Ohio Victims of Crime Compensation and Scene Cleanup Costs

What the program is

Ohio keeps a state fund to help people hurt by violent crime recover some of their money losses. One office in Columbus, part of the Attorney General's staff, handles claims from every county, so a case from Avondale, Hamilton or Trotwood goes to the same place.

The Attorney General's page lists the main kinds of help: medical bills, counseling, lost wages, replacement services and funeral costs. Total awards can reach $50,000 for out-of-pocket expenses. Crime scene cleanup is a smaller, separate category inside that total.

The $750 cleanup limit in plain terms

Section 2743.51 of the Ohio Revised Code spells out this expense. Two things fit inside it: cleaning the place where the crime happened, and fixing things there that keep people safe. Both must be reasonable and necessary, and together they top out at $750 for one claim.

In practice, that could mean part of the bill for a biohazard company that cleaned a living room in Avondale after a shooting, or the cost of replacing a broken door lock in a Trotwood house after a break-in and assault. The $750 is a ceiling for all of those items together, not a separate amount for each.

Cleanup after a serious crime often costs more than $750. The program is meant to ease the burden, not cover everything, so check what a homeowners or landlord policy will pay first. Our cost guide explains what drives the size of a cleanup bill.

Who may be able to file

The law allows several kinds of claimants. A surviving victim can apply. When the victim died, a dependent of the victim or the victim's estate may file. Ohio's definitions also cover immediate family members who lived in the same household as the victim at the time of the crime.

That matters for families in Dayton, Middletown, Springfield and the rest of the region, because the person who paid for cleanup is often a parent, sibling or executor rather than the victim. Keep receipts in the name of whoever actually paid, and be ready to show how that person is connected to the victim.

Not every death qualifies. A natural death in a Kettering bedroom, or a fall with no crime behind it, generally falls outside a fund built for crime victims. The last question on this page covers suicide.

Deadlines

Ohio Revised Code 2743.56 says applications may be filed at any time within three years after the crime. Mailing counts: if you send the application by mail, the postmark date is treated as the filing date.

The same section refers to exceptions found in section 2743.60, which covers situations where different timing or eligibility rules apply. One of them helps young claimants: someone under 21 when the crime happened has until the 24th birthday. If the crime in Hamilton County or Greene County happened close to three years ago, call the Crime Victim Services Section before assuming you have missed the window.

Even with three years available, filing early helps. Police reports, coroner findings and invoices are easier to collect while the case is fresh, and cleanup companies in Cincinnati and Dayton can usually provide itemized paperwork right after the job.

How to apply

Applications go to the Ohio Attorney General on the form the office prescribes. The Attorney General's Crime Victim Services page links to an Apply for Victims Compensation page with the current form and filing options. Staff in Columbus can also talk you through it by phone; the two numbers sit in the table and the FAQ below.

The law requires the application to include a release that lets the Attorney General and the Ohio Court of Claims get reports and records about the crime. That is how the program confirms what happened with the police department, sheriff's office or county coroner involved.

Paperwork to gather for a cleanup claim

• The police or sheriff's report number and the agency's name, such as the Cincinnati Police Department or the Dayton Police Department.
• The coroner's case number if someone died.
• The itemized invoice from the cleanup company, showing what was cleaned and removed.
• Receipts for security repairs at the scene, such as locks, doors or windows.
• Any insurance statement showing what was paid or denied.
• Proof of your relationship to the victim or your role as executor.

Help with the application

Many people in Southwest Ohio do not apply because the forms look daunting during a hard time. Ask the detective or deputy on your case whether a victim advocate is assigned. Advocates working with prosecutors' offices and local victim service groups across Ohio help people complete these forms regularly.

The Attorney General's victim services page also links to VINE, a notification service, which lets victims sign up for updates about an offender's custody status. It is separate from compensation, but advocates often help with both.

If you are filling out the form yourself from out of state for a relative's home in Hamilton or Clark County, write down every phone call: the date, the person you spoke with and what they said. Program staff may ask follow-up questions weeks later, and a simple log keeps you from repeating work.

Getting cleanup done while the claim is pending

Compensation is a reimbursement, so the home in Norwood or Riverside usually has to be cleaned before any award arrives. Tell the cleanup company up front that you plan to file a victims compensation claim and ask for an itemized invoice that separates cleaning from repairs.

For the cleanup itself, a call to this free line is passed along to an independent company working in the property's county. Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Brown and Clinton properties, plus the covered ZIPs in Clermont and Highland, use (513) 962-0944. Dayton-area and northern counties, plus the covered ZIPs in Logan, Union, Madison and Fayette, use (937) 200-8811.