1. Lifecycle Overview & State Diagram

An income loss claim represents a victim's request for reimbursement of wages or income lost as a result of a crime. This may include missed work days due to injury, court appearances, medical appointments, or recovery. Income loss claims track the number of pay periods (days/weeks) lost alongside dollar amounts, and include employer information for verification.

Like expense bills and treatment plans, income loss claims inherit from the RequestedBenefit base and follow the same 12-state RequestedBenefitState lifecycle.

Income Loss State Diagram

Draft Intake Pending Review Under Review Pending Determination Approved Determined Processed
Any non-terminal state Denied / Rescinded / Withdrawn
State Code Description Portal
Draft0Income loss claim is being created. Can be edited and submitted.VCPOnline / VCPOffice
Intake10Submitted and queued for initial intake review.VCPOffice
Pending Review15Awaiting analyst assignment or prerequisite information.VCPOffice
Under Review25Analyst reviewing employer verification and documentation.VCPOffice
Pending Determination30Review complete; awaiting director / supervisor determination.VCPOffice
Pending Board Determination40Referred to board for determination (when program requires board review).VCPOffice
Approved100Income loss approved. Award items may be created.VCPOffice
Determined110Final approved amount determined. Service bills process pay-period billing.VCPOffice
Processed120All approved pay periods paid. Terminal success state.VCPOffice
Denied200Income loss denied. Reason code required. Terminal state.VCPOffice
Rescinded210Previously-approved income loss rescinded.VCPOffice
Withdrawn300Income loss claim withdrawn. Can be reopened if needed.VCPOffice
Relationship to Claims An income loss claim is always linked to a parent VcClaim (victim compensation claim). A single claim can have multiple income loss entries — for example, one for the initial period of missed work and another for a later period during recovery.

2. Income Loss vs. Other Requested Benefits

Income loss claims share the same base architecture as expense bills and treatment plans, but have unique features tailored to tracking lost wages.

Feature Income Loss Expense Bill Treatment Plan
PurposeReimburse lost wages/incomeReimburse a past expensePre-authorize ongoing treatment
Employer InfoYes — full employer detailsNoNo
Session/Period TrackingDays/pay periods of lost workNoTreatment sessions
Service BillsUsed for tracking multiple pay periodsSingle bill (usually)Multiple billing periods
Estimate ModeSupported (for ongoing income loss)Disabled by defaultEnabled by default
ShortName FormatIL-2026-0001EB-2026-0001TP-2026-0001
Typical DurationDays to months of missed workSingle eventWeeks to months of treatment
Cost CalculationDays lost × daily rateInvoice amountSessions × session rate
When to Use Income Loss Use an Income Loss claim when the victim has lost wages or income due to the crime. This includes: missed work days, reduced work hours, inability to return to work, and self-employment income loss. The key distinguishing feature is the employer information and pay period tracking.

Part 1: Submitting Income Loss (VCPOnline)

Victims use the VCPOnline portal to submit income loss claims. The form captures the period of lost income, total wages lost, and employer information for verification purposes.

Prerequisites & Navigation

Active Claim

The victim must have an existing VcClaim in an active state (Intake or later). Income loss cannot be submitted for Draft claims.

Logged In to VCPOnline

The victim must be authenticated in the VCPOnline portal with their account linked to the claim.

How to Navigate

1
Log in to VCPOnline

Navigate to the VCPOnline portal and log in with your account credentials.

2
Open Your Claim

From the dashboard, click on your active compensation claim.

3
Navigate to Income Loss Tab

Click the Income Loss tab on the claim management page. This shows any existing income loss claims and provides the option to create a new one.

4
Click "New Income Loss"

Click the New Income Loss button to open the creation form.

Screenshot: VCPOnline — Claim detail page showing the Income Loss tab with existing entries and "New Income Loss" button

Income Loss Form Fields

The income loss form is a single-page form that captures the period and amount of lost income.

Field Type Required Notes
Benefit CategoryDropdownYesSelect the income loss category. Typically "Income Loss" or "Lost Wages" as configured by the program.
Service Date FromDateYesFirst date of missed work. Must be on or after the crime date.
Service Date ToDateYesLast date of missed work in this period.
Number of PeriodsNumericNoNumber of days or pay periods of lost work. Used to calculate a per-day rate.
Service DetailsTextareaNoDescription of the income loss circumstances. Explain why work was missed (injury, court appearances, medical treatment, etc.).
Screenshot: VCPOnline — Income loss form showing date range, number of periods, and service details fields

Employer Information

Income loss claims include a dedicated employer section that captures the victim's employment details. This information is used by staff to verify the income loss claim.

