Claim other recovery expenses

We may be able to pay for a range of recovery expenses, including some expenses that are not linked to medical or counselling treatment, if you have been injured by violence that happened in Queensland.

Conditions
Types of expenses
How to claim
Payment process
Limitations
Timeframe
More information

Conditions

You can claim a range of special expenses if, because of your circumstances or the nature of the crime, the violence has had an unusual, special or out of the ordinary effect on you. We call these ‘exceptional circumstance’ expenses.

You will need to tell us:

what expenses you need
how much the individual expense will cost.

We can consider things that:

will significantly help you recover
are needed because of the violence
are reasonably priced.

Types of expenses

Emergency accommodation

We may be able to repay the cost of up to 3 months emergency accommodation (up to $200/night) if it is not safe for you to live in your usual home because of the violence.

Relocation expenses

If you need to move because of the violence, we may be able to repay up to $5,000 for the cost of:

removalist expenses (e.g. hiring professional removalists or hiring vehicles)
travel costs (e.g. a cents-per-kilometre amount if driving, airfares, pet transport)
up to 6 months storage.

If you’re a parent or carer, and your claim is approved, we will also cover costs of relocating children and dependants who live with you.

Security expenses

If you need to upgrade security in your home or business because of the violence, we may be able to repay up to $5,000 for the cost of:

motion sensor lights
security screens and doors
security alarm systems and cameras
repairs to re-establish the security of your home (e.g. new locks, repairing doors or windows).

If upgrading home or business security, it is your responsibility to ensure you have approval to do so from the property owner.

If you need personal security, we may be able to pay for:

a personal duress alarm (sometimes called a pendant alarm)
a basic internet-capable phone (up to $300) so you can call for help if needed.

We cannot pay any monitoring fees, service fees or phone bills.

Essential furniture, appliances and household items

If you need to move to a new house because of the violence and it is not safe for you to go back for your belongings, we may be able to pay to replace certain household items. We may be able to pay for new home necessities for you and your children/dependants who live with you, up to the values below.

If you were a victim of a violent offence in your home, we may be able to replace soft furnishings that were damaged by body fluids or other hazardous liquids and cannot be safely cleaned, up to the values below.

If you were a victim of a sexual offence in your home, we may be able to pay to replace furniture and linen where the act of violence happened, up to the values below.

Values are maximum amounts per household, unless otherwise stated. Delivery costs can also be considered for any of these items.

Item	Maximum amount
Fridge	$1,000
Washing machine	$1,000 (1 person); $1,300 (family)
Television	$1,000
Vacuum cleaner	$250
Toaster and kettle	$250
Microwave	$250
Lounge suite or sofa	$1,500
Bed and mattress (1 per person)	$2,700 (queen); $1,000 (single); $1,650 (bunks); $500 (cot)
Dining table and chairs	$1,500
Desk and chair	$400
Furniture to store clothing and belongings	$350 (per adult); $250 (per child)
Linen (bedding and towels)	$400 (per adult); $250 (per child)
Equipment for cooking and serving food (e.g. pots and pans, dinner sets, glassware, cutlery)	$600

Damage to property

We may pay for professional forensic cleaning—a special type of cleaning for crime scenes. A forensic cleaner will restore a property to a safe and hygienic condition. Forensic cleaning involves:

getting rid of odours, stains, and fingerprint dust
disinfecting and sanitising the property
removing and safely disposing of bio-hazardous material
removing and safely disposing of furniture, flooring, and other items that are difficult to clean
replacing furniture if difficult to clean from the offence. We can replace lounge/sofa, bedding and linen.

We cannot pay for:

costs that are covered by insurance
general home or business repairs
costs to repair vandalism or arson
replacement property.

Travel expenses

We may be able to pay for reasonable travel costs if you need to travel to:

help with the police investigation (to give a statement)
attend court on trial days.

Approved travel costs—if you travelled in a private car:

we will pay costs per kilometre travelled
we will pay the Australian Taxation Office cents per kilometre rate
you don’t need to provide petrol receipts.
we will pay for parking if required
we cannot pay toll charges.

Approved travel costs—if you travelled another way (e.g. public transport, taxi, ride share, plane):

we will reimburse the cost of the ticket, fare or fee
you need to provide the receipt, public transport statement (GoCard history) or flight itinerary.

Approved accommodation for court-related travel—if it’s unreasonable for you to travel on each trial day:

we may be able to pay for accommodation close to the court
we may be able to pay for accommodation one day either side of the trial.

Regardless of whether you are travelling for court reasons, we may be able to pay for a support person to travel with you if needed.

Travel to attend medical or counselling appointments may be covered under that category.

School expenses

If the applicant is a school-aged child (under 18) we may be able to pay for their first set of new school uniforms and a new stationary pack if:

the offender, or people associated with the offender, are students or staff of the school the applicant usually attends

and

the child wants to or needs to change schools.

We cannot pay for school fees.

How to claim

To claim financial assistance for the first time, you need to:

report the violence
complete the application form and attach
- information about your injuries
- identity documents.

If you need to add a new expense to an application you have already submitted, use our expenses form.

Payment process

If your claim is approved, we will send you a ‘notice of decision’. This notice will list what we have agreed to pay for, who we will be paying and the conditions on the payment. Please don’t tell someone that we will pay for something before you get the notice of decision. The notice of decision will say if we will pay the cost or not.

Once you receive your notice of decision and your claim is approved, electronic payments will be deposited into your nominated bank account within 10 business days.

Common payment conditions

Paid expenses

We must reimburse the person that paid the cost. This may have been you or it may have been a family member, friend, or agency. If someone else paid the cost for you, we need to pay them back. Please provide their name, phone number or email and banking information.

Unpaid expenses

If the cost hasn’t been paid yet, please provide an invoice so we can pay the service provider directly. For medical or counselling expenses, we must deduct any Medicare and private health rebates first. It is important that the invoice is made out in your name. This is because you received the service or goods. The invoice should not be made out to Victim Assist.

Other conditions (if any) will be noted in your notice of decision.

Limitations

We are unable to help with:

furniture and household items not listed above
financial losses
everyday living expenses such as food, rent, bond, gym, and school fees
holidays and retreats
legal fees for matters not related to applying for financial assistance (see guideline)
the purchase, training or upkeep of guard dogs, companion animals or pets
medical treatments not included under medical expenses or covered by the Director-General guideline.

Timeframe

Due to the high number of claims already queued, it may be many months before we’re able to assess your application and pay approved expenses.

If you have an urgent expense, and meet the conditions for claiming urgent expenses, we may prioritise the assessment of these expenses. If we decide the expenses don’t meet these conditions, we’ll let you know. Non-urgent expenses will be queued for general assessment within normal timeframes.