Idaho Residents Present During Shooting at Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival Are Eligible For Victim Services

BOISE – Bart M. Davis, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, is hoping to reach Idahoans, who were present during the mass shooting at last year’s Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they may be eligible for victim assistance through the Nevada Victims of Crime program, even if they are not Nevada residents.  The last day to submit an application for the Nevada Victims of Crime program is October 1, 2018, which is the one-year deadline from the date of the incident.

Funds from the Nevada Victims of Crime program may help reimburse victims for out-of-pocket expenses resulting from the shooting, such as medical bills or counseling co-pays not covered by insurance.  Even if victims do not have eligible expenses right now, they are urged to apply for the program before the application due date so any future expenses can be considered for coverage.  Mental health experts say it is not uncommon for survivors of mass violence and trauma to seek counseling months or years after an incident occurred.

Applications for compensation from the Nevada Victims of Crime Program are on the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center’s website at VegasStrongRC.org.  Caring staff at the center is available to answer questions about the Nevada Victims of Crime Program, and they can assist anyone who needs help completing an application.

Every state has a Victims of Crime program affiliated with the U.S. Department of Justice.  Funding for the program comes from court-ordered fines and fees and helps victims of violent crimes pay for expenses related to the crime.

The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center opened on October 23, 2017, to provide free resources and support to anyone affected by the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting including survivors, family members of victims, responders and those who witnessed the incident or tried to assist victims.  Since the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center opened, it has served more than 6,800 people.  Services include victim advocacy and support, legal consultations for civil legal matters, 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 Route 91 concert venue.

The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center can be reached by phone at (702) 455-2433 (AIDE) or toll-free at (833) 299-2433, and by email at: vegasstrongresiliencycenter@clarkcountynv.gov.  The center also has a Facebook page at Facebook.com/VegasStrongResiliencyCenter.

Nevada’s Clark County Television produced a video posted on YouTube that walks viewers through the application process: youtube.com/watch?v=EJv9zadqgGg.

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