California Victim Compensation Board

The Board's predecessor was the Board of Examiners. The California Legislature established the Board of Examiners in 1856 to examine the books of the State Controller and State Treasurer and to oversee the money in the treasury.[2] The Board's membership consisted of the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General. The Legislature enacted another law in 1858 revising the role of the Board to include ruling on claims against the State for which appropriations had been made, counting the money in the state treasury, and examining the books of the Controller and Treasurer.[3]

Portraits of the Board members in 1911, chaired by John Francis Neylan

In 1911, the legislature abolished the Board of Examiners and established the State Board of Control in its place.[4][5] The new Board of Control was given centralized control of the financial outlays of most state agencies.[6] This was a Progressive Era effort pushed by Governor Hiram Johnson to make the government more efficient, modeled on similar boards in Iowa and Minnesota.[7][8]

The Board also assumed many of the functions of the Board of Examiners. It consisted of three members appointed by the Governor. During this era, the Board of Control was, according to one newspaper editorial, "the most important bureau of the State government, with the largest measure of power in directing the activities of the government."[9]

A major government reorganization in 1927, promulgated by Governor C.C. Young, transferred most of the Board's responsibilities to the Department of Finance and to the State Controller.[10][11][12] The Board of Control's remaining responsibilities included auditing and determining claims against the State, and regulating travel expenses and allowances for state employees and officers.[13] Membership now consisted of the director of the Department of Finance, acting as chairman; the State Controller; and the chief of the finance department's Division of Service and Supply.

Activity of the Board of Control from its reorganization in 1927 through the mid-1960s consisted of many routine procedures. Determination and authorization of claims during its twice-monthly meetings was a significant part of the workload. The State Merit Award Program, instituted in 1950, provided one of the earliest specialized claims programs administered by the Board of Control. The Merit Award Program allowed state employees to be financially rewarded for their suggestions that reduced or eliminated state expenditures or improved operations after those suggestions were implemented. The Board of Control appointed four of the five board members to the State Merit Award Board and provided final action decisions for compensation to state employees. The Merit Award Program was transferred away from the Board of Control to the Department of General Services in 1976.

In 1965, the Board was given the responsibility of administering the state's new "Good Samaritan" law (also known as "Indemnification of Private Citizens"), which provided compensation for citizens who suffered damages while trying to prevent a crime or apprehend a criminal.[14][15] In 1967, the administration of the state's victim compensation program (which had been created in 1965) was transferred to the Board from the Department of Social Welfare.[16]

The Claims, Rulemaking, and Fiscal Control Program within the Board of Control developed in the early 1970s and became known as the Government Claims Program. The increasing size and complexity of state government required that uniform rules and regulations be developed and implemented regarding fiscal matters and the need for equitable treatment. Another reason to create the Government Claims Program was the increased number of claims filed against the State, overloading the courts and creating a substantial backlog. This program dealt with specific fiscal operations managed by the Board such as: review of discharge of accounts receivable by the state; refunds, credits, and cancellation of taxes; sale and disposal of unclaimed property; transfer of funds between state agencies; determination of pro-rata share of administrative costs payable by each state agency; determination of headquarters for purposes of travel claims; and hearings regarding purchase and bid protests.

To more accurately reflect its increasing roles and responsibilities, the Board of Control was renamed the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board in 2001, overseeing the California Victim Compensation Program, the Revenue Recovery Program and the Government Claims Program.

In 2016, the Government Claims Program was transferred to the Department of General Services, and the agency was renamed as the Victim Compensation Board.[17]