Claim recovery expenses from Victim Assist Queensland—part B
This form is for victims to claim additional recovery expenses as part of their financial assistance from Victim Assist Queensland.
If you haven’t already, you must complete the financial assistance application form before you submit this one.
You could have submitted any one of these forms:
- online form for primary or related victims
- primary victim financial assistance application (form 1)
- related victim financial assistance application (form 7)
- parent secondary victim financial assistance application (form 8)
- witness secondary victim financial assistance application (form 7).
You only need to fill in the initial form once, but you can fill in this form each time you need to claim new expenses.
You can submit this one immediately after completing the initial form if you are ready or come back later if you don’t know the details yet. If you (or your parent or guardian) cannot fill in this form, or if you cannot provide a document we’ve asked for, phone us for advice. We may be able to use an alternative process.
Phone 1300 546 587 (9.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays).
General claim conditions
We can only consider reasonable recovery expenses directly linked to the acts of violence you specified in your initial application form.
Expenses
Every expense will be assessed and we cannot guarantee payment until the expense has been approved.
If the expense is approved, we will send you a notice of decision telling you what we have agreed to pay for. We may place conditions on the grant. These will also be specified in the notice.
You don’t have to include all your expenses now. You can add new expenses as they come up later. More details will be included in the notice of decision.
Supporting documents
Supporting documents that confirm the cost are required for most expenses.
If you have copies of receipts and other documents about your expenses, you should submit them with this application. This may mean we can assess the expense sooner.
If you know what you want to claim, but don’t have the supporting documents yet, you can still list the expense. You can send your supporting documents to us later.
Ineligible expenses
Regardless of the type of crime you have suffered or your personal circumstances, we cannot pay for houses or vehicles (purchase, painting, or any repairs which are not required to secure the property). There are no exceptions.
Claim-specific conditions and supporting documents
Other conditions are based on the type of expense you are claiming. Click on the headings below to find out more.
You can claim appointments with a trained, registered and insured:
- psychologist
- social worker
- clinical counsellor
- psychotherapist.
You can also claim counselling report expenses.
Ask your counsellor to explain what their fees are and how much, if any, you will need to pay yourself. We call this amount the gap. This is the amount that isn’t covered by Medicare or your private health cover.
We can only pay out of pocket expenses (the gap) up to the amount specified in our table of costs.
Supporting documents
You can upload photos or scanned copies of your treatment plan and any receipts or invoices you have, or you can ask your counsellor to email them to VictimAssist@justice.qld.gov.au.
If you need to attend further appointments, you can ask your counsellor to send your invoice to us after each appointment.
Scheme of last resort
We cannot pay for things that can be paid for by:
- other government schemes (e.g. Medicare, National Disability Insurance Scheme)
- other government departments (e.g. Queensland Health, Child Safety Services) or government-funded victim support services. These are sometimes called free services because the government provides them
- an insurance scheme (e.g. workers’ compensation, health insurance, travel insurance).
You should submit other claims first, where possible, or it may delay our assessment process.
More information
Learn more about claiming counselling expenses.
You can claim:
- appointments with registered health practitioners
- medical treatments, diagnostic tests, medications, wound dressings and medical aids that your health practitioner requires or prescribes
- medical reports that your health practitioner or claim assessor requires
- medical aids (e.g. prescription glasses, hearing aids, mobility aids) that were damaged or lost during the violence or kept by police as evidence (primary victims only).
Ask your health practitioner to explain what their fees are and how much, if any, you will need to pay yourself. We call this amount the gap. This is the amount that isn’t covered by Medicare or your private health cover.
We can only pay out of pocket expenses (the gap) up to the amount specified in our table of costs.
Supporting documents
You can upload photos or scanned copies of your treatment plan and any receipts or invoices you have, or you can ask your health practitioner to email them to VictimAssist@justice.qld.gov.au.
If you’re claiming appointments you haven’t been to yet, you can ask your health practitioner to send your invoice to us after each appointment.
Scheme of last resort
We cannot pay for things that can be paid for by:
- other government schemes (e.g. Medicare, National Disability Insurance Scheme, National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland, Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme).
