NEW YORK – Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced three legal guidelines to broaden monetary help and protections for victims and survivors of crime who haven’t sustained bodily accidents that at the moment are efficient.
People who’re victims of illegal posting or posting of an intimate picture, generally known as “revenge porn,” first- and second-degree reckless endangerment, and whose claims had been filed with the state workplace of sufferer companies on or after December 27. You could now be in search of reimbursement from Sufferer Companies for sure prices associated to the crime. As well as, victims and survivors of interpersonal violence can now use extra paperwork and data to show id theft earlier than a debt might be collected.
“Right here in New York, we assist the victims in each method we will and can proceed to adapt our legal guidelines with a purpose to preserve New Yorkers protected,” Hochul stated in a press launch. “I’m proud that I used to be in a position to work with my companions within the legislature to enact this legislative package deal to assist victims search the justice they deserve and make New York a safer state for everybody.”
“New Yorkers deserve safety on all fronts, and I am proud to be a part of an administration that may adapt to make sure we will present that,” Lt. Col. Antonio Delgado added. “New York crime victims must be conscious of the assets our state gives, and with legal guidelines like this going into impact, getting the phrase out is important.”
“We’re extremely grateful to Governor Hochul for standing up on behalf of victims who had been beforehand unvoiced towards their attackers and ineligible for compensation,” stated Elizabeth Cronin, director of the Workplace of Sufferer Companies. As these modifications went into impact, victims expanded entry to the assets essential to return to their lives.
“We’re pleased with the work we do day in and day trip for the victims and are prepared to assist those that now get pleasure from the brand new safety.”
“Greater than 99% of home violence victims expertise monetary abuse, together with pressured debt and id theft,” stated Kelly Owens, govt director of the Workplace of Home Violence Prevention. These new legal guidelines improve entry to important monetary assets for survivors of gender-based violence in order that they’ll get well and restore financial stability.
“We’re grateful to the Governor for her dedication to survivors of gender-based violence and her deep understanding of the important want to offer safety for survivors of predatory crimes equivalent to ‘revenge porn.’”
The Sufferer Companies Workplace gives a important monetary security web for crime victims and survivors who don’t have any different assets to pay for crime-related bills. Whereas many of those bills stem from people being injured throughout the crime, state regulation permits some non-physically injured victims and survivors of intimate companion violence, hate and different crimes, to hunt reimbursement from the company for a number of the prices they’ve incurred.
Particular person victims of revenge porn at the moment are eligible to hunt reimbursement for counseling and transportation bills, compensation for misplaced earnings, and restore or substitute of important private property from the company. People who’re first- and second-degree reckless hazard victims at the moment are eligible to hunt reimbursement for counseling-related bills, unreimbursed prices of crime scene safety, crime scene cleanup, and compensation for lack of revenue.
As well as, the state’s common enterprise regulation has been amended to offer particular person victims of id theft with alternative routes to report the crime and permit them to offer extra documentation that collectors should take into account, which ought to halt any debt assortment actions till that is performed. I accomplished reviewing these paperwork.
People now have the choice to report id theft to regulation enforcement or by submitting a file to the FTC’s Identification Theft Sufferer Identification Report course of. Collectors should now additionally take into account coerced sufferer statements and/or felony or household courtroom paperwork earlier than continuing with assortment.
OVS monetary help additionally assists victims, survivors, and relations with medical payments, funeral and burial bills, and lack of assist, amongst different help. New York is the one state within the nation that doesn’t have a cap on prices for medical care or counseling, that means people can obtain assist for so long as they want it.
The Sufferer Companies Workplace additionally funds and helps 239 sufferer help packages throughout the state that present disaster counseling, therapy, emergency shelter, civil authorized assist, case administration, and advocacy, amongst different companies, throughout the state.
Whereas eligibility for compensation or reimbursement is set by a person’s revenue and entry to different assets, equivalent to medical health insurance, sufferer help packages present companies and assist without charge to anybody who wants them. Go to the Bureau of Sufferer Companies web site for extra data and comply with the company on Twitter and Fb.
New York State additionally gives 24/7 assist for victims and survivors of home and sexual violence. name 800-942-6906; textual content 844-997-2121; or chat at opdv.ny.gov.