This summary of the activities of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime’s (OVC’s) International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019, covers its application processing, claims payment, and public-awareness activities intended to reach potential claimants of ITVERP services.
During this reporting period, ITVERP received 33 new applications for reimbursement. The applications reflect terrorist incidents dating from September 4, 1998, to April 21, 2019. An exhibit shows the number of applications received during each ITVERP reporting period since the program’s inception in 2006. At the end of the reporting period, there were 34 active claims, of which 14 were in process. Since ITVERP was established in 2006, it has paid 391 claims, denied 60 claims, and designated 33 claims as claimant unresponsive (inactive). The average length of processing time for the 34 claims of the current period was 437 days, and the average time for processing the 3 denied claims was 353 days. The average time (calendar days) for each step of the claims process is reported for paid and denied claims. During the reporting period, ITVERP paid $155,208.29 in reimbursement requests. The amount is reported for each expense category (medical, mental health, property loss, funeral/burial, and miscellaneous). The report’s section on “Program Updates” addresses deadline extensions and supplemental claims. The report’s section on “Promoting Public Awareness” describes ITVERP’s outreach to potential claimants, outreach to collaborating agencies and organizations, the ITVERP Resource Center, and customer service. The report’s section on “Future Program Needs and Improvements” addresses ITVERP plans to address the complexity of claims and improve outreach and program partnerships. 12 exhibits