Field Type Required Notes
Employer / Company NameTextNoName of the employer or business where the victim works.
Contact PersonName fieldsNoName of the employer contact (e.g., HR representative, supervisor) who can verify the income loss.
Employer AddressAddress blockNoStreet, City, State, ZIP code of the employer.
Employer PhonePhoneNoEmployer contact phone number.
Employer EmailEmailNoEmployer contact email address.
Stored as Structured Data Employer information is stored as structured JSON data within the income loss record (via the EntityData.Employer property). This allows flexible storage without rigid database columns while maintaining full search and reporting capabilities.
Tip Providing complete employer information speeds up processing. If staff cannot verify income loss through the employer, they may need to request additional documentation, which delays payment.
Screenshot: VCPOnline — Employer information section showing company name, contact person, address, phone, and email fields

Financial Fields & Calculations

The financial section captures wage-rate information (gross and compensable net) and the period of lost income. VCPMS runs a two-stage, per-tenant configurable formula engine to derive the final reimbursable amount rather than a single flat percentage.

Field Type Required Notes
Pay PeriodEnum (PayPeriodEnum)YesHourly, Daily, Weekly, BiWeekly, BiMonthly, Monthly, Yearly. Defines how Pay Period Gross Amount is interpreted.
Pay Period Gross AmountCurrencyYesGross wages at the selected pay period frequency (e.g., $25/hr, $4,000/month).
Hours Per DayNumericCond.Required when Pay Period = Hourly. Defaults to 8 when not specified.
Compensate Period TypeEnum (PayPeriodEnum)YesFrequency used for the net (compensable) amount. May differ from the gross pay period.
Compensate Net Pay AmountCurrencyYesNet (after-tax / take-home) amount used to compute reimbursement. Drives the benefit figure.
Period (Dates From/To)Date rangeYesMissed-work window. System derives work-days in-period using configured days-per-week.
Maximum Days To CoverNumericNoOptional per-claim cap; combined with tenant-configured MaximumDaysToPay to derive EffectiveDays.

Two-Stage Calculation

Stage 1 — Gross Rate

The selected Pay Period converts Pay Period Gross Amount into a DailyGross rate (e.g., Monthly / DaysPerMonth, Yearly / DaysPerYear, Hourly × HoursPerDay).

Derived gross rates exposed to formulas: DailyGross, WeeklyGross, MonthlyGross, YearlyGross, GrossPayForPeriod (DailyGross × EffectiveDays).

Stage 2 — Net Compensation

Compensate Net Pay Amount is converted by Compensate Period Type to CompensateDailyNet, then multiplied by EffectiveDays.

EffectiveDays = min(PeriodDays, MaximumDaysToPay, MaximumDaysToCover).

Final: TotalAmount = min(TotalNetPay, StatutoryMax) where TotalNetPay = CompensateDailyNet × EffectiveDays and StatutoryMax is the tenant's MaxIncomeLossAmount.

Formulas Are Configurable Per Tenant Every intermediate value (WeeklyGross, MonthlyGross, YearlyGross, GrossPayForPeriod, TotalNetPay, TotalAmount) is computed by a named formula string that each program can override in IncomeLossExtConfig. The default formulas are shown above. The formula evaluator supports + − * /, min(a,b), max(a,b), parentheses, numeric literals, and named variables.
Example Calculation
Pay Period: Hourly @ $25/hr, HoursPerDay = 8 → DailyGross = $200
Compensate Period Type: Daily @ $150/day net → CompensateDailyNet = $150
Missed-work period: 22 working days → PeriodDays = 22; no caps active → EffectiveDays = 22
TotalNetPay = $150 × 22 = $3,300
TotalAmount = min($3,300, StatutoryMax) = $3,300 (assuming statutory max is higher)
Screenshot: VCPOnline — Income loss financial fields showing Pay Period dropdown, gross/net amounts, period, and calculated gross/net summary

Validation & Submission

Validation Rules

Rule Description
Required FieldsBenefit Category, Service Date From, Service Date To, and Total Cost Amount must be provided.
Date ValidationService Date From must not be after Service Date To. Dates must be reasonable.
Financial ValidationTotal Cost must be greater than zero. Insurance Amount cannot exceed Total Cost.
Duplicate DetectionWarn-mode detection based on date range + amount, date range + provider, and from date + amount. Does not block submission but alerts staff to potential duplicates.
Claim State CheckThe parent claim must be in an active state that allows income loss submission.

Submission Flow

1
Click "Submit"

After completing the form with income loss details and employer information, click Submit.

2
Validation Check

All required fields, dates, and financial data are validated. Duplicate detection runs.

3
ShortName Generation

A unique identifier (e.g., IL-2026-0003) is automatically generated using the program's configured number sequence.

