The Direction de l’IVAC is charged with compensating rescuers and crime victims. Benefits may vary with the circumstances involved. A number of services are offered to help victims and rescuers mitigate the consequences of a traumatic event and support them throughout their recovery; in certain cases, financial assistance may also be available.

In other words, IVAC is a compensation plan that provides victims and rescuers with benefits to help them recuperate from injuries resulting from crimes and acts of good citizenship. If such injuries render victims incapable of working, studying, or carrying out most of their usual daily and domestic activities, they may receive compensation for any potential loss of income.

If you have been injured, you should:

• see a physician as quickly as possible and have him/her complete the CNESST’s Rapport médical (French only) or Attestation médicale (French only);
• keep all your receipts (medication, travel expenses, chiropractic or physiotherapy treatment, etc.); and
• complete the Application for Benefits form and send it, together with objective proof of your injury, to the Direction de l'IVAC. Attaching your receipts will help expedite claim processing.

Yes, if the social worker you have consulted is a member of a professional order.

The report must describe the physical or psychological consequences of the crime. The Direction de l’IVAC will establish if there is a connection between the injury and the crime.

The Application for Benefits - For Adult Victims of Crime (Age 18 or Over) form is intended for you, if you are 18 or over, or for a claimant representing a disabled or deceased adult victim.

The Application for Benefits - For Victims of Crime Under Age 18 (Minors) form should be used if the crime was committed against someone who is a minor at the time the application is made.

The Application for Benefits - Person Who Performed an Act of Good Citizenship (Rescuer) should be used by you, if you have performed an act of good citizenship, or by a claimant representing a disabled or deceased adult victim.

There is a guide to help you fill out each type of form.

For crimes and acts of good citizenship that took place after May 23, 2013, the application for benefits must be submitted in the two years following the material damage, injury, or death of the victim/rescuer.

Regarding crimes and acts of good citizenship that occurred before May 23, 2013, the deadline is one year.

Claimants who fail to file the application within the time specified are deemed to have waived the right to legal recourse. They must justify the late submission of their claim by showing they were incapable of filing on time.

For minor victims, the filing period begins when they turn 18.

Consult the web page on the date of the event for more details.

According to the Crime Victims Compensation Act, a crime victim is anyone killed or injured in Québec as a result of an offence contained in the Schedule to the Act.

To take advantage of the compensation plan administered by the Direction de l’IVAC, victims/rescuers must provide a document describing the facts surrounding the physical or psychological repercussions of the crime.

If you were injured as the result of a crime, you might have consulted a healthcare practitioner or member of a professional order (psychologist, psychotherapist, sexologist, nurse, social worker, etc.).

If you have a copy of the medical or psychosocial consultation notes taken, a copy of your medical file, or a copy of a psychological or psychosocial assessment issued by a healthcare practitioner who is a member of a professional order, you should attach it to your application for benefits as objective proof of your injury.

In case of doubt, feel free to contact the Direction de l’IVAC​ and ask if the document in your possession can serve as objective proof.

In accordance with a directive that took effect on November 24, 2016, you may be recognized as a victim. The principal criterion here is that the act in question was aimed directly at harming you.

You can file an application for benefits with the Direction de l’IVAC. For crimes committed before November 24, 2016, your application may be accepted even if the two-year deadline has expired. For crimes committed after that date, the two-year limitation applies, as provided for by law.

In this event, you must complete the CNESST’s Worker’s Claim form.

No. Each province has compensation legislation that applies to criminal offenses committed within its own borders. If you were the victim of a crime in Ontario, for example, you should address your claim to the appropriate bodies in that province. The rule is the same as concerns the United States and Europe: the legislation of the state or country in which the crime is committed applies.

No. The Act does not cover crimes against property such as vandalism, fraud, breaking and entering, mischief, or theft without violence.

No, the Act does not require you to do so: unlike what holds true for a criminal trial, you do not need to demonstrate you have been the victim of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Evidence that a crime has likely taken place suffices; in legal terms, this is what is called "a preponderance of evidence".

No, an attendance certificate is required only for minor victims over age 16.

No. Section 3 of the Act states that "Any person who, even if he has not been killed or injured, incurs material damage…is also a crime victim". In the case of material damage, therefore, a medical certificate is not necessary: the police report constitutes sufficient proof. Make sure to attach it to your application for benefits!

You must file one application for benefits for each crime in question.