Victims of Sexual Offenses Receive Free Forensic Exams

• 1st Degree Rape and 2nd Degree Rape
• 1st Degree Sex Offense and 2nd Degree Sex Offense
• Statutory Rape and Statutory Sex Offense

If you receive a bill for the cost of a forensic medical exam, please contact our office. By law, medical providers cannot bill you or your insurance for the forensic exam.

Victims may submit an application for reimbursement of medical expenses beyond the forensic exam to the Crime Victims Compensation Commission for consideration of those expenses.

The law requires service providers who conduct the exam to bill the Rape Victim Assistance Program directly. State law instructs medical providers who perform the forensic medical examination to refrain from billing the victim or the victim’s personal insurance, Medicaid, Medicare or any other collateral source for the examination.

State law requires a medical facility or provider to encourage the victim to submit an application for reimbursement of medical expenses beyond the cost of the forensic examination to the Office of Victim Compensation Services.

The program is only authorized to cover the expenses related to the forensic exam. State law requires a medical facility or provider to encourage the victim to submit an application for reimbursement of additional medical expenses to the Office of Victim Compensation Services.

The program is required to verify the chain of custody of the rape kit and confirm receipt of the kit by law enforcement. This information must be verified before payment can be submitted to the medical facility or medical professional who performs the forensic medical examination.

Medical facilities and medical professionals who perform forensic medical examinations shall do so using a Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit. Program payments for the forensic medical examination shall be limited to the following:

• Payment directly to provider. The program shall make payment directly to the medical facility or medical professional. Bills submitted to the program for payment shall specify under which categories of expense set forth in subsection (d) of this section the billed services fall.
• Additional victim notification requirements. A medical facility or medical professional who performs a forensic medical examination shall encourage victims to submit an application for reimbursement of medical expenses beyond the forensic examination to the Crime Victims Compensation Commission for consideration of those expenses. Medical facilities and medical professional shall not seek reimbursement for the program after one year from the date of the exam.