Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta. (Photo by John Disney/ALM)

The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) this week announced that it would be launching an online portal to help crime victims apply for benefits under the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program. The portal will allow both eligible crime victims and providers of various crime clean-up and funeral services to apply for funding and track their application through the process.

The portal will replace the current paper application system requiring applicants to mail a hard copy of their application along with verification documentation to the CJCC office. The organization received over 14,000 paper applications for benefits under the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation program in the last fiscal year.

Samantha Wolf, a spokeswoman for CJCC, explained that the portal was the byproduct of several years of conversations between the organization and its partners about how to increase efficiency in the application process. The new portal, Wolf said, “allows CJCC staff to save time in re-keying information submitted via hard copy.”

“It's really going to enhance the application process and make it more efficient for victims and those providers,” Wolf added, pointing specifically to sexual assault and child advocacy organizations, as well as hospitals seeking funding through the Victim's Compensation program for forensic medical exams and forensic interviews.

The State of Georgia and various other state systems have slowly developed online portal access to many of its services. The state's Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services have both developed portals for various student and resident content. Georgia's court systems are additionally rolling out eFileGA, an online electronic filing portal, to court systems across the state.

The new portal cost about $900,000 to develop and was funded through Georgia's Crime Victim's Emergency Fund, a program established in 1988 to help defray the costs of injury or hardship resulting from criminal activity. The Victim's Emergency Fund draws on revenue from probation fees, a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant, DUI fines and parole fees.

CJCC worked with developers in Slalom Consulting's Atlanta office to develop the portal. The portal is built on a .NET framework used in other online portals available to connect Georgia residents to state programs.

Within the current program, crime victims are eligible for up to $15,000 in medical expenses, $10,000 in economic support expenses, $3,000 in counseling services, $6,000 for funeral expenses and $1,500 in crime scene cleanup expenses. The program awarded close to $18 million in reimbursed expenses last year.

Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta. (Photo by John Disney/ALM)

The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) this week announced that it would be launching an online portal to help crime victims apply for benefits under the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program. The portal will allow both eligible crime victims and providers of various crime clean-up and funeral services to apply for funding and track their application through the process.

The portal will replace the current paper application system requiring applicants to mail a hard copy of their application along with verification documentation to the CJCC office. The organization received over 14,000 paper applications for benefits under the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation program in the last fiscal year.

Samantha Wolf, a spokeswoman for CJCC, explained that the portal was the byproduct of several years of conversations between the organization and its partners about how to increase efficiency in the application process. The new portal, Wolf said, “allows CJCC staff to save time in re-keying information submitted via hard copy.”

“It's really going to enhance the application process and make it more efficient for victims and those providers,” Wolf added, pointing specifically to sexual assault and child advocacy organizations, as well as hospitals seeking funding through the Victim's Compensation program for forensic medical exams and forensic interviews.

The State of Georgia and various other state systems have slowly developed online portal access to many of its services. The state's Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services have both developed portals for various student and resident content. Georgia's court systems are additionally rolling out eFileGA, an online electronic filing portal, to court systems across the state.

The new portal cost about $900,000 to develop and was funded through Georgia's Crime Victim's Emergency Fund, a program established in 1988 to help defray the costs of injury or hardship resulting from criminal activity. The Victim's Emergency Fund draws on revenue from probation fees, a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant, DUI fines and parole fees.

CJCC worked with developers in Slalom Consulting's Atlanta office to develop the portal. The portal is built on a .NET framework used in other online portals available to connect Georgia residents to state programs.

Within the current program, crime victims are eligible for up to $15,000 in medical expenses, $10,000 in economic support expenses, $3,000 in counseling services, $6,000 for funeral expenses and $1,500 in crime scene cleanup expenses. The program awarded close to $18 million in reimbursed expenses last year.