What types of assistance are available?

This may include imaging, medical treatment and prescription medication. These services must be provided by an approved practitioner.

For example, dental fees to fix a broken tooth which resulted from the violence or surgery to correct damage to a victim-survivors jaw and teeth.

This does not include secondary expenses. For example, if your client grinds their teeth as a result of the anxiety they developed from the violence, related dental expenses will be considered a secondary expense and will not be covered by Victim Assist.

Victim Assist will only pay out of pocket expenses. This means they will not pay reimburse someone for treatment that was paid by Medicare or their private health insurance.

A report may be required to support the Victim Assist application, for example a special primary victim report or reporting to show the extent of an injury.

If payment is required to access this report, this expense can be covered by Victim Assist.

Victim Assist will pay for 12 counselling or psychology sessions.

If more than 12 sessions are needed, a health practitioner can provide a report to Victim Assist with a recommendation for further sessions. These sessions must be provided by an approved practitioner.

If a victim-survivor needs to travel to receive medical treatment or counselling, Victim Assist may cover their travel expenses where:

• they travel more than 20km one way or more then 150km in one week from their home or workplace for the appointment; and
• there was no suitable treatment closer to their home or workplace; and
• they used a reasonable mode of transportation for their circumstances.

Victim Assist may cover the cost of this accommodation to attend medical appointments. This is particularly relevant for individuals who live in a remote community and need to travel to access medical expenses.

If the clothes the victim-survivor was wearing during the act of violence, were damaged or lost, or if clothing was kept by police as evidence, Victim Assist may reimburse the cost to replace this clothing.

It is not required that the exact cost of the damaged clothing is known, an approximate cost can be provided. However, if you are claiming more than $1,000 for clothing you will need to provide quotes or receipts.

Victim Assist will not reimburse clothing expenses that were not worn during an act of violence.  For example, a person who had to flee their home because of domestic violence cannot have the clothing they left behind in their wardrobe replaced.

If a client has lost income as a result of the violence, they may be able to claim the loss of income that is directly related to their experience of violence, such as having to take unpaid leave from work to seek medical treatment or to attend court. If a person stops working because of the violence, they can also claim their loss of earnings.

It must be shown that the person was working at the time of the violence to have loss of income reimbursed.  For example, if a victim-survivor is not working when a domestic violence relationship starts, starts working during the relationship, and then has to stop working as a result of the violent relationship, Victim Assist may not pay for their loss of earnings.

Victim Assist will only reimburse loss of income for the first two years after the violence.

Claiming loss of earnings can be complex and you may want to obtain legal advice for the community member.  If the community member cannot return to work due to an injury they have experienced during the violence, they may have other options outside of Victim Assist, that they should get legal advice about.

If a person needs to access legal assistance to submit their Victim Assist application, up to $500 of the legal fees for the work to apply to Victim Assist can be reimbursed by Victim Assist.

Victim Assist will not reimburse other legal expenses relating to the violence. For example, the cost of Family Court proceedings following the breakdown of a domestic violence relationship will not be paid by Victim Assist.

If the victim-survivor was supported by a free community legal service, like LawRight, to apply to Victim Assist, they do not incur legal expenses and will not be able to claim the cost of legal assistance.

Victim Assist may reimburse furniture and whitegoods where a person had to flee their home due to violence and cannot return to collect their items. Victim Assist will only reimburse up to the maximum amounts allowable for each item, which are:

• Fridge: $1,000
• Washing machine: $1,000 for one person, or $1,300 for a family
• Television: $1,000
• Vacuum cleaner: $250
• Toaster and kettle: $250
• Microwave: $250
• Lounge suite or sofa: $1,500
• Bed and mattress (one per person): $2,700 (queen); $1,000 (single); $1,650 (bunks); $500 (cot)
• Dining table and chairs: $1,500
• Desk and Chair: $400
• Furniture to store clothing and belongings: $350 (per adult); $250 (per child)
• Linen (bedding and towels): $400 per adult; $250 per child
• Equipment for cooking and serving food (e.g. pots and pans, dinner sets, glassware, cutlery): $600

It is recommended that you submit a reimbursement request as soon as possible after the act of violence. If you apply for reimbursement a long time after the violence occurred, the victim-survivor may need to provide information about the delay and why they need to purchase these items so long after the violence occurred.

A common justification is because a person was couch surfing after fleeing violence and did not need to make furniture and white goods purchases until they have found housing.

If a victim-survivors has to leave their home as a result of the violence, Victim Assist may pay up to $200 a night for three months for emergency accommodation.

Victim Assist will not pay for expenses that have not yet been incurred, such as future nights at a hotel.  This means in most circumstances, victim-survivors, will need to pay for their accommodation upfront and then seek a reimbursement from Victim Assist.

It is important to explain this to victim-survivors so they can plan how they will pay for emergency accommodation while waiting for a reimbursement.

If a victim-survivor has had to flee their home as a result of the violence, Victim Assist may cover relocation expenses. This includes storage fees and moving trucks.

Victim Assist will usually only provide security OR relocation expenses, unless exceptional circumstances apply, such as where a victim-survivor is being stalked by the person who harmed them.

Victim Assist may pay for security expenses for the person’s place of business or residence, e.g. security cameras or changing locks. This may be provided to re-establish personal safety after the act of violence.

Victim Assist will usually only provide security OR relocation expenses, unless exceptional circumstances apply, such as where a victim-survivor is being stalked by the person who harmed them.