	Introduction

Following incidents of terrorism or mass violence in the United States, jurisdictions and individuals may be eligible to receive various types of victim assistance both directly from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and indirectly from DOJ through their respective state victim assistance agencies or other programs. While circumstances in some terrorism or mass violence incidents may make a jurisdiction or organization eligible for assistance from other federal departments, this report focuses solely on assistance available from DOJ's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). As authorized by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the OVC supports several federal programs that may assist victims of terrorism or mass violence. These programs are funded by the Crime Victims Fund (CVF)—an account within the U.S. Treasury that is not funded through traditional appropriations but largely through the collection of federal criminal fines. The Director of the OVC is authorized to set aside $50 million of CVF money in the Antiterrorism Emergency Reserve, which funds OVC-administered programs that support victims of terrorism or mass violence. Grant programs include the victim assistance and victim compensation formula grant programs and the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP). Other programs and operations directly assist victims, including the Victim Assistance Program at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), victim witness assistance at the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys, the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) and the Victim Reunification Travel Program at the OVC, and various supplemental grants to and agreements with agencies and organizations that provide assistance to victims of terrorism or mass violence. Table A-2 includes all other activities funded by the Antiterrorism Emergency Reserve from FY2014 through July 2016.
Following incidents of terrorism or mass violence in the United States, jurisdictions and individuals may be eligible to receive various types of victim assistance both directly from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and indirectly from DOJ through their respective state victim assistance agencies or other programs. While circumstances in some incidents may result in a jurisdiction's eligibility for assistance from other federal departments, such as Department of Education grants awarded to Newtown Public School District in recovery efforts from the Newtown, CT, elementary school shooting, this report focuses solely on assistance available from DOJ's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)—the primary federal assistance available to victims of terrorism or mass violence.
As authorized by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA, P.L. 98-473), the OVC supports several federal programs that may assist victims of terrorism or mass violence. Grant programs include the victim assistance and victim compensation formula grant programs and the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP). Other programs and operations directly assist victims, including the Victim Assistance Program at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), victim witness assistance at the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys, the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP), the Victim Reunification Travel Program, and various supplemental grants to and agreements with agencies and organizations that provide assistance to victims of terrorism or mass violence.
These activities are funded by the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), an account within the U.S. Treasury that is not funded through traditional appropriations but largely through the collection of federal criminal fines. At the end of FY2015, the balance of the CVF was over $12 billion. The Director of the OVC is authorized to set aside $50 million of CVF money in the Antiterrorism Emergency Reserve, which funds operations that support victims of terrorism and mass violence. From FY2014 through July 2016, the OVC has distributed $42.2 million toward activities funded by the Antiterrorism Emergency Reserve in response to incidents including, but not limited to, the Boston Marathon bombing, Newtown school shooting, and Charleston church shooting.