- other government departments (e.g. Queensland Health, Queensland Ambulance Service, Child Safety Services). These are sometimes called free services because the government provides them
- an insurance scheme (e.g. workers’ compensation, health insurance, travel insurance).
You should submit other claims first, where possible, or it may delay our assessment process.
More information
Learn more about claiming medical expenses.
We may be able to pay for replacement clothing if the clothes you were wearing at the time of the violence were:
- damaged or lost during the violence
- kept by police as evidence.
Exact costs aren’t needed. Proof of purchase is only required if you’re claiming more than $1,000 (total) for clothing.
You can claim any clothing that you were wearing. For example:
- shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, shoes, socks, underwear, hats, helmets and belts
- special religious clothing such as head coverings
- special work clothing that wasn’t replaced by your employer.
You cannot claim:
- accessories (e.g. jewellery)
- bags
- things you were carrying in your hand, bag or pockets (e.g. damaged phones or stolen money).
Learn more about claiming damage to clothing.
Primary victims, related victims, parent secondary victims and people who witness fatal violence can claim some legal expenses.
The lawyer must provide an invoice for you to include with this claim.
You can claim up to $500 (total) to pay for:
- advice from a legal practitioner about applying for financial assistance
- completing an application (which includes providing supporting evidence)
- legal representation for your application (i.e. asking a lawyer to submit it on your behalf).
You cannot claim any other legal fees.
Learn more about claiming legal expenses for your application.
Primary victims can claim up to $20,000 for loss of earnings if you:
- had to take time off work within 2 years of the date of the violence
- took this time off, or could not return to work, because of the violence
- were formally employed when the violence was committed or had a formal contract to start working
and
- earned less than before the violence or couldn’t earn anything because of the violence.
You cannot claim:
- informal work (e.g. ‘cash-in-hand’ income)
- paid sick leave
- lost superannuation contributions
- business income.
In exceptional circumstances, parent secondary victims and people who witness fatal violence can also claim loss of earnings. Refer to your original application form for more details.
Supporting documents
At the end of this form, we will ask you to upload several supporting documents about your loss of earnings.
If you don’t have the supporting documents you need right now, you can still apply for loss of earnings now and send the documents later. If you can include them with this application, we may be able to assess your loss of earnings claim sooner.
Your documents will need to confirm:
- why you couldn’t work. If you took time off
- to recover from injuries, provide documents confirming why you couldn’t work and how long you were unable to work for (e.g. a medical certificate or a letter from your health practitioner)
- to attend medical, police or court appointments, provide proof that you attended the appointment (e.g. a letter or other document from the medical centre, police or court)
- because your ability to work was reduced by the act of violence, provide documents confirming your ability to work and how long it was reduced for (e.g. a medical certificate or letter your health practitioner and payslips)
- because you were unable to work due to the act of violence, provide documents confirming why you couldn’t work and how long you were unable to work for (e.g. a medical certificate or letter from your health practitioner)
- your income (what you normally earn and what you did earn) immediately before the act of violence. This could be 4 weeks of payslips, an annual tax statement or a letter from your tax accountant
- when you didn’t work and your leave balances. Provide document(s) from your employer stating the hours you worked (if any), what you were paid, the leave you took, and if you had any leave entitlements. This could be payslips showing time off work, a pay summary that shows your leave, or a letter from your employer if relevant
- your separation from your employer if you had to resign because of the violence. You can provide a copy of your separation certificate or a letter from your employer to confirm you have resigned
- any other income, where relevant, including any other income or financial assistance you received while not working or while working less. This could be Centrelink statements, income protection insurance, other payslips, or tax statements.
More information
Learn more about claiming loss of earnings.
You may be able to claim a dependency payment (up to $20,000 per dependant) if you were a financial dependant of the deceased person.
For us, a financial dependant is a person who was (or would have been) entirely or largely dependent on the deceased person’s income at the time of their death.
You may have been their partner, child (born or unborn) or another type of dependant.
Supporting documents
At the end of this form, we will ask you to upload several supporting documents about your financial dependence.
If you don’t have the supporting documents you need yet, you can still apply for a dependency payment now and send the documents later. However, if you can include them with this application, we may be able to assess the dependency payment sooner.
