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Part of Programs for victims of crime

Funeral expense and grief counselling support

Families of homicide victims can get reimbursed for funeral expenses and get immediate access to grief counselling.

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Programs for victims of crime

Overview

If you have a family member who was a victim of homicide in Alberta, you can get:

  • reimbursement for funeral related expenses, up to a maximum amount
  • immediate access to grief counselling

Who can apply

  • Funeral expense reimbursement

    You can apply for funeral expense reimbursement if you:

    • paid all or part of the funeral costs for a victim who passed away as a result of a Criminal Code offence in Alberta
    • have receipts to verify all expenses

  • Grief counselling

    Immediate access to grief counselling is available for:

    • immediate family members of a homicide victim (up to $1,000 per person)
    • extended family members (up to $1,000 per person for a maximum group total of $4,000)

What you can get

  • Funeral expense reimbursement

    The person(s) who paid for funeral expenses can get reimbursed for expenses up to $12,500.

  • Eligible expenses

    • Funeral service
    • Cemetery plot/niche
    • Interment
    • Embalming
    • Clergy/officiating persons’ honorarium
    • Flowers
    • Appropriate obituary notices
    • Casket/urn
    • Opening/closing charges
    • Headstone
    • Cremation
    • Musician’s honorarium
    • Transportation of remains
    • Death certificate(s)
    • Crime scene clean-up (please contact the program)

  • Ineligible expenses

    • Alcohol
    • Travel costs of survivors to attend the funeral/final resting site
    • Estate administration
    • Legal expenses

  • Grief counselling

    You can access counselling by either accessing:

    • counselling from our contracted vendor, who will invoice the program directly, or
    • a counsellor of your choice, then submitting the receipts to the program for reimbursement

How to apply

Step 1. Fill out the form

You do not have to wait for a charge or conviction to apply, but the incident must first be reported to a police agency.

Step 2. Submit the completed application

Submit the completed application to the Victims of Crime Assistance Program.

Contact

Connect with the Victims Assistance Program:

Phone: 780-427-7217
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 780-422-4213
Email: [email protected]

Address:
Victims of Crime Assistance Program
10th Floor, 10365 97 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta  T5J 3W7

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