2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 54 - Criminal Procedure
Chapter 968 - Victim Services
Section 54-211 - Time limitation on filing application for compensation. Restrictions on award of compensation. Amount of compensation.

(a)(1) No order for the payment of compensation shall be made under section 54-210 unless (A) the application has been made within two years after the date of the personal injury or death, (B) the personal injury or death was the result of an incident or offense listed in section 54-209, and (C) such incident or offense has been reported to the police within five days of its occurrence or, if the incident or offense could not reasonably have been reported within such period, within five days of the time when a report could reasonably have been made, except that a victim of a sexual assault shall not be ineligible for the payment of compensation by reason of failing to make a report pursuant to this subparagraph if such victim presented himself or herself to a health care facility within seventy-two hours of such sexual assault for examination and collection of evidence of such sexual assault in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-112a. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, any person who, before, on or after October 1, 2005, fails to make application for compensation within two years after the date of the personal injury or death as a result of physical, emotional or psychological injuries caused by such personal injury or death may apply for a waiver of such time limitation. The Office of Victim Services, upon a finding of such physical, emotional or psychological injury, may grant such waiver. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, any minor, including, but not limited to, a minor who is a victim of conduct by another person that constitutes a violation of section 53a-192a or a criminal violation of 18 USC Chapter 77, who, before, on or after October 1, 2005, fails to make application for compensation within two years after the date of the personal injury or death through no fault of the minor, may apply for a waiver of such time limitation. The Office of Victim Services, upon a finding that such minor is not at fault, may grant such waiver. (4) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, a person who is a dependent of a victim may make application for payment of compensation not later than two years from the date that such person discovers or in the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered that the person upon whom the applicant was dependent was a victim or ninety days after May 26, 2000, whichever is later. Such person shall file with such application a statement signed under penalty of false statement setting forth the date when such person discovered that the person upon whom the applicant was dependent was a victim and the circumstances that prevented such person discovering that the person upon whom the applicant was dependent was a victim until more than two years after the date of the incident or offense. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that a person who files such a statement and is otherwise eligible for compensation pursuant to sections 54-201 to 54-233, inclusive, is entitled to compensation. (5) Any waiver denied by the Office of Victim Services under this subsection may be reviewed by a victim compensation commissioner, provided such request for review is made by the applicant within thirty days from the mailing of the notice of denial by the Office of Victim Services. If a victim compensation commissioner grants such waiver, the commissioner shall refer the application for compensation to the Office of Victim Services for a determination pursuant to section 54-205. (6) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of this subsection, the Office of Victim Services may, for good cause shown and upon a finding of compelling equitable circumstances, waive the time limitations of subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(b) No compensation shall be awarded if: (1) The offender is unjustly enriched by the award, provided compensation awarded to a victim which would benefit the offender in a minimal or inconsequential manner shall not be considered unjust enrichment; (2) the victim violated a penal law of this state, which violation caused or contributed to his injuries or death.

(c) No compensation shall be awarded for losses sustained for crimes against property or for noneconomic detriment such as pain and suffering.

(d) (1) No compensation shall be in an amount in excess of fifteen thousand dollars except that compensation to or for the benefit of the dependents of a homicide victim shall be in an amount not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars. The claims of the dependents of a deceased victim, as provided in section 54-208, shall be considered derivative of the claim of such victim and the total compensation paid for all claims arising from the death of such victim shall not exceed a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, the Office of Victim Services or a victim compensation commissioner may, for good cause shown and upon a finding of compelling equitable circumstances, award compensation in an amount in excess of the maximum amounts set forth in said subdivision.

(e) Orders for payment of compensation pursuant to sections 54-201 to 54-233, inclusive, may be made only as to injuries or death resulting from incidents or offenses arising on and after January 1, 1979, except that orders for payment of compensation pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-209 may be made only as to injuries or death resulting from incidents or offenses arising on and after July 1, 1985.

(f) Compensation shall be awarded pursuant to sections 54-201 to 54-233, inclusive, for bodily injury or death resulting from a crime which occurs (1) within this state, regardless of the residency of the applicant; (2) outside this state but within the territorial boundaries of the United States, provided the victim, at the time of injury or death, was a resident of this state and the state in which such crime occurred does not have a program for compensation of victims for which such victim is eligible; and (3) outside the territorial boundaries of the United States, provided the applicant is a victim of international terrorism, as defined in Section 2331 of Title 18 of the United States Code, and was a resident of this state at the time of injury or death.