4
State Transition: Draft → Intake

The income loss claim moves to Intake state and appears in the VCPOffice queue for staff review, then advances through Pending Review / Under Review / Pending Determination as analysts verify employer information.

5
Notifications Sent

Configured notifications are triggered. The assigned claims examiner receives an alert, and the victim may receive a confirmation message.

Screenshot: VCPOnline — Income loss submission confirmation showing generated IL number and status

Post-Submission — Tracking Status

After submission, the victim can track the income loss claim's progress through VCPOnline with read-only access.

Status Visibility

The income loss claim's current state is displayed on the claim's Income Loss tab. The victim sees a simplified view of their claim.

Read-Only After Submission

Once submitted, the income loss claim becomes read-only in VCPOnline. If corrections are needed, the victim should contact program staff through SecMail.

Screenshot: VCPOnline — Income loss read-only view showing status, approved amount, and payment information

Part 2: Processing Income Loss (VCPOffice)

When an income loss claim is submitted, it enters the VCPOffice workflow. Staff members verify employer information, review documentation, create approval decisions, and process payments.

Receipt & Queue Assignment

1
Income Loss Received

The system detects the new submission and creates the work item in VCPOffice. The parent claim's assigned examiner is typically notified.

2
Auto-Assignment Rules

Based on WorkItemManagerConfig rules, the income loss may be auto-assigned to the same examiner handling the parent claim.

3
Queue Visibility

The income loss appears in the staff member's work queue. It can also be found through the parent claim's Income Loss tab.

Screenshot: VCPOffice — Income loss queue showing submitted claims with status, claim number, employer name, and amount columns

Income Loss Management Interface

The VCPOffice Income Loss management screen uses the ManageWorkItemBase layout pattern with a two-panel split-screen design.

Edit Panel (Left)

Contains the income loss billing information component with 5 sections: Service Details & Dates, Employer Information, Approvals & Adjustments, Pay Periods (Service Bills), and Payment Items. Staff works through these sections to process the claim.

About Panel (Right)

Shows the parent claim's financial summary, providing context on the overall claim budget and how this income loss fits within the total benefits picture.

Screenshot: VCPOffice — Income loss management interface showing two-panel layout with edit sections and claim financial summary

Service Details & Dates

The first section displays and allows editing of the income loss period and financial details.

Field Staff Access Description
Service DetailsView / EditDescription of the income loss. Staff can add clarifications or notes.
From Date / To DateView / EditPeriod of missed work. Staff can adjust based on employer verification.
Number of PeriodsView / EditDays or pay periods of lost work. Drives per-period cost calculation.
Total Cost AmountView / EditTotal lost wages. Staff can correct based on employer documentation.
Insurance AmountView / EditDisability insurance or employer-paid leave coverage.
Percent to PayView / EditProgram coverage percentage. Shown conditionally.

The section displays calculated values: Requested Amount (Total − Insurance) and Cost per Period (Total / Periods).

Screenshot: VCPOffice — Income loss service details showing date range, periods, financial amounts, and calculated values

Employer Review & Verification

The employer section is unique to income loss claims. Staff uses this information to verify the victim's employment and income loss with the employer.

Field Staff Access Description
Company NameView / EditEmployer's business name. Staff can correct or update.
Contact PersonView / EditHR representative, supervisor, or other employer contact for verification.
Employer AddressView / EditFull mailing address of the employer. Used for correspondence.
Phone / EmailView / EditContact information for reaching the employer to verify the income loss.

Verification Process

1
Review Employer Information

Staff reviews the employer details provided by the victim. Verify the company exists and the contact information is correct.

2
Contact Employer

Staff contacts the employer to verify the victim's employment, dates of absence, and wage rate. This can be done via phone, email, or formal letter.

3
Review Supporting Documents

Staff reviews documentation such as pay stubs, employer verification letters, tax returns, or W-2 forms that confirm the income and the loss.

4
Update Financial Amounts

If employer verification reveals different amounts or dates, staff adjusts the income loss details to match verified information.

Documentation Requirements Programs typically require at least one of the following for income loss verification: employer verification letter, recent pay stubs, prior year tax return, or a signed self-employment statement (for self-employed victims).
Screenshot: VCPOffice — Employer information section showing company name, contact details, address, and verification notes

Approvals & Adjustments (Award Items)

After verifying the income loss, staff creates award items to formally approve the lost wages for payment.

Two Types of Award Items

Approval (Award Item)

The primary approval decision authorizing payment for the verified income loss.

  • Links to a parent Award on the claim
  • Sets amount for approval (based on verified wages)
  • Sets periods for approval (verified days of lost work)
  • Routes through the configured approval workflow

Approval Adjustment

Reduces previously approved amounts if circumstances change.

