REMINDERS:

• Please click "No" on Main Page where it asks if you'd like to make a "Final Report".
• You do not need to enter anything in the "Briefly List Activities Conducted During This Period" Section on the main page of the report. You may simply enter "Not Applicable" in this section on the main page of the report and save it.

PCCD CONTACT INFORMATION:

It is very important to submit your program report in Egrants by the due date of July 20, 2025. If for any reason you are unable to enter your report data and submit the report by the due date, please contact the assigned Program Staff Contact listed for your grant in the Egrants system.

• Quarterly fiscal reports for RASA and VOJO grants will also be due in Egrants by July 20, 2025. If you have any fiscal report questions, please contact the fiscal staff person listed on your grant for assistance.

If you need technical assistance with Egrants, you may contact the Egrants Support Line at (717) 787-5887 or by email at:

RA-egrantsSupport@pa.gov.

RASA/VOJO 2026 (Year 2 Project) Applications Are Due August 22!

One-year, continuation applications for the Rights and Services Act (RASA) and Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) 2025-2026 Non-Competitive Funding Announcement are now being accepted. The deadline to submit a continuation application in E-grants is Friday, August 22, 2025, at 11:59pm.  

Continuation applications are open only to subrecipients who currently have a 2025 Award via the RASA/VOJO 2025-2026 Non-Competitive Funding Announcement. OVS will contact each District Attorney for completion of the required 2026 funding recommendation forms. District Attorneys are asked to send a copy of the completed funding recommendation forms to the local victim services program(s) for completion of the application. Any changes to RASA and/or VOJO funding distribution for 2026 will be recommended by the District Attorney and considered for adoption by the Victims Services Advisory Committee (VSAC).

Please utilize the following resources for assistance with your application:  

• The E-grants Help Desk is available to assist with technical or system questions Monday through Friday until 4:00 PM and may be reached by calling (717) 787-5887 or (800) 692-7292, or by emailing RA-egrantsSupport@pa.gov.
• Questions concerning the completion of the continuation application outside of E-grants technical issues may be directed to the PCCD Program and/or Fiscal Contact assigned to the 2025 RASA/VOJO Grant.

• Additional grant application and administrative guides may be accessed on PCCD's website here.

Please Note: 2025 RASA and VOJO funds with the Year 1 project must be expended by December 31,2025.

Is Coercive Control A Crime? Domestic Abuse Laws May Expand In These States

The concept takes into account nonphysical tactics abusers use to trap their partners. But some worry the new laws will hurt victims.

Please click here to read

Most Medical Schools Don't Require Gun Violence Prevention Training. This Group Wants To Change That

Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic, (SAFE), has an ambitious plan to teach future doctors how they can help stop firearm injuries before they happen.

Please click here to read.

World Elder Abuse Awareness

Elder sexual abuse is a public health epidemic and human rights violation impacting millions of older adults, yet it often goes undetected.

Please click here to access

Rethinking Conferral: Measuring Victims' Rights By Their Ability To Be Heard

The right to confer is essential, but it is generally not an end in itself when it comes to plea agreements. The issue came to the fore publicly in the high profile prosecution of Bryan Kohberger.

Please click here to read.

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health America's BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit was designed to help individuals and organizations in communities of color turn awareness into action.

Please click here to access

What These Cases Of High-Profile Accusers Reveal About The Credibility Gap

The Misogyny Slop Ecosystem (MSE) capitalizes on the societal reluctance to believe women, particularly women of color, and reinforces harmful narratives about accusers, framing them as gold diggers, women scorned, or attention seekers.

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As Youth Violence Ticks Up, These Programs Are Trying To Keep Kids Safe

Youth advocates believe that young people need additional emotional support, career development, and safe spaces.

Please click here to read.

Consolidated Standards Training Videos

Pennsylvania has long been considered a leader when it comes to the OVS Consolidated Standards, in their design to deliver quality services and programming led by skilled advocates and staff.

To better inform the field, OVS has launched a series of recordings that walk program staff through each of the standards. These are short recordings, up to thirty (30) minutes in length. Each recording counts toward OVS annual training requirements. Staff may listen to any number of recordings as they are released. 

All videos can be found on PCCD's Consolidated Victim Service Program Standards webpage, with the latest video, Witness Management, now available.

Safely And Effectively Serving Neurodiverse Survivors: Supporting Healing Through Accommodation And Understanding

July 22,2025

2:00 - 3:30 pm

Survivors of sexual assault with disabilities face many challenges in receiving accessible services. This is especially true for neurodiverse survivors. For many services providers, diagnoses like ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, OCD, etc., are labeled too complicated to understand, resulting in missed opportunities to connect, gaps in services, and insufficient communication.

Please click here to register.

Supporting Survivors Of Faith

July 23, 2025

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Join Ujima, as we discuss the intersections of faith and spirituality for Black survivors of Domestic Violence We will discuss the nuances of religion within the Black Community, as well as how various forms of religion have promoted healing for Black DV survivors. We will also explore the ways in which we can better support and uplift our Black religious DV survivors.

Please click here to register

RASA/VOJO Regional Meeting - August 14, 2025 (Western Region)

The Office of Victims Services (OVS) is pleased to announce a regional meeting as a part of our 2025 Quarterly Meeting series for staff working within the Rights and Services Act (RASA) and Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) funding streams. All advocates and staff connected to RASA and VOJO programs are welcome to attend. This meeting offers the opportunity to meet and network with colleague advocates and staff, to learn more about RASA and VOJO supported activities in other counties, and relevant topics and common questions associated with procedural services. 

This meeting counts toward PCCD/OVS annual training requirements for RASA/VOJO Project Staff. 

Please register here for the meeting. Registration for the Western Region Meeting/Clearfield Co. location will close July 31^st.

Western Region Meeting

Thursday, August 14, 2025

10:00am-1:00pm

Event will be held at the Copper Cork Event Center: 512 Arnold Avenue, Clearfield, PA 16830

Questions? OVS Contact for this meeting is: Maria Katulis at mkatulis@pa.gov or 717.265.8741

Note: Registration occurs on a first come, first serve basis with a maximum of twenty-five (25) participants allotted for the meeting. Registrants will be notified by email of a confirmed reservation along with other meeting logistics and details. OVS will create a participant waitlist in the event of cancellations.