Frequently Asked Questions

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov or JustGrants technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the Office of Justice Programs Response Center at [email protected] within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline.

Applicants must submit their application electronically. OVC will not accept paper submissions.

If you applied for victim compensation through your state victim compensation program and have any questions, including information about the status of your claim, contact your state victim compensation program directly. A list of state victim compensation programs is available on our Help in Your State page.

Visit the OVC Help for Victims microsite to find additional information and referrals which may also assist you.

Ribbons for NCVRW are not available to order from OVC. Please visit the NCVRW section of our website to view the theme colors. These color codes will be helpful when ordering ribbons from an arts and crafts distributor.

Information on the phenomenon known as the "cycle of violence," in which a childhood history of physical abuse may lead the survivor to be more likely to commit violence in later years, is available in the National Institute of Justice resources:

• Pathways Between Child Maltreatment and Adult Criminal Involvement
• Effects of Child Maltreatment, Cumulative Victimization Experiences, and Proximal Life Stress on Adult Crime and Antisocial Behavior
• An Update on the Cycle of Violence
• Childhood Victimization: Early Adversity, Later Psychopathology

To learn more, visit the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence, a series of publications funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Information on police response to victims with disabilities is available in the OVC Victims with Disabilities: Collaborative, Multidisciplinary First Response (DVD and Guidebook). For additional information, visit the Victims with Disabilities section of our website.

Information about drug-facilitated sexual assault can be found in Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces, an article in the National Institute of Justice Journal.

Additional information about drug-facilitated rape/sexual assaults is available in the National Institute of Justice-sponsored resource Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study.

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) is a depressant drug that is sometimes used in to perpetrate crimes, such as sexual assaults and rapes. Information about its use in drug-facilitated rape/sexual assault can be found in the following National Institute of Justice (NIJ) produced resources—

• Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces,
• Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study, and
• Estimate of the Incidence of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault in the U.S.

Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) is a depressant drug that is sometimes used in to perpetrate crimes, such as sexual assaults and rapes. Information about its use in drug-facilitated rape/sexual assault can be found in the following National Institute of Justice publications—

• Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces,
• Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study, and
• Estimate of the Incidence of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault in the U.S.

The National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations: Adults/Adolescents, Second Edition provides detailed guidelines for criminal justice and health care practitioners in responding to the immediate needs of sexual assault victims.

Additional information is available on the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Technical Assistance website. Please also visit the Office on Violence Against Women website for additional information.

The Federal Trade Commission's IdentityTheft.gov website can help you report identity theft and find resources to help you recover.

For additional information, visit the Identity Theft topic page on our site.