Racial Disparities in Victim Compensation Program Claim Approvals for Adult Survivors of Sexual Assault: 18 US States, 2015–2023.

This article examines racial and ethnic disparities in approval rates for victim compensation claims filed by adult survivors of sexual assault across 18 U.S. state programs from 2015 to 2023. The study found that claims submitted by non-Hispanic Black and Indigenous women were significantly less likely to be approved than those by non-Hispanic White women, with disparities largely driven by administrative burdens such as incomplete applications. The most common reason for claim denial was insufficient evidence that a crime occurred, often based on law enforcement reports. Approval rates varied widely by state and were higher for claims referred by hospitals or law enforcement compared to other sources. The authors suggest that policy reforms simplifying application processes and removing mandatory police reporting requirements could reduce racial disparities in access to compensation for sexual assault survivors.