North Carolina Payment Resources
Summary of payment program
Billing
The victim may not be billed and the amount payed by the Rape Victim Assistance Fund is to be accepted as “payment in full of the amount owed for the cost of the examination and other eligible expenses and shall not bill the victims, their personal insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, or any other collateral source for the examination”.
Payment
Payment for the medical forensic examination is done through the Rape Victim Assistance Program (RVAP), a state of NC funded entity through the NC Dept of Public Safety. In 2009, House Bill 1342 was ratified that provided for free ‘forensic medical’ examinations for victims. The medical facility or medical professional shall not seek reimbursement from the RVAP after one year from the date of the examination.
There are eligible expenses and maximum amounts to be paid for those services, including the following:
| Service | Maximum Payment |
| MD or SANE | $350 |
| Hospital/Facility fee | $250 |
| Other Expenses deemed eligible by RVAP | $200 |
| Total | $800 |
Payment is made directly to the medical facility or medical professional. An itemized copy of the bill must specify the categories of expenses under which the services fall and be submitted with the RVAP Form-2019. In addition only the following crimes are eligible for reimbursement through the RVAP: (other crimes may be eligible through the Crime Victims Compensation Program)
| Crime | Statue Number |
| First degree rape | G.S. 14-27.2 |
| Second degree rape | G.S. 14-27.3 |
| First degree sexual offense | G.S. 14-27.4 |
| Second degree sexual offense | G.S. 14-27.5 |
| Statutory rape | G.S. 14-27.7A |
The medical facility or medical professional who performs the medical forensic exam should encourage the patient to submit an application for medical expenses beyond the medical forensic examination to the Crime Victims Compensation Commission for consideration.
A notice on the Crime Victims Compensation site indicates that: Please be aware that victims must file for compensation within two years of the date when injury occurred. Similar to the reimbursement for the medical forensic examination, other medical expenses related to injuries received from the crime are only eligible for review for the one-year period following the date of the crime.
When the patient has elected to remain anonymous: The program (RVAP) is required to verify the chain of custody of the rape kit and confirm receipt of the kit by law enforcement. This information must be verified before payment can be submitted to the medical facility or the medical professional who performs the forensic medical exam.
Rape Victim Assistance Program
Office of Victim Services
4232 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4703
Coordination with healthcare
North Carolina General Statutes 14-27.2-14.27.7 define rape and other sexual offenses. Sexual assault programs provide the following: counseling, twenty-four hour crisis line coverage, hospital, referral, court and advocacy services.
For an interactive program directory – North Carolina Department of Administration
Other Information
North Carolina has a sexual assault kit tracking portal (STIMS) which is available for survivors and authorized medical providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and lab personnel. A brochure: Rape: Know what to do in case of sexual assault is available for victims that includes information on the availability of free medical forensic examinations.