Vermont Crime Victim Compensation: Benefits Available After a Violent Death

When someone dies as the result of a violent crime in Vermont, their family faces not only grief but also immediate financial consequences — funeral expenses, loss of income, and mental health costs that arrive at the worst possible moment. Vermont's Victims Compensation Program, administered through the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services (CCVS), provides direct financial relief to families in exactly these circumstances.

This is a state-run program that many qualifying families never use, simply because they don't know it exists.

What the CCVS Covers After a Death

The Victims Compensation Program covers several categories of expenses for the families of crime victims who have died:

Funeral and burial expenses: The maximum coverage is $7,000 for direct funeral and burial costs. This is substantially more than what Vermont's DCF General Assistance program provides ($1,100) and targets the actual cost of a basic funeral.

Miscellaneous funeral expenses: An additional $500 allowance is available for miscellaneous funeral-related costs (transportation, death notices, and similar items not captured in the primary funeral bill).

Memorial items: Up to $2,000 for headstones, cemetery plots, and memorial markers.

Mental health counseling: Surviving family members may receive coverage for bereavement counseling and trauma therapy. The CCVS pays for counseling sessions with licensed mental health providers, without a pre-determined dollar maximum in most cases — eligibility is assessed based on medical necessity.

Loss of financial support: If the deceased was providing financial support to dependents, the program may compensate for the loss of that income up to specified limits. This requires documentation of the financial dependency relationship.

Relocation assistance: If surviving family members are at risk because of the crime, relocation assistance may be available.

Who Qualifies

To qualify for CCVS benefits:

• The death must have resulted from a violent crime — homicide, assault resulting in death, vehicular manslaughter, domestic violence, and similar offenses qualify
• The crime must have been reported to law enforcement (police, sheriff, or state police)
• The claim must be filed with the CCVS — there is no automatic enrollment
• The applicant must be a qualifying survivor: a spouse, child, parent, or sibling of the deceased, or another person who was substantially dependent on the victim

Vermont law also provides qualifying survivors with job-protected "safe leave" under state labor law. Family members may take unpaid leave without fear of termination to attend court proceedings, funerals, depositions, or to make arrangements related to the crime. Notify your employer using the safe leave provision.

The Life Insurance Subrogation Rule

There is an important interaction between CCVS benefits and life insurance that applicants must understand: if a life insurance death benefit is payable directly to the funeral home (rather than to the family), that benefit must be exhausted before CCVS funds are applied to funeral expenses.

If the life insurance proceeds are paid to the surviving family rather than directly to the funeral home, the interaction is different. Clarify the beneficiary designation and payment flow of any existing life insurance before submitting your CCVS claim. Providing the CCVS with accurate information about available resources — including life insurance — is required as part of the application.

How to Apply

Contact the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services directly:

• Website: ccvs.vermont.gov
• Phone: (802) 241-1250
• Mailing address: 58 South Main Street, Suite 1, Waterbury, VT 05676

The CCVS provides victim advocates who can assist with the application process at no cost. If the deceased's case is being handled by the state's attorney's office, that office can often connect surviving family members with CCVS resources directly.

You will need:

• A police report or case number confirming the crime was reported
• Certified death certificates
• Itemized funeral bills and receipts
• Documentation of relationship to the deceased
• Documentation of any life insurance or other resources applicable to funeral costs

There is no strict deadline for filing, but the CCVS recommends applying as soon as possible while records are fresh and documentation is accessible.

Interaction with Workers' Compensation and Other Benefits

If the crime occurred in a workplace context — a workplace assault, for instance — workers' compensation death benefits may apply alongside CCVS coverage. Workers' compensation pays up to $10,000 for funeral expenses regardless of family income. The two programs may complement each other but typically do not both cover the same expense twice.

If the deceased was a Vermont public employee killed in the line of duty, the Vermont Emergency Personnel Survivors Benefit Special Fund provides a separate $80,000 payment — and the CCVS can be pursued in parallel for counseling and other covered expenses.

CCVS as Part of a Larger Benefit Strategy

The CCVS is one piece of a larger system of benefits available to Vermont families after a violent death. Alongside CCVS, surviving families often need to:

• Initiate Social Security survivor benefit claims
• Contact a workers' compensation carrier (for workplace crimes)
• File for probate if the estate requires it
• Coordinate the deceased's pension or retirement accounts
• Navigate the Medicaid estate recovery process if the deceased received long-term care

The Vermont Survivor Benefits Navigator consolidates all of these processes into a single sequenced guide — covering the exact forms, contacts, and timelines across every Vermont agency involved after a death.

See more Vermont guides →