The Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) awarded an $8.3 million grant to the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) in order to support victims of the tragic Las Vegas shooting that took place in October 2017.
According to CalVCB...
• 65 percent of the 24,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival were California residents.
• More than 600 Californians were injured in the attack.
• 35 of the 58 killed were from California.
“Thousands of California residents were present that day, and hundreds of them seriously wounded,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said. “Immediately after the shooting, we began working with officials from California and Nevada to meet the needs of victims, their families, first responders, and the community.”
To date, CalVCB has had 3,000 applications for assistance. The board has paid out over $4.5 million in benefits for mental health treatment, income loss, burial costs and other crime-related expenses. The federal grant will partially reimburse the state board for money already paid out in benefits. The remainder will be used for survivors' future needs.
“This tragic event affected so many people from both California and Nevada. From the beginning we’ve worked hand-in-hand with Nevada officials, and with our state, county and community partners to provide assistance to survivors,” CalVCB Executive Officer Julie Nauman said in a statement. “We encourage survivors and their family members who are struggling to recover to contact us.”
Last year, the DOJ awarded more than $16.7 million for Route 91 survivors.
Californians who believe they are eligible for assistance through CalVCB have until October 1, 2020 to apply for benefits.