We, the families of the victims, injured survivors of the 5/31/19 Virginia Beach shooting, as well as those traumatized in Virginia Beach Public Utilities Building #2 on that day, support the budget amendment to create the non-reverting Virginia Mass Violence Care Fund during the 2022 Virginia Legislative Session.

The VMVCF will be established as a permanent fund invested and directed by the Virginia State Comptroller. The gain from the invested funds will be compounded to benefit victims of mass violence in Virginia. Disbursements to identified and eligible victims to reimburse their out-of-pocket expenses that insurance does not cover will begin three years after a mass shooting event and remain in perpetuity. The VMVCF will be managed and disbursed either through the Virginia Crime Victims Fund or the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

This fund will be a first of its kind in our nation, designed solely to provide for the long-term, unending trauma-related medical and mental healthcare needs of mass shooting survivors in Virginia. While funds may exist to aid survivors with their short-term trauma-related needs, no universal program exists to account for survivors’ long-term trauma-related care needs. Being the first state in the nation to create such a fund has the potential to fulfill a huge gap in this type of coverage nationwide by setting a precedent for other states to follow suit. We are proud to support this Virginia-based fund and the potential ripple effect of goodwill that may result nationwide thereafter.