FIRST REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 222
91ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE KELLY (27).
Pre-filed January 2, 2001, and 1000 copies ordered printed.
ANNE C. WALKER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal sections 595.030 and 595.035, RSMo 2000, relating to crime victims' compensation, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to the same subject.
Section A. Sections 595.030 and 595.035, RSMo 2000, are repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 595.030 and 595.035, to read as follows:
595.030. 1. No compensation shall be paid unless the claimant has incurred an out-of-pocket loss of at least fifty dollars or has lost two continuous weeks of earnings or support from gainful employment. "Out-of-pocket loss" shall mean unreimbursed or unreimbursable expenses or indebtedness reasonably incurred for medical care or other services, including psychiatric, psychological or counseling expenses, necessary as a result of the crime upon which the claim is based, except that the amount paid for psychiatric, psychological or counseling expenses per eligible claim shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. [Fifty dollars shall be deducted from any award granted under sections 595.010 to 595.075, except that an award to a person sixty-five years of age or older is not subject to any deduction.]
2. No compensation shall be paid unless the division of workers' compensation finds that a crime was committed, that such crime directly resulted in personal physical injury to, or the death of, the victim, and that police records show that such crime was promptly reported to the proper authorities. In no case may compensation be paid if the police records show that such report was made more than forty-eight hours after the occurrence of such crime, unless the division of workers' compensation finds that the report to the police was delayed for good cause. If the victim is under eighteen years of age such report may be made by the victim's parent, guardian or custodian; by a physician, a nurse, or hospital emergency room personnel; by the division of family services personnel; or by any other member of the victim's family.
3. No compensation shall be paid for medical care if the service provider is not a medical provider as that term is defined in section 595.027, and the individual providing the medical care is not licensed by the state of Missouri or the state in which the medical care is provided.
4. No compensation shall be paid for psychiatric treatment or other counseling services, including psychotherapy, unless the service provider is a:
(1) Physician licensed pursuant to chapter 334, RSMo, or licensed to practice medicine in the state in which the service is provided;
(2) Psychologist licensed pursuant to chapter 337, RSMo, or licensed to practice psychology in the state in which the service is provided;
(3) Clinical social worker licensed pursuant to chapter 337, RSMo; or
(4) Professional counselor licensed pursuant to chapter 337, RSMo.
5. Any compensation paid [under] pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 for death or personal injury shall be in an amount not exceeding out-of-pocket loss, together with loss of earnings or support from gainful employment, not to exceed two hundred dollars per week, resulting from such injury or death. In the event of death of the victim, an award may be made for reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred for preparation and burial not to exceed five thousand dollars.
6. Any compensation for loss of earnings or support from gainful employment shall be in an amount equal to the actual loss sustained not to exceed two hundred dollars per week; provided, however, that no award [under] pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 shall exceed [fifteen] twenty-five thousand dollars. If two or more persons are entitled to compensation as a result of the death of a person which is the direct result of a crime or in the case of a sexual assault, the compensation shall be apportioned by the division of workers' compensation among the claimants in proportion to their loss.
7. The method and timing of the payment of any compensation [under] pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 shall be determined by the division.
595.035. 1. For the purpose of determining the amount of compensation payable pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075, the division of workers' compensation shall, insofar as practicable, formulate standards for the uniform application of sections 595.010 to 595.075, taking into consideration the provisions of sections 595.010 to 595.075, the rates and amounts of compensation payable for injuries and death [under] pursuant to other laws of this state and of the United States, excluding pain and suffering, and the availability of funds appropriated for the purpose of sections 595.010 to 595.075. All decisions of the division of workers' compensation on claims heard [under] pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 shall be in writing, setting forth the name of the claimant, the amount of compensation and the reasons for the decision. The division of workers' compensation shall immediately notify the claimant in writing of the decision and shall forward to the state treasurer a certified copy of the decision and a warrant for the amount of the claim. The state treasurer, upon certification by the commissioner of administration, shall, if there are sufficient funds in the crime victims' compensation fund, pay to or on behalf of the claimant the amount determined by the division.
2. The crime victims' compensation fund is not a state health program and is not intended to be used as a primary payor to other health care assistance programs, but is a public, quasi-charitable fund whose fundamental purpose is to assist victims of violent crimes through a period of financial hardship, as a payor of last resort. Accordingly, any compensation paid pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 shall be reduced by the amount of any payments, benefits or awards received or to be received as a result of the injury or death:
(1) From or on behalf of the offender;
(2) Under private or public insurance programs, including champus, medicare, medicaid and other state or federal programs, but not including any life insurance proceeds; or
(3) From any other public or private funds, including an award payable [under] pursuant to the workers' compensation laws of this state.
3. In determining the amount of compensation payable, the division of workers' compensation shall determine whether, because of the victim's consent, provocation, incitement or negligence, the victim contributed to the infliction of the victim's injury or death, and shall reduce the amount of the compensation or deny the claim altogether, in accordance with such determination; provided, however, that the division of workers' compensation may disregard the responsibility of the victim for his or her own injury where such responsibility was attributable to efforts by the victim to aid a victim, or to prevent a crime or an attempted crime from occurring in his or her presence, or to apprehend a person who had committed a crime in his or her presence or had in fact committed a felony.
4. In determining the amount of compensation payable pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.070, monthly social security disability or retirement benefits received by the victim shall not be considered by the division as a factor for reduction of benefits.
5. The division shall not be liable for payment of compensation for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred more than three
years following the date of the occurrence of the crime upon which the claim is based.
Missouri House of Representatives