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Victimized twice? State crime victims program spends oodles on itself
December 12th, 2008, 6:30 am · 10 Comments · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer
California’s Victim Compensation Program began with the best of intentions - furnishing medical, mental health and other services to victims of rape, robbery, domestic violence, child abuse, drunk driving and other horrors suffered at the hands of criminals.
What’s that they say about good intentions…?
The California State Auditor dug into the well-meaning program’s finances and issued a report this week finding that:
- Despite a tremendous 50 percent dive in compensation payments to victims over four years (from $123.9 million to $61.6 million)
- The cost of running the program rose, sucking up a significant portion of ”Restitution Fund” disbursements (ranging from 26 percent to 42 percent annually).
In 2006-07, the program cost $49.4 million to run - and disbursed just $74.9 million for victim services.
Yikes. Any charity spending so much on itself, rather than those it exists to help, could expect to be roasted in this space.
Auditors are apparently diplomatic sorts by nature. The California State Auditor suggested that the board administering this program set concrete goals correlating compensation payments to what it costs to run the program, “to maximize assistance to victims and their families.”
In its response, the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board agreed that was a nifty idea, and say they’re working on it. An excerpt from the board’s response to the audit, as well as a chart showing the rising costs of running the program, are below.
This from Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board Executive Julie Nauman:
Your report identified many of the challenges the VCP must balance to provide the most responsive service to California victims of crime. One such challenge is the VCP does not directly control incoming workload or the collection of the Restitution Fund revenue that primarily funds the program. Additionally, as the audit points out, many of the services VCP provides do not result in payments to victims but do provide needed outreach, customer service, due process, partnerships that promote revenue, and cost‑containment. Many of the concerns addressed in the audit are issues we previously identified during our strategic planning process this past year. Implementation of the board’s strategic plan has included the creation of eight near‑term action strategies and the subsequent development of project charters for each of the strategies. Each charter includes a work plan which specifies the tasks and due dates to meet the objectives of the action strategy. As we move forward with this process, we expect to resolve the issues identified in the report.
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Thanks for shining the light on this.
Any way to pull out the costs of what they say they were doing–providing services that didn’t all result in payments which I understand could be helpful and do cost money–to determine how much of it was really doing some good?
Also I notice that some of the items are foot noted but the foot notes are not included. Like the 10% rebate program, whatever that is.
And maybe more explanation of what those categories mean might help.
I do note that administrative jumped the last 2 reporting periods.
gaaaaaaaaaaaaahd, does it EVER end? and people wonder why the state is broke, and make stupid remarks like we should all just suck it up and pay more in taxes. WHY??? to allow garbage like this to continue?
our state was never bankrupt before, really never had these problems in the good ol’ days when we had legislators with a little bit of common sense, and governors who could get their attention. sure money was “tight” now and then during periodic recessions, and you know what government did? THEY MADE THE NECESSARY CUTS, instead of proposing to spend more on waste. while across-the-board isn’t very creative, it’s important to find the waste happening at every level of government, since it’s the only way it’s going to work! cut food stamps, cut fat cat benefits & salaries to respectable levels, cut the number of jobs to where they should be to support the cuts in services, and cut useless programs like this one.
POLITICIANS, FIGURE IT OUT! OR VOTER REVOLT
So, the program basically uses up 40% of its budget on administrative costs?
And this country just voted to INCREASE government?
Any private enterprise running with those inefficiencies wouldn’t survive!
I’d like to see an Audit on each state government and the U.S. government. Of course, such an audit would be so costly as to be self-defeating.
Readers: There is always a back story — VCGCB has over the past few years undertaken a huge new IT project to bring their claims processing into the 21st century. An effort like that costs a pretty penny– perhaps the increase in its expenditures might be attributed that? To boot, the new system, in its infancy, slowed down claims payments.
There is also a backstory to why payouts plummeted from a high of 123 million, but I’m sure that the audit did not get that information.
VCGCB has its warts for sure—but if you want to zero in on one thing let it be the union stranglehold and perpetuation of some of the belligerent employees.
The VCGCB is funded through non-tax sources. In fact, the Governor took some $50 million from its surplus last year to support this year’s budget. The annual expenditures don’t give a true picture, because in different years, the program catches up its backlog. When the Davis administration came into the program, there was an enormous backlog of unpaid claims. That, along with targetted outreach and improved processing, caused the surge in payments. In calendar year 2008, there was again a backlog of claims, and it shows as increased expenditures from the program, but it is not - it is simply paying victims and their services providers late - often a year or more after the expense is incurred. Obviously, it is not acceptable to spend 40 cents of each dollar generated on victims to get the remainder out the door. But what is acceptable, and how can it be enforced?
What is an acceptable cost and how do you enforce it? You have to be kidding me.
1. Have the program hire CPA’s to monitor the program’s day to day operations. Each “auditor” is on staff for three years and replaced with new blood. Say they need 10 CPAs. Every year replace three and hire three for new three year terms.They can be their own watchdogs on each other. Make it a felony with mandatory 10 years for graft.
2. Hire 25 investigators to confirm claims and/or have the chief investigator of the crime verify the needs. These are crime victims right?
Volunteers are good. The Orange County Sheriff has hundreds of volunteers at it’s disposal. Many are retired managers and business folks. Lot’s are retired sworn officers. Ask them to do the grunt work. Make it rewarding, such an award for public service, and you will find plenty of help. Especially if you advertise it saves tax dollars.
Here is a prime example of government double-speak taken from the end of the quote…
“……….included the creation of eight near‑term action strategies and the subsequent development of project charters for each of the strategies. Each charter includes a work plan which specifies the tasks and due dates to meet the objectives of the action strategy. As we move forward with this process, we expect to resolve the issues identified in the report.”
There is enough hogwash in there to paint a whole herd of pigs. What a bunch of gobbly gook jaw flappin. Enough with the meetings and HR reviews and consultants and weekend retreats. Those folks are there to perform a service. Get it done.
If I ran a charitable organization, which is what this really is, I’d deserve to be jailed right next to some Enron executive. Since these folks are running a government department, meant to help victims, at a cost of 40%, then that is proof enough for me that our State budget has a waste level of 30%. Our state budget shortage of 40.1 Billion could be covered in two years by cutting the 30% waste.
How can these folks sleep at night? They are crooks!!
Just close this office, prosecute those who violated the law, and move on. In this environment of corrupt politicians and bureaucracy what can we really expect?
Ruduce gov staff levels by at least 50%, less tax money would be needed and more private sector jobs would be created. Most gov departments become a little cottage industry in existence only to maintain their job and think of ways to spend money, like what this dept is doing.
I am the only survivor of the freeway killer.
He kidnapd and raped me.
I was forced to testify against him on national tv.
I was never ofered any kind of help from them.
If I did not get anything after what I went thrue.
Close them down, They are either miss directed or they just don’t care.
I am the only survivor from the freeway killer
I was never offerd any help from anyone.
I was raped strangled with a crow bar and my tshirt.
Then I had to testify on national TV
Where are they ? Not a word. If i do not deserve help them who does?
What good are they? Close them down they have not done anything for me and seriously isn’t that what they are here for?