Deadline Nears: Apply for Route 91 Harvest Festival Victims of Crime Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It has been nine months since the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The State of Nevada continues their national effort to ensure that everyone in attendance knows how to apply for current or future out-of-pocket expenses resulting from the event and they’re looking for Tennesseans who attended.

“Even if you don’t have any eligible expenses now, survivors are encouraged to apply for the program before the October 1 deadline in case they incur future expenses that may be covered by the program,” Office of Criminal Justice Programs Director Jennifer Brinkman said.

As of June 2018, the Nevada Victims of Crime Program had received 4,547 applications from survivors, but   79 percent of those who purchased tickets still have yet to apply.

“In Tennessee, we were notified that 40 tickets to the event were purchased by Tennessee residents and only twelve of those ticket holders have submitted an application,” Brinkman said. “We believe many more Tennesseans were in attendance as musicians or in support roles for the music festival. Whether a ticket was purchased or not, if you were present, you should contact the Center and fill out an application so you don’t miss out on possible support available.”

Funds from the program may help reimburse survivors for out-of-pocket expenses resulting from the crime such as medical bills or counseling co-pays not covered by insurance.

You may apply by visiting the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center at VegasStrongRC.org for information. You may also email the center at vegasstrongresiliencycenter@clarkcountynv.gov or call 1-833-299-2433.

The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center serves as a free, one-stop resource and referral hub for anyone affected by 1 October including survivors, family members of victims, responders and anyone dealing with effects from the attack including hotel workers, taxi cab drivers or bystanders who tried to help victims. Information about the center and an online intake form are posted at https://vegasstrongrc.org/. The center also has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VegasStrongResiliencyCenter/.

The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center opened on October 23, 2017, to provide ongoing support to those affected by the 1 October shooting. Since the Resiliency Center opened, it has served more than 6,000 people.  Services include victim advocacy and support, grief counseling and spiritual care referrals, and technical assistance accessing online resources including FBI Victim Assistance Services for claiming personal items left behind at the 1 October concert venue.

The OCJP, part of the Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration, functions as a strategic planning agency that secures, distributes, and manages federal and state funds for Tennessee, including Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds and STOP Violence Against Women Program (STOP) funds. OCJP uses a structured process to look three to five years ahead of daily grant management activities at the changing needs of Tennessee’s justice system and the needs of its victims of violent crime. To address crime and victimization in Tennessee, OCJP manages a systematic, year-round cycle for determining the communities’ needs, identifying the justice system’s problems, setting program priorities, making grant allocation decisions, managing those funded projects, and evaluating the results of those decisions.