Helping Crime Victims is Illinois Member's Job

In October, Veronica Aguirre celebrated her 13th anniversary with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. But every day, the Illinois Federation of Public Employees member celebrates being able to help people.

As a claims analyst with the crime victims division, it’s Aguirre’s job to work with crime victims who have incurred a financial burden as a result of a crime. She processes and verifies claims and provides a recommendation to the court for compensation. She is one of 16 claims analysts in the state.

The program, which provides compensation of up to $27,000, was established by the General Assembly in 1973. In fiscal year 2006, 6,000 applications were received.

“It’s a very good program,” says Aguirre. “We assist the crime victims with financial assistance for everything from medical expenses to loss of earnings due to having to take time off work to funeral burial costs in cases of death. We also compensate [victims] for relocation expenses, such as first month’s rent and moving expenses.”

Although the circumstances of the crimes can be quite disturbing, with crimes running the gamut from first-degree murder to child sexual assault to domestic abuse, Aguirre says she’s able to do the job “because we are helping [victims]. I’m just happy that this office provides the service.”

The biggest challenge, she says, “is not being able to provide more financial assistance.” A lot of the claims, she says, far exceed the $27,000 cap.