Audit Hits Crime Victim Project

Long delays and poor management are costing California crime victims rightful benefits from the state’s $34-million compensation fund, a state audit determined Tuesday, in apparent confirmation of earlier legislative findings.

Gov. George Deukmejian blamed the delays on a major increase in the number of crime victims applying for aid but promised to fix the problem.

“I’m sorry to say there has been unnecessary delays in terms of the processing of claims that had been filed,” Deukmejian told a meeting of Associated Press editors in Sacramento. “I regret that the situation developed as it did, but all I can tell you is that we’ve taken action and we’re correcting it.”

Urges Changes

The 70-page report of the state auditor general recommended major changes in the way the program is run by the state Board of Control, including adding more staff to speed up work.

In response, Board of Control Chairman W. J. Anthony blamed most of the problems on the rapid growth of the program. The number of claims filed by crime victims jumped from 10,000 in fiscal 1982-83 to more than 32,000 last year.

“We wish to state categorically that the Board of Control is addressing all the issues in your report and will mobilize all required resources to correct the problems . . . in a timely fashion,” Anthony wrote to Auditor General Thomas W. Hayes.

The auditor general’s report followed a study last fall by the state Department of General Services and a highly critical hearing Nov. 12 by the Senate judiciary subcommittee on victims’ rights.

Many of the same problems highlighted in the report were brought out in the earlier studies.

Under California law, victims of crimes can be reimbursed for medical care, lost wages, funeral expenses and some other costs with money that comes primarily from fines and penalties levied on convicted criminals.

The law requires the Board of Control to pay or deny each claim within an average of 90 days of filing. But, according to the study, it actually takes an average of 231 days for a decision to be reached.

Financial Hardship

“Because the board takes so long to reimburse claimants for their losses, the board has unnecessarily subjected some claimants to financial hardship,” the study said.

The report said that claims for emergency assistance, which are supposed to be handled even more quickly, also are taking far too long to resolve and, in some cases, are being denied without the victims being aware that they can appeal.

Controls intended to ensure that only legitimate claims are paid and that local agencies that provide assistance to the Board of Control are not overpaid, also are inadequate, the report said.

The auditors blamed some local agencies, which verify the legitimacy of claims for the Board of Control, for adding to the delays because of a heavy backlog.