(P.A. 78-261, S. 11, 17; P.A. 81-23, S. 1; P.A. 82-397, S. 4, 7; P.A. 85-529, S. 3, 4; 85-538, S. 3; P.A. 87-554, S. 10; P.A. 90-22, S. 1; 90-279, S. 1; P.A. 93-310, S. 10, 32; P.A. 95-175, S. 7; P.A. 97-59, S. 2, 4; P.A. 00-110, S. 1, 2; P.A. 05-249, S. 7; P.A. 06-100, S. 2, 3; P.A. 12-133, S. 28; P.A. 15-195, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 81-23 added Subsec. (e) prohibiting compensation to nonresident victims unless a reciprocal victim compensation provision has been enacted in the state in which the victim is a resident; P.A. 82-397 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision prohibiting compensation award if victim is relative of offender or living with offender as member of family or household or maintaining a sexual relationship with offender or member of family of offender and added prohibition of compensation to victim if offender benefits or if victim was living with offender by mutual consent in relationship of cohabitation, regardless of legal status, and amended Subsec. (c) by deleting requirement that all payments be made in a lump sum; P.A. 85-529 amended Subsec. (d) by providing that compensation pursuant to Sec. 54-209(a)(3) is limited to incidents or offenses arising on and after July 1, 1985; P.A. 85-538 amended Subsec. (b) adding “unless the parties have separated, are no longer in a relationship of cohabitation and there is no expectation that the parties will resume a relationship of cohabitation in the future, and deleted Subsec. (e) which required reciprocity for nonresident victim; P.A. 87-554 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing maximum compensation to $15,000, except that the maximum compensation for dependents of homicide victim shall be $25,000 and providing that claims of dependents of deceased victim shall be considered derivative of claim of victim and total of all claims shall not exceed $25,000, and amended Subsec. (e) re compensation for bodily injury or death from crime occurring in this state, regardless of residency of the applicant; P.A. 90-22 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provisions prohibiting compensation if offender may be unjustly enriched and amended Subsec. (e) by authorizing award of compensation to resident victim of a crime committed outside the state; P.A. 90-279 amended Subsec. (a) by permitting application for and granting of waiver of time limitation for benefits if failure to file within two-year period was a result of physical, emotional or psychological injuries or the negligence of the parent, guardian or custodian of a minor who failed to file within the two-year period; P.A. 93-310 changed “commission” to “office of victim services”, added provision re review of denial of waiver, deleted provision in Subsec. (b) re investigation where unjust enrichment, added provision prohibiting compensation for crimes against property or for noneconomic detriment such as pain and suffering and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-175 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing failure to make application through “negligence of the parent, guardian or custodian” of a minor with failure to apply “through no fault of” the minor; P.A. 97-59 amended Subsec. (a) by changing “fourteen” days from the mailing of the notice of denial to “thirty” days from such mailing, amended Subsec. (f)(2) by adding “but within the territorial boundaries of the United States” and added Subdiv. (3) re crime outside territorial boundaries provided applicant is victim of international terrorism and resident of state at time of injury or death, effective May 8, 1997; P.A. 00-110 added new Subsec. (a)(4) re time limitation and procedure for a person to make application for compensation upon discovering that the person upon whom the applicant was dependent was a victim, redesignating former Subdiv. (4) as Subdiv. (5), effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 05-249 amended Subsec. (a)(2) to make provisions applicable to any person who “before, on or after October 1, 2005,” fails to make a timely application for compensation and delete the condition that an application for a waiver be filed not later than six years after the date of the personal injury or death, amended Subsec. (a)(3) to make provisions applicable to any minor who “before, on or after October 1, 2005,” fails to make a timely application for compensation and delete the condition that an application for a waiver be filed not later than two years after the minor attains the age of majority or seven years after the date of the personal injury or death, whichever is sooner, and made technical changes in Subsec. (a); P.A. 06-100 amended Subsec. (a) to insert Subpara. designators and make technical changes in Subdiv. (1), add exception in Subdiv. (1)(C) re sexual assault victim who presents himself or herself to health care facility within 72 hours for examination and collection of evidence of such sexual assault, and add Subdiv. (6) authorizing office to waive time limitations of Subdiv. (1) for good cause shown and upon a finding of compelling equitable circumstances and amended Subsec. (d) to designate existing provisions as Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (2) authorizing office to award compensation in excess of maximum amounts set forth in Subdiv. (1) for good cause shown and upon finding of compelling equitable circumstances; P.A. 12-133 amended Subsec. (d)(1) by deleting provision re no compensation awarded for first $100 of injury sustained and making a technical change and amended Subsec. (e) by substituting “subsection (b) of section 54-209” for “subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 54-209”; P.A. 15-195 amended Subsec. (a)(3) to add provision re waiver of time limits of Subsec. (a)(1) for minor who is a victim of conduct that constitutes a violation of Sec. 53a-192a or a criminal violation of 18 USC Chapter 77.