Psychiatric care for crime victims in California — covered by CalVCB
If a violent crime has left you struggling with fear, sleepless nights, or depression, the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) can pay for your psychiatry and therapy related to the crime — telehealth included, at no cost to you. Our board-certified psychiatrists see CalVCB patients across California, usually within a week. We bill the program directly, so approved patients pay nothing out of pocket — no bill, no copay, no reimbursement to chase.
Care the CalVCB program covers with us
Violent crime leaves more than physical injuries. PTSD, anxiety, depression, and insomnia are among the most common — and most treatable — after-effects. Licensed psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses are among CalVCB's authorized mental health providers, and the program reimburses telehealth sessions, so you can be seen from home anywhere in California.
Psychiatric evaluation & medication management
A board-certified psychiatrist evaluates how the crime has affected your sleep, mood, anxiety, and concentration, then prescribes and adjusts medication when it helps — covered by CalVCB as mental health treatment directly related to the crime.
Trauma-focused therapy
Individual therapy for PTSD, acute stress, panic, depression, and grief after an assault, robbery, domestic or sexual violence, human trafficking, or the loss of a loved one to homicide. CalVCB authorizes an initial block of sessions per claimant, with more available through an approved treatment plan.
CalVCB paperwork, handled
CalVCB requires a Mental Health Billing Intake Form, a treatment plan, and itemized CMS-1500 bills with your claim details. We complete and submit all of it for you — including the Additional Treatment Plan when you need sessions beyond the initial limit.
From CalVCB claim to your first appointment
Apply to CalVCB
Apply online at CalVCB Online, by paper form (available in 18 languages), or with a local victim advocate — applying is free. You generally have seven years from the crime to file, with later exceptions.
Book a telehealth appointment
Request an appointment and tell us you're a CalVCB applicant or claimant. Most new patients in California are seen within a week by secure video — no travel, no waiting rooms.
We bill the program, not you
By law CalVCB pays last: if you have insurance we bill it first, and CalVCB can cover what's left — copays, coinsurance, and out-of-network balances — for crime-related care. Approved patients typically pay nothing out of pocket.
Is CalVCB-covered psychiatric care right for you?
Violent crimes the program covers
CalVCB is for victims of violent crime — and their families — when the crime happened in California and was reported to law enforcement. You don't have to be sure you qualify to reach out. Crimes covered include:
- Assault and battery
- Domestic violence
- Sexual assault and rape
- Child abuse
- Human trafficking
- Robbery
- Stalking and harassment
- Kidnapping
- Homicide (family members)
- Driving under the influence
- Hit and run
- Elder abuse and hate crimes
This isn't the full list, and eligibility is decided by CalVCB — not by us. If you're unsure whether your situation qualifies, ask us or a local victim advocate; we'll help you find out.
What CalVCB pays for — and what it won't
Treatment has to be necessary, reasonable, and directly related to the crime. That's the whole test — and it's exactly the kind of care we provide.
- Psychiatric evaluation and medication management (licensed psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse)
- Individual therapy for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and grief
- Family and group therapy
- Telehealth sessions — reimbursed the same as in-person care
- Copays, coinsurance, and out-of-network balances your insurance leaves behind
- Treatment unrelated to the crime
- Missed appointments and administrative charges
- Time spent accompanying you to court hearings
- Treatment related to child-custody issues
Full rules: Mental Health Service Providers and What Is Covered at the California Victim Compensation Board.
See a psychiatrist by video — from anywhere in California
CalVCB covers telehealth sessions under the same rules as in-person care. That matters after a crime: no drive across town, no waiting room, no explaining yourself at a front desk. You meet your psychiatrist or therapist from wherever you feel safe.
We see CalVCB patients in Los Angeles, San Diego, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Fresno — and every rural county in between. If you're anywhere in California, you're in our coverage area.
How to apply for California Victim Compensation
Applying is free, and you don't need a lawyer. A victim advocate — at your local police department, sheriff's office, or district attorney's office — can help you with the application at no cost.
You qualify if you were a California resident at the time of the crime or were victimized in California, and you cooperate with law enforcement (with exceptions for domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and human trafficking). File within seven years of the crime, seven years after a minor victim turns 21, or seven years from when the crime could have been discovered.
Apply through CalVCB Online (in English or Spanish), by paper application (available in 18 languages), or with a local victim advocate at a Victim Witness Assistance Center. Questions? Call CalVCB at (800) 777-9229. Applications can take up to 90 days to process.
You can begin treatment while your application is pending. Tell us you're a CalVCB applicant or claimant when you book: once your claim is approved, we submit the CMS-1500 bills and Mental Health Billing Intake Form the program requires directly to CalVCB.
The conditions crime leaves behind
Most of what victims carry after a crime has a name, a diagnosis, and an evidence-based treatment — and all of it can qualify as crime-related care under CalVCB. Hover a condition to see how we treat it.
Flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and a constant sense of danger long after the event. We use trauma-focused, evidence-based therapy — and medication when it helps — to help your nervous system learn it's safe again.
Learn about PTSD careRacing thoughts, a pounding heart, and panic that shows up without warning. We treat the anxiety that so often follows a crime with therapy and, when appropriate, medication that takes the edge off without dulling you.
Learn about Anxiety careThe heaviness, numbness, and loss of interest that can settle in after trauma. Our psychiatrists and therapists treat crime-related depression together, so both the mood and the memory get care.
Learn about Depression careWhen your body won't let its guard down enough to rest. We address the sleep disruption that trauma causes directly, because sleep is often where recovery either starts or stalls.
Learn about Insomnia careSometimes people cope with what happened the only way they can find. We treat trauma and substance use side by side, without judgment, as part of the same recovery.
Learn about Substance use careFor families who lost someone to homicide or a violent crime, grief can be tangled with trauma. CalVCB covers care for family and household members too — you don't have to carry it alone.
In immediate danger? Call 911. In emotional crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233. RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: (800) 656-4673.
Program details on this page come from the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) — Mental Health Service Providers, What Is Covered, and Who Is Eligible at victims.ca.gov. Program rules can change; CalVCB makes all eligibility and payment decisions.
How CalVCB works with your insurance
CalVCB is the payer of last resort: if you have health insurance, we bill it first, and the program can pay what's left of your crime-related mental health costs — including copays, coinsurance, and the balance when a provider is out of network. If you're uninsured, CalVCB can pay the allowed cost of care directly. Either way, once your claim is approved you pay nothing out of pocket for crime-related care — we accept the program's payment as payment in full, so treatment is completely free to you. We're in-network with major California plans. Questions about your claim or coverage? Call us at (888) 730-5220.
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Common questions about CalVCB-covered psychiatry
Does California Victim Compensation cover a psychiatrist?
How many therapy sessions does CalVCB cover?
Does CalVCB cover online (telehealth) psychiatry?
How much does California Victim Compensation pay?
How long does it take to get victim compensation?
Who is eligible for CalVCB?
What if I already have health insurance?
What won't the program pay for?
Start CalVCB-covered psychiatry today
Request an appointment and we'll confirm your insurance up front. Most patients are seen within the week.
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