Scene

Page 4 On the Scene October 2013
Domestic from page 3
Domestic violence often leaves victims
with numerous large expenses for
medical or counseling care they can’t
cover, with lost income from missed
work time for recovery or court appearances
or without their sources of sustenance
who are often their assailants.
Some victims qualify for monetary aid
from the DPS Office of Victim Services
to help cover financial strains that result
from an assault.
Liddie Shropshire is the lead investigator
for Victim Services’ Victim
Compensation section. She said victims
usually learn about the possibility of
compensation through local law enforcement
agencies, the district attorney’s
office, shelters and crisis centers, she
said.
In addition to medical and counseling
expenses, Domestic Violence
Household Support Loss is provided to
domestic violence victims through the
compensation program. The compensation
can be $50 to $300 a week for up to
26 weeks.
In 2012, 190 domestic violence victims
received more than $696,000 in
compensation. In the prior year, more
than $891,000 went to 208 victims. The
cases do not include domestic violence
homicides.
Shropshire pointed out that the
claims are not all from female victims.
Sometimes victims had become collateral
damage, unintentionally hurt by
the assailant. Sometimes the claimants
are elderly victims of their children or
grandchildren.
“We once had a claim from an extremely
elderly gentleman who was set
afire, and the offender committed suicide,”
said Shropshire, who has worked
in Victims Compensation since 2000.
“I’m still taken aback at how senseless
some of the assaults [and] some of the
crimes are.
See Domestic on page 5
Liddie Shropshire, lead investigator, pulls
the file of a domestic violence victim who
applied for financial help from the Victims
Compensation Commission.
Photo by George Dudley, editor.