Information Sheet: Claims Arising from Homicide

The CICB will consider four types of claims when there has been a homicide:

1. Funeral and related expenses
2. Bereavement (grief) counselling expenses
3. Loss of financial support
4. Mental or nervous shock

Funeral and related expenses

The CICB will consider reimbursing funeral and related expenses if they were not covered by any other source, including private insurance, the Victim Quick Response Program or Canada Pension Plan benefits.

A claim for funeral and related expenses should be made by the person who actually paid for the expenses and can provide proof of payment.

We do not generally pay for:

• thank you cards and postage
• flowers
• food
• cars and police escort
• clothes for relatives or the victim
• legal or accounting fees for settling the estate

We may pay for:

• a funeral director
• services of clergy
• casket
• cemetery plot
• costs of cremation
• grave marker
• newspaper notices
• death certificates

Bereavement counselling

The CICB may consider expenses related to bereavement counselling for:

• any family member of the deceased victim who lived with the deceased victim at the time of death
• a spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent or sibling of the deceased victim who did not live in the deceased victim's household

Priority will be given to family members who lived with the deceased victim at the time of his/her death.

We will only consider bereavement counselling claims after funeral expenses and claims for dependent children (see "Loss of Financial Support", below) have been paid.

Loss of financial support

The CICB may provide financial support for dependants of a deceased victim. A dependant could be a spouse, parent, grandparent, minor child, brother, sister or any other relative who the deceased victim was supporting financially before his/her death.

For a child to be eligible for this type of support, they must be:

1. under age 18, or
2. between the ages of 18 and 21 and in full-time attendance at a recognized school or university

Each dependant must provide proof of financial dependence on the deceased victim. Proof could be:

• bank statements
• income tax assessments
• long form birth certificates (for minors)
• documents confirming spousal and/or child support

Mental or nervous shock

The CICB does not award compensation for the grief and sorrow that follow a death, or for problems in dealing with the aftermath of a violent incident, such as difficulty in adjusting to a new lifestyle, stress, financial problems or having to attend court.

However, if a person witnessed the alleged crime of violence or saw the crime scene and experienced severe psychological trauma, the CICB may consider whether the person experienced "mental or nervous shock".

For there to be a finding of mental or nervous shock, you must be able to show that you witnessed the crime or its immediate aftermath, have a close relationship with the deceased, and this experience resulted in a serious injury to your mental health.

You will need to provide medical and/or psychological evidence to support that you suffer from mental or nervous shock to the CICB.

For more information, see the CICB information sheet: Mental or Nervous Shock Claims. You can download information sheets from our website at tribunalsontario.ca/cicb or call us and ask for a copy.

Contact the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board

Last updated: June 2018