Washington Crime Victims Compensation: Death Benefits for Families of Homicide Victims

When a death results from a violent crime, Washington State provides a separate financial safety net through the Crime Victims Compensation Program (CVCP), administered by the Department of Labor & Industries. This program is specifically designed for situations where the decedent had little or no life insurance, or where the family faces immediate financial collapse from funeral costs and lost income. It is not a replacement for criminal prosecution — it is a practical financial lifeline available regardless of whether an arrest is ever made.

What the Program Pays

The Washington CVCP provides several categories of benefits to surviving family members of homicide victims:

Burial expenses: Up to $7,990 toward documented funeral, cremation, and burial costs. This is not a general grant — you must submit receipts and invoices, and the program is the secondary payer behind any life insurance that exists.

Wage replacement: Up to $40,000 in total family benefits, which includes lost earnings replacement for the dependent family. This is available when the victim was the primary earner and the family has demonstrable income disruption.

Medical and mental health treatment: The program covers up to $150,000 in medical and mental health treatment for surviving family members. This is rarely hit by families in death cases, but it is available if surviving dependents require ongoing psychological care.

Grief counseling: Immediate family members are entitled to up to 12 grief counseling sessions, authorized for one year following the allowance of the victim's claim. This is one of the most underutilized provisions — families who don't know it exists often pay out of pocket for counseling that the state would have covered.

The Life Insurance Offset Rule — and the $40,000 Exception

The CVCP is structured as a secondary payer. If the victim had life insurance, that policy pays first, and the CVCP compensates for remaining gaps. However, there is a critical carve-out: the first $40,000 of any private life insurance proceeds is specifically exempt from the CVCP offset calculation. Practically, this means a family that receives a $40,000 life insurance payout is not automatically disqualified from receiving CVCP burial expense reimbursement. The program subtracts only life insurance proceeds above $40,000 from its benefit calculations.

Eligibility Requirements and Filing Deadlines

The eligibility requirements are straightforward, but the deadlines are strict:

1. The crime must have been reported to law enforcement within one year of the offense. If law enforcement was never notified — or if the family delayed reporting — the CVCP application will be denied regardless of how compelling the circumstances.

2. You have up to three years from the date of the police report to submit Form F800-120-000. This is the Application for Benefits form, available directly from L&I's Crime Victims Compensation Program.

3. The death must result from a gross misdemeanor or felony. Minor traffic violations, even if fatal, typically do not qualify unless the circumstances rise to criminal vehicular homicide.

The application requires the police report number, information about the victim's income, and documentation of expenses already incurred. L&I may contact law enforcement for additional case information — applicants should expect a processing period rather than an immediate determination.

What the CVCP Does Not Cover

Several categories of costs fall outside the program:

• Property damage or theft. The CVCP is specifically for personal injury and death, not property crimes.
• Future lost earnings beyond the $40,000 wage replacement cap. Families in this situation may need to pursue a civil wrongful death lawsuit separately.
• Costs already paid by other sources, such as health insurance, workers' compensation, or victim restitution paid by the perpetrator.

If the perpetrator is convicted and ordered to pay restitution, CVCP may have a right of recovery against those restitution funds for benefits it paid out. This doesn't reduce what you receive — it's a legal mechanism between the state and the convicted party.

How to Apply

Contact the Washington State Crime Victims Compensation Program directly through L&I:

• Phone: 360-902-5355 or 1-800-762-3716
• Form: F800-120-000, available at lni.wa.gov or from any L&I field office

You can also ask your local Prosecuting Attorney's Office or a victim advocacy organization to assist with the application. Many counties have victim assistance coordinators embedded in the prosecutor's office who can guide families through the process at no cost.

Out-of-State Crimes and Washington Residents

If a Washington resident was killed as the result of a crime that occurred in another state, the CVCP generally still applies. Washington administers compensation based on the residency of the victim, not the location of the crime. However, if the other state also has a crime victims compensation program and benefits are available there, coordination between the two programs is required — Washington's program typically functions as the secondary payer after the other state's program pays.

If the crime occurred in a foreign country, CVCP eligibility is more limited. Contact the program directly at the phone numbers below to confirm whether a specific international case qualifies.

Comparing CVCP to Other Available Benefits

The CVCP is one of several benefit streams available after a violent death, and they are not mutually exclusive. A family may simultaneously be receiving Social Security survivor benefits, filing a DRS pension survivor claim if the victim was a public employee, and claiming CVCP benefits — as long as there is no double-recovery on the same expense item.

If your spouse was also employed in a job covered by Washington's workers' compensation system and the death occurred in connection with their employment, an L&I workers' compensation death claim may be available in addition to or instead of the CVCP claim. The two programs operate under different statutes and serve different factual circumstances — L&I workers' comp covers work-related deaths; CVCP covers criminal victimization — but both can apply in rare cases, such as a workplace homicide.

The Washington Survivor Benefits Navigator includes a benefits coordination checklist that helps surviving families identify which programs apply to their specific circumstances, in what order to file, and how to avoid inadvertently reducing one benefit by collecting another without proper documentation.

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