Article originally published by the National CASA/Gal Association for Children.
We are pleased to share with you two positive developments regarding the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) that positively impact VOCA funding across the country.
The Crime Victims Fund (CVF) was established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 and is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. The CVF is financed by the collection of federal criminal fines, forfeitures, penalties and special assessments rather than taxpayer dollars. The Fund helps an average of 3.7 million victims of all types of crime every year. Court Appointed Special Advocate and Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) state organizations and local programs across the country benefit from over $100 million in VOCA dollars annually.
In recent years, deposits to the CVF have decreased dramatically which in turn has diminished VOCA funds made available to states; many of which are passed through to CASA/GAL organizations. The dollars deposited into the CVF have decreased due to less federal fines and fees that fund the CVF and VOCA.
On April 18, 2025 the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act (CVFSA) was introduced by Representative Ann Wagner (MO). The Act directly addresses the shortfall in the CVF, the source for VOCA dollars. The Act would redirect funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA) into the CVF through Fiscal Year (FY) 2029.
In 2025 National CASA/GAL coordinated outreach to Congress in support of the CVFSA. Thank you for your participation which made Congress aware of the importance of VOCA funding for the children and youth served by CASA/GAL programs across the county.
We are pleased to share that the CVFSA, with over 300 House co-sponsors, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, January 12. The bill will now be considered by the U.S. Senate.
If enacted, this temporary infusion of resources will help stabilize the CVF, while retaining the Fund’s original intent of being financed by federal legal fines and fees, not taxpayer dollars. More importantly, this legislation will give victim assistance programs, including hundreds of CASA and GAL programs across the country, the support necessary to help keep their operations running.
In other positive news, the final federal budget bill for FY 2026 sets the VOCA cap at $1.95 billion. This is a welcome increase, up from the current (FY 2025) level of $1.353 billion.
