed therapist. This is not limited to the immediate household; any immediate family member who can document counseling costs related to the crime is eligible.

Rekeying and security. If the crime was a home invasion or the offender had access to the victim's home, costs for rekeying locks, replacing broken locks, or securing entry points can be reimbursed.

Loss of household support. If the victim was the primary wage earner and provided financial support to dependents, surviving family members may claim lost household support — essentially a proxy for the income the victim would have contributed.

Lost wages. If surviving family members lost income because they had to attend court hearings, funerals, or handle related administrative tasks, lost wages may be reimbursed.

CVC does not cover pain and suffering, property damage not related to the crime scene, or expenses that were already covered by insurance.

How to Apply

Applications go directly to the CVC coordinator at the District Attorney's office in the judicial district where the crime occurred — not where the family lives. If your family member was killed in Denver, you apply to the Denver DA's CVC unit. If it happened in Colorado Springs, you apply to the 4th Judicial District.

The general process:

1. Locate your district's CVC office. The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice maintains a directory of all 22 district CVC offices. Search for "Colorado Crime Victim Compensation" plus your county name to find the direct intake contact.

2. Obtain the application. Most districts offer a paper application form and some have online submission. The CVC coordinator will often walk you through it if you call.

3. Gather documentation. You will need: a copy of the police report or case number, the death certificate, receipts and invoices for every expense you are claiming, and proof of any insurance payments already received. For lost wages, pay stubs or employer documentation of missed work.

4. Submit within the deadline. Most districts require applications to be filed within one year of the crime. Some allow an extension in limited circumstances. Missing the deadline typically means forfeiting your claim entirely, so file as early as possible — even before all expenses are finalized. You can submit supplemental claims for later expenses in many districts.

5. Follow up. CVC coordinators review applications and may request additional documentation. Processing can take weeks to months depending on district caseload.

Important Limitations

CVC is not a large settlement. The program covers documented out-of-pocket expenses up to program caps. It is not a substitute for a civil lawsuit against a responsible party, nor does it replace income for years into the future.

Restitution and CVC are separate. If the offender is convicted and ordered to pay restitution, those payments may be directed to the CVC fund to reimburse what the program already paid out to the family. The family does not typically receive both full restitution and CVC for the same expense.

Out-of-state victims. If a Colorado resident was killed in another state, that state's CVC program generally applies, not Colorado's. Conversely, if someone was killed in Colorado regardless of where they lived, Colorado's CVC applies.

What to Do First If You're Filing

The most important immediate steps:

• Make sure a police report has been filed and get the case number
• Keep every receipt related to the funeral, counseling, cleanup, and security costs
• Contact your district's CVC coordinator before paying large bills when possible — they can sometimes pre-authorize expenses to ensure they qualify

If the death happened in Colorado and you have not yet spoken to the DA's CVC office, that call should be on your list this week.

Coordinating a crime victim compensation claim is one of many financial and administrative tasks that fall on families in the weeks after a violent death. If you're navigating this alongside probate, pension claims, property transfers, and statutory deadlines, the Colorado Survivor Benefits Navigator walks through all of it in plain English — including how CVC fits into the broader picture of what your family is owed under Colorado law.

See more Colorado guides →