The New Jersey Independent Victim Compensation Program will begin accepting claims related to the sexual abuse of minors by diocesan priests and deacons for all five of New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses, starting this weekend.
The program, known as IVCP, will be led by Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros, who have designed and administered similar programs for the Catholic dioceses in New York and Pennsylvania. They’ve also administered compensation programs for the victims of the Penn State sexual abuse claims, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing.
Church leaders said Feinberg and Biros will review the case of each alleged victim, then offer victims a settlement. They will determine the amount offered and it will be paid by the dioceses. Church officials will have no authority to challenge the decisions or the amounts awarded as determined by Feinberg and Biros.
The money will be paid by the New Jersey diocese where the accused priest worked.
Each diocese will provide funding according to their own abilities, but in the Diocese of Metuchen funds are expected to be paid through self-funded insurance reserves and insurance policies where available.
Diocese officials said the program is completely voluntary, all payments approved by the administrators will come from church funds, and no public money will be used to compensate victims.
“Only if the individual victim accepts the amount offered by the administrators will a signed release be required, in which the victim agrees not to engage in any further litigation against the particular diocese,” according to a news release issued by the Diocese of Metuchen.
The release also noted the program will give first priority to claimants who previously filed a complaint directly to diocesan officials about sexual abuse, prior to the establishment of the IVCP.
The program starts on Saturday, June 15, and will close on Dec. 31. All claims must be submitted during this time period. Diocese officials said all matters will be handled confidentially, and victims may submit a claim no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.
Victims of clergy sexual abuse of minors can begin the claims process by going to www.NJdiocesesIVCP.com and reviewing the program protocol.
Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. FindNJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips.
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