  • Negative amount/periods
  • Used when overpayment is discovered
  • Or when initial approval needs correction
  • Maintains audit trail of all changes

Award Item Grid

Column Description
Requested DateDate the award item was created.
TypeAwardItem or ApprovalAdjustment.
StateDraft, Waiting for Award, Waiting for Approval, Completed, or Voided.
Considered (Amount / Periods)Amount and periods being evaluated.
For Approval (Amount / Periods)Amount and periods submitted for approval.
Approved (Amount / Periods)Final approved amount and periods.

The section footer shows Total Approved Amount and Total Approved Periods.

Maximum Benefit Limits Income loss benefits may be subject to program-configured maximum amounts per benefit category. The system enforces these limits when creating award items. If the requested amount exceeds the maximum, staff must adjust the approval accordingly.
Screenshot: VCPOffice — Approvals section showing award item grid with amounts, periods, and New Approval / Adjustment buttons

Pay Periods (Service Bills)

Income loss claims use service bills to track individual pay periods. This is especially useful when the income loss spans multiple pay periods or when the victim returns to work and then misses additional time.

Estimate Mode Off (Default)

The service bill values are synchronized from the main income loss form. The service bill is auto-created on first access and mirrors the income loss financial data.

Estimate Mode On

When tracking estimates, the service bill is displayed separately and can have different values. This allows staff to track estimated wages lost vs. actual verified amounts.

Service Bill States

Draft Intake Approved Determined Processed

The service bill must reach Determined (or Processed) before payment items can be created. This ensures wages have been verified before disbursement. (The full ServiceBillState enum: Draft, Intake, Approved, Determined, Processed, Denied, Rescinded, Withdrawn.)

Screenshot: VCPOffice — Pay Period (service bill) section showing date range, periods, amounts, and completion status

Payment Items

The Payment Items section manages the disbursement of approved income loss funds to the victim.

Payment Header

Payable Balance is displayed at the top: Total Approved − Total Paid

Payment Creation Flow

1
Prerequisites Met

At least one award item has been approved and the service bill has reached Determined (or Processed). The payable balance is greater than zero.

2
Create Payment Item

Staff clicks "Create Payment Item" and enters the amount, payee (typically the victim for income loss), and links it to the service bill.

3
Payment Authorization

The payment goes through two-level authorization (preparer creates, authorizer approves).

4
Payment Batch Processing

Authorized payments are batched for bulk processing. The batch produces paper checks and Excel/CSV exports for upload to the state financial system. (NACHA/ACH direct export is on the roadmap.)

5
Payment Completed

Once processed, the payment is marked as completed. The payable balance decreases accordingly.

Payment Items Grid

Column Description
Requested OnDate the payment item was created.
PayeeWho receives the payment (typically the victim for income loss).
Payee TypeReimbursement to victim vs. direct payment.
ReferencePayment reference number.
PaymentLink to the parent Payment work item.
AmountDollar amount of this payment.
Reimbursement vs. Direct Payment Income loss payments are typically reimbursements to the victim (since the victim lost their own wages). This differs from expense bills or treatment plans where payments often go directly to the service provider.
Screenshot: VCPOffice — Payment Items section showing payable balance, payment grid, and Create Payment Item button

Financial & Period Balance Calculations

The system tracks both dollar amounts and work periods through each processing stage.

Calculation Amount Formula Periods Formula Purpose
Requested Total Wages − Insurance Number of Periods (from income loss) What the victim originally requested.
Considered Sum of AwardItems.AmountConsidered Sum of AwardItems.PeriodsConsidered Total in award items (including pending).
Available to Consider Requested − Considered Requested Periods − Considered Periods Remaining amount/periods for new award items.
Approved Sum of Completed AwardItems.AmountApproved Sum of Completed AwardItems.PeriodsApproved Formally approved for payment.
Paid Sum of Completed PaymentItems.Amount Sum of Completed PaymentItems.Periods Funds actually disbursed to the victim.
Payable Balance Approved − Paid Approved Periods − Paid Periods Amount still available for payment.
Example: Income Loss Processing
StagePeriods (Days)Amount
Requested10$1,600
Approved10$1,600
Paid10$1,600
Payable Balance0$0.00

All 10 days of lost wages fully approved and paid.

Screenshot: VCPOffice — Income loss financial balance showing all stages with period counts and amounts

Resolution: Completed or Withdrawn

Completed

The income loss claim is marked as Completed when:

  • All award items are in a terminal state (Completed or Voided)
  • All approved payments have been issued
  • The payable balance is zero or no further action is needed

Withdrawn

The income loss claim is