The OVC Center for VOCA Administrators

The OVC Center for VOCA Administrators provides no cost training and technical assistance to Victim Assistance and Victim Compensation Administrators and offers opportunities for expert consultation, peer-to-peer collaboration, problem-solving, training, and innovation.

A resource library features toolkits, videos, and other materials to strengthen victim assistance and compensation programs and services. VOCA Administrators can request training and technical assistance by email at [email protected] or phone at 202-480-5551.
 

Grants Financial Management Training

This OJP training is a requirement for the points of contact and financial points of contact of an OVC award. You can take a 24-module online training or register for a 2-day in-person training.
 

Putting the Pieces Together: OVC FY24 Grantee Orientation

This webinar will help award recipients gain a greater understanding of OVC’s mission, key grant award documents, the terms and conditions of their award, the obligation to comply with federal requirements, and available grant and victim services resources.
 

Understanding Your Award Special Conditions Webinar

This webinar provides grantees with knowledge and resources on the variety of special conditions that must be met to successfully manage their OVC grant award(s).

Programmatic Points of Contact and Financial Points of Contact for all OVC discretionary grantees and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Assistance and Compensation formula administrators are encouraged to view the webinar.
 

Grant Award Audit Process Webinar

The Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice conducts audits of OVC grants to ensure that award recipients are complying with applicable statutes and are accomplishing the goals of the awards. Watch a five-part Grant Award Audit Process Webinar for an overview of the grant audit lifecycle.
 

Guide to Completing Financial Status Reports (SF-425) for VOCA Victim Compensation Grantees

This guide provides line-by-line guidance to victim compensation grantees when completing their quarterly federal financial reports.
 

Victim Compensation Certification: Best Practices in Completing the Form

This webinar is designed to help state victim compensation program staff learn how to accurately complete the Victim Compensation Certification form and use appropriate accounting principles to keep track of expenses.

• View the presentation.
• View the transcript.

New Match Waiver Spreadsheet Webinar

This webinar provides information for VOCA administrators about OVC’s match waiver policy and how to complete the match waiver spreadsheet. This webinar was hosted by The OVC Center for VOCA Administrators.

View the transcript.
 

A Vision for Equity in Victim Services: What Do the Data Tell Us About the Work Ahead?

OVC and Bureau of Justice Statistics Fellow Heather Warnken, J.D., LL.M. presents her work and vision to ensure equity in victim services in this webinar. Ms. Warnken highlights statistics on racial disparities and violent victimization.

She discusses the need to ensure that programming is in place to reach victims of color and how VOCA assistance and compensation funds, and other discretionary funds, can be used to expand access to justice across all communities.

OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC)

OVC TTAC has a specialist assigned to each state who can assist with specific requests and/or training concerns. OVC encourages Administrators to contact OVC TTAC to learn more about their services and to identify a consultant to assist with their training needs.

Be sure to visit MyVOCA Resources, a dedicated section of the OVC TTAC website for VOCA administrators and other State Administering Agency staff. This site links you to your state’s regional training and technical assistance specialist to learn more about customized training or technical assistance for your state.

The site also offers direct access to resources, like plain language compensation materials and information about the mentoring programs, created to help you administer crime victim compensation and respond better to the needs of VOCA subgrantees.

You can find recordings of the virtual Q&A sessions for VOCA Administrators, facilitated by representatives from OVC and the OJP Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and Office of Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). These sessions include—

• VOCA Rule FAQ updates,
• Useful information on effective management of VOCA funds,
• An opportunity for administrators to present questions to OVC, and
• A forum to provide feedback to OVC about your needs and challenges as a VOCA Administrator.
   

Office of Justice Programs Territories Financial Support Center

The Office of Justice Programs Territories Financial Support Center (OJP TFSC) provides free customized financial management training and technical assistance to OJP grantees in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to improve financial management of federal awards.

OJP TFSC offers training and technical assistance to grantees covering a variety of financial management topics, including but not limited to—

• policies and procedures surrounding financial infrastructure,
• allowable costs consistent with the principles set out in the Uniform Guidance 2 C.F.R. § 200 and those permitted by the grant program’s authorizing legislation,
• managing internal controls and grant funds, and
• fully implementing cash flow best practices.

Please contact the OJP TFSC Virtual Support Center by email at [email protected] for additional information, questions, requests for resources, or requests for training and technical assistance. We also encourage VOCA Administrators to coordinate and discuss their financial management training and technical assistance needs with their OVC Grant Manager.
 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Online Training

OCR offers training to recipients of Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office on Violence Against Women, and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services funding to assist them in meeting their federal civil rights obligations. As part of its training efforts, OCR developed an online civil rights training curriculum for recipients.

This training, which consists of six segments and accompanying self-tests, is designed to provide recipients with an overview of applicable nondiscrimination laws and the general civil rights obligations that are tied to grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice.

OCR offers this online version of its training program to ensure that recipients who are unable to participate in an in-person training session can still receive valuable technical assistance.
 

OVC Tribal Financial Management Center

The OVC Tribal Financial Management Center provides financial management training, technical assistance, and resources to support American Indian and Alaska Native communities as they successfully manage the financial aspects of their federal awards.

Financial specialists are available to provide services at no cost to Tribal grantees.

Services available from the Center include, but are not limited to—

• support the financial management and reporting requirements of their OVC award,
• individualized financial training and technical assistance, and
• financial needs assessments.

We encourage VOCA Administrators to share information about these services with their Tribal subgrantees. Request onsite technical assistance or virtual assistance by email at [email protected] or phone at 703-462-6900.
 

Performance Measurement Trainings

The recorded webinars below provide training on definitions of VOCA Victim Compensation and VOCA Victim Assistance performance measures; reporting deadlines; and how to access, navigate, enter data, and generate performance measure reports in OVC’s online Performance Measurement Tool. For PMT user guides and other data collection resources, please visit the Need Help? page within the PMT system.  

Victim Compensation Performance Measurement Tool User Training 

This OVC webinar provides guidance for reporting on the required performance measures for the Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance formula grant program. 

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• View the transcript.
   

Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grantee User Training

This OVC webinar provides guidance for reporting on the required performance measures for the Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance formula grant program. 

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Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grantee User Training: Targeted Guidance

This OVC webinar provides Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance formula grantees with a more in-depth guidance on PMT system reporting beyond the overview user training. 

View the presentation and transcript.