Compensation for crime victims and witnesses in Puerto Rico

It is a Department of Justice fund that pays, within fixed caps, medical, psychological, funeral, relocation and legal expenses to victims of certain violent crimes and their families, when those expenses are not covered by another insurance or program. It does not replace a civil lawsuit against the aggressor, but it can help while that route proceeds or when it is not viable.

Every victim of murder, aggravated murder, negligent homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping of minors, domestic violence, child abuse, aggravated assault, lewd acts, aggravated robbery with bodily harm, aggravated arson, illegal appropriation when the victim is 65 or older, or human trafficking — or their attempts — as well as equivalent federal crimes committed within Puerto Rico's jurisdiction. Also eligible to claim: relatives up to the second degree who resided with the victim; people who depended on the victim for more than 50% of their subsistence expenses; secondary victims (witnesses to a violent crime who suffer psychological harm); and, for funeral expenses, whoever incurred the expense regardless of kinship. Law enforcement officers, firefighters or other public employees whose function is public safety, and their families, cannot claim for harm suffered while performing those functions.

• Report the commission of the crime to law enforcement officials within the next ninety-six (96) hours of the incident, unless there is good cause for the delay.Verified against the official source
• Cooperate with authorities in clarifying and prosecuting the crime; in sexual-abuse cases, going to a hospital and undergoing a forensic medical exam is considered sufficient cooperation, with no need to file a complaint.Verified against the official source
• Claim the benefits with the Office within one (1) year following the date the crime was committed, unless there is good cause; if the victim is a minor and their parent or guardian does not claim on their behalf, the deadline starts running when they reach the age of majority.Verified against the official source

• A written compensation application, on the form the Office prepares, accompanied by all documentation and evidence related to the benefits claimed.

1. 1

   Step 1: Report the crime within ninety-six hours

   This is the first eligibility requirement, and it has a short clock: report to law enforcement within ninety-six (96) hours of the incident, absent good cause for the delay (Art. 8(a)).

2. 2

   Step 2: In sexual-abuse cases, the forensic exam alone counts as cooperation

   The law says it expressly: "it shall not be necessary, as a condition for paying the hospital for the forensic medical exam, that the sexual-abuse victim file a complaint against the aggressor, nor shall subsequent cooperation be required as a condition for that payment" (Art. 8(b)).

3. 3

   Step 3: File the claim within one year

   The deadline to claim the Office's benefits is one (1) year from the crime's date, absent good cause. If you are a minor and no one claimed on your behalf, the deadline starts when you reach the age of majority (Art. 8(c)).

4. 4

   Step 4: Know the caps by expense category

   Medical expenses: no specific cap except for catastrophic permanent harm, up to $25,000 including temporary relocation; the forensic medical exam is paid directly to the hospital up to $700. Psychological treatment: up to $1,000 per claimant. Relocation: up to $3,500, with $2,000 more for domestic-violence victims for housing, water, electricity and clothing. Funeral expenses: up to $3,000. Legal expenses: up to $1,500. Crime-scene cleanup: up to $1,000. The overall maximum is $6,000 per individual or $15,000 per family unit (Art. 10).

5. 5

   Step 5: Expect a deduction for any other insurance that already paid you

   The Office must deduct any other benefit or indemnification you already received or are in the process of receiving for the same damages: from the accused, from federal or state funds, from Social Security (including Medicare and Medicaid), from private insurance, from employer or disability insurance (Art. 11).

6. 6

   Step 6: If denied, you can seek reconsideration

   Any claimant who disagrees with the Director's decision may request reconsideration, and from there, judicial review, both under the procedure the Office's regulation sets (Art. 13).

Before the Office of Compensation and Services to Crime Victims and Witnesses, under the Puerto Rico Department of Justice.

• Letting the ninety-six hours to report the crime pass without documented good cause.
• Waiting more than a year to claim with the Office.
• Believing a sexual-abuse victim must file a complaint to get the forensic exam paid: the law expressly says otherwise.
• Not mentioning other insurance or benefits already received: the Office deducts them anyway, and omitting them can expose you to the false-information penalty.
• Thinking human trafficking is not covered: Act 121-2026 expressly added it to the list of compensable crimes.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Justicia de Puerto Rico

  Justicia

  bvirtualogp.pr.gov