WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announces that the first payments of the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) have been released to U.S. victims of international acts of terrorism. Applications have been processed and reimbursement payments made to victims of the October 2002 Bali, Indonesia night club bombings and the May 2003 bombing of expatriate housing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The ITVERP was created under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. Implemented in October 2006 by OJP's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the program reimburses victims for expenses incurred as a result of acts of terrorism occurring outside the United States. To be eligible for reimbursements, claimants must be victims of acts of international terrorism designated as such (for the purposes of this program only) by the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
Eligible victims (United States nationals or U.S. Government officers or employees) are reimbursed for qualifying expenses associated with their victimization. In the event that the victim was killed in the act of international terrorism, eligible program applicants may include the deceased victim's spouse, parents, children, siblings, or a victim representative.
The ITVERP program is retroactive to December 21, 1988. For claims related to acts of international terrorism that occurred after December 21, 1988, but before the establishment of this program, the application deadline is three years from the effective date of the ITVERP regulations (October 6, 2006).
The five major categories of expenses for which applicants can seek reimbursement include medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial expenses, property loss, and other miscellaneous expenses such as emergency travel and temporary lodging. Eligible claimants may apply for an interim emergency payment or an itemized reimbursement payment. Further, victims may receive a supplemental reimbursement for expenses incurred, such as medical and mental health counseling costs that fall within the funding limits for each category.
For more information on the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program visit the OJP Web site at http://www.ojp.gov/ovc, or call the Office for Victims of Crime's ITVERP toll free phone line at 1-800-363-0441.
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Regina B. Schofield, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office. More information can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ .
U.S. Department of Justice