Your documents need to confirm both:
- that you entirely or largely depended on the deceased to support you financially
- the amount of financial support you were likely to receive in the 2 years after the person’s death.
They could include:
- documents showing your relationship to the deceased (e.g. birth certificate)
- proof of joint bank accounts or shared household bills
- bank statements showing regular payments from the deceased person
- Centrelink or child support documents
- tax returns for yourself and the deceased person
- evidence of expenses the deceased paid for you (e.g. receipts for school fees, uniforms)
- bank statements or receipts that show the deceased person regularly paid expenses for you (e.g. school fees, sports club fees)
- other documents that show financial dependence.
More information
Learn more about claiming dependency payments.
We may be able to pay up to $15,000 for funeral expenses.
Related victims can add funeral expenses to their related victim application. We may also be able pay for some additional costs under other recovery expenses.
If you are not a related victim, but you are the person who is paying for the funeral, you can apply for funeral assistance using the funeral assistance application form.
Learn more about claiming funeral expenses.
Primary and related victims can claim some other recovery expenses. They must:
- be directly linked to the acts of violence you specified in your initial application form
and
- significantly help your recovery.
In exceptional circumstances, parent secondary victims and people who witness fatal violence can also claim these expenses.
We may not be able to cover the full cost.
There are maximum limits on most items, as specified on:
Standard expenses
We can usually consider expenses relating to:
- crime scene cleaning (special forensic cleaning that is done for hygiene reasons)
- cultural recovery, such as return to country, cleansing ceremonies, travel for elders to provide cultural support or conduct ceremonies, therapeutic workshops (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander victims only)
- emergency accommodation (up to 3 months)
- personal security devices (duress alarm or a basic internet capable mobile phone)
- relocation expenses if you had to move for recovery or safety reasons. This can include moving and/or storing your belongings, and travel costs for household members (people and pets)
- security expenses for safety or recovery reasons (lighting, screens, doors, alarms, cameras, locks and repairs to re-establish security only)
- special travel to make applications, purchase approved goods, and access services (only for victims living in Queensland outback or on islands not connected to the mainland by road)
- some other expenses.
After a homicide
For related victims, we can usually consider expenses related to:
- additional costs associated with funerals and memorials (repatriating the deceased person for their funeral; cremation or burial; and/or the purchase of an urn, wall memorial, plaque and tombstone)
- cultural recovery expenses for returning to country for sorry business (for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander victims only)
- remote funeral costs if the funeral is held in a remote community—expenses that are not invoiced through a traditional funeral provider, such as venue hire and travel expenses for officiating persons (only for related victims living in Queensland outback or on islands not connected to mainland by road).
Things we will not cover
We never pay for:
- animals (the purchase, training and/or upkeep of protection animals, therapy animals, companion animals or pets)
- housing (purchase costs, mortgage payments, bond, rent) other than for emergency accommodation
- vehicles (purchase, replacement, repairs or repainting)
- replacement of stolen property, general home or business repairs, costs to repair vandalism
- everyday living expenses, such as food, utility bills, school fees, or club and gym memberships
- holidays and retreats.
Supporting documents
You will need to supply supporting documents confirming the cost for most expenses.
You can upload photos or scanned copies of receipts and other documents about your expenses and submit them with this application. This may mean we can assess the expense sooner.
If you know what you want but don’t have the supporting documents yet, you can still tell us about the expense now. You will need to send your supporting documents to us later.
Scheme of last resort
We cannot pay for things that can be paid for by:
- other government schemes or departments (e.g. escaping violence payments, public housing, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Courts)
- an insurance scheme (e.g. homeowners’ insurance).
You should submit other claims first, where possible, or it may delay our assessment process.
More information
Learn more about claiming other recovery expenses.
Urgent assessments
Due to the high number of applications we receive, we cannot predict when your recovery expenses will be decided.
In very limited cases, we may be able to prioritise assessment of an application. This only happens if you need financial assistance for:
- serious, urgent health or safety expenses
or
- funeral expenses.
There is a section in this form for you to tell us what expenses (if any) are urgent and why they are urgent.