Advocates warn of steep cuts to trauma recovery centers as VOCA uncertainty and HTVAP reauthorization loom

Representatives from Cal OES, trauma recovery centers and anti-trafficking organizations told the Assembly subcommittee that volatile federal VOCA allocations and scheduled expirations of one-time augmentations put critical victim services at risk.

Eric Swanson of Cal OES said California's 2025 VOCA allocation was nearly $143 million and that maintaining current service levels in 2026 would require about $220 million. He described federal VOCA receipts fluctuating from a high of $396 million (2018) to a low of $87 million (2014) and said the state has used one-time general-fund backfills in recent years to sustain services.

Dr. Sarah Metz of the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers described the TRC model and warned an LAO scenario could shrink the TRC network dramatically, possibly reducing the number of centers from 20 to 4 and annual survivors served from ~9,000 to ~1,000 without a state response. Leila Chappell of CAST urged reauthorization of the Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (HTVAP), which currently faces a funding cliff that would revert funding to pre-pandemic levels on 07/01/2026 if not reauthorized.

Department of Finance officials said the federal VOCA allocation for the coming fiscal year was not yet finalized, which complicates precise state budgeting; Finance staff agreed to review testimony and the administration's budget team said it would take the material into account for May revise deliberations. Committee members requested additional discussions with state law enforcement and federal partners about stabilizing VOCA at a national level and asked Cal OES to explore options for more durable state-level support.