Restitution
If because of the crime in which you were a victim, you are responsible for paying bills from a doctor, hospital, dentist, counseling, funeral or for medications that a doctor prescribed to you because of the crime or if your property was stolen or damaged, you are entitled by law to have restitution ordered so that you can receive money for your losses or have your bills paid by the offender.
Restitution is court ordered, which means that the judge will order the offender at the time of sentencing to pay restitution to you for your losses. It is your right as a victim of crime to receive restitution for your losses.
If you have a loss because of the crime and want the judge to order restitution for your losses, you will need to talk to the district attorney who is prosecuting the offender. An advocate from a Victim Service Program will give you a restitution form for you to complete. You will need to save all your bills and receipts, this will help the district attorney and judge decide the amount of restitution to order for you.
Restitution is handled differently in each county, the district attorney or your advocate can answer your questions. If restitution is not ordered by the court, you may want to talk to an attorney about filing a civil suit against the offender to try and get reimbursed for your losses.