Existing law authorizes certain victims of crime to apply for and receive payment of compensation from the Fund for the Compensation of Victims of Crime under certain circumstances. (NRS 217.010-217.270) Existing law generally requires an application for compensation from the Fund to be filed: (1) not later than 24 months after the injury or death for which compensation is claimed; (2) not later than 60 months after the injury or death for which compensation is claimed if the applicant is a victim of sex trafficking or facilitating sex trafficking; or (3) before the applicant reaches 21 years of age if the applicant is a victim of sexual abuse or involved in the production of pornography and the applicant was a minor at the time of the injury. (NRS 217.100) Section 1 of this bill makes various changes to require all applications for compensation from the Fund to be filed not later than 60 months after the injury or death for which compensation is claimed, unless the applicant was a minor at the time of the injury, in which case the application must be filed not later than 60 months after the applicant reaches 21 years of age. Existing law authorizes the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services or a person designated by the Director to waive the limitation on the time for filing an application for compensation from the Fund for good cause shown if the injury or death for which compensation is claimed was the result of an incident or offense that was reported to the police within 5 days after its occurrence or within 5 days after the time when a report could reasonably have been made. (NRS 217.100) Section 1 removes the condition that to be eligible for the waiver, the incident or offense that caused the injury or death for which compensation is claimed be reported to the police, thereby authorizing the Director or a person designated by the Director to waive the limitation on the time for filing an application for any good cause shown. Existing law requires an application for compensation from the Fund to be accompanied by certain medical records that document the injury for which compensation is claimed. (NRS 217.100) Section 1 removes this requirement and instead provides that the applicant may prove eligibility for compensation from the Fund by submitting certain documentary evidence of the injury or death for which compensation is claimed. Existing law prohibits an award of compensation from the Fund under certain circumstances, including compensation to a victim of crime who fails to cooperate with a law enforcement agency. (NRS 217.220) Section 2 of this bill removes the prohibition against the award of compensation from the Fund to a victim of a crime who fails to cooperate with a law enforcement agency.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 217.100
Reprint 1: 217.100, 217.220
BDR: 217.100