Everette Johnson bows his head in prayer at an event celebrating Miriam Shehane on April 13, 2023. Johnson has been named the new director of the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission has accelerated the number of claims it has paid to victims this year and cut into the backlog of cases it needs to review.
That was, in part, due to the increased funding the agency received.
Director Everette Johnson told commissioners during a meeting on Thursday that it has disbursed all the $1 million that the ACVCC received from the Governor’s Office Emergency Fund in the fall of 2023. The agency also has slightly more than $300,000 left of the $1.5 million it received under the 2024 General Fund budget.
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The ACVCC, which compensates victims of violent crimes and their families for resources such as funeral expenses and lost wages, faced criticism last year amid a backlog of cases that had some crime victims waiting as long as a year for action on their claims. The ACVCC blamed shortfalls from fines and fees, a major revenue source that has fallen in recent years.
In recent years, the agency received $2.5 million from fines and fees annually, which comprises the bulk of the proceeds it gets to operate and fulfill its mission. Johnson told the commissioners that is not adequate.
ACVCC received money from the General Fund for the first time in its history in 2023. The governor’s office also provided money to address the backlog.
According to Johnson, the agency paid out almost $300,000 to victims in April, another $360,000 in May and slightly more than $300,000 in June.
“They are almost double, if not double than what we paid out last year,” Johnson said. “The governor’s money has helped with that.”
The agency is also down to 552 in claims that are part of the backlog. Back in May, Johnson said there were 660 claims that were backlogged.
About $100,000 of the $1.5 million allocated to ACVCC through the General Fund went to Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL), a nonprofit that advocates for victims.
Johnson said Thursday direct funding may be needed going forward.
“We don’t see the fines and fees going back up, hopefully it will never go back down,” Johnson said. “We are projecting that it stays the same. It has been overall for the past few years, if I understand that correctly. We have got to find some help somewhere. And it has got to come from the legislature.”
After receiving additional funding, the agency has been working to distribute the money to crime victims and their families.
The agency is slated to receive $1.5 million from the General Fund in the 20l25 fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1.
Unlike in the past, the agency is hoping to move forward earlier for the coming session. Johnson said he plans to meet with House Ways and Means General Fund Committee chair Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, in the coming week.
“We’ll see how that goes,” he said. “I am getting ahead of the funding game with them.”
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The post Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission cuts backlog with new state funding appeared first on Alabama Reflector .
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