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Ohio Victims’ Fund Denies Thousands Due To Strict Rules
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – An Ohio program designed to help compensate victims of crime has strict rules that cause thousands of applicants to be rejected each year.
A Dayton Daily News investigation (http://bit.ly/2iJqd8F ) has found the Ohio Victims Compensation Fund program, administered by the state attorney general’s office, has been paying out less each year going back a decade even as the number of claims spiked.
In one case, a 17-year-old who was allegedly abducted and assaulted was denied compensation because narcotics were found in her system. Her family contends she was force-fed drugs by her captors.
Program rules automatically disqualify anyone with drugs in their system.
Matthew Kanai, chief of the state attorney general’s crime victim’s service’s division, says his office has little discretion in awarding assistance based on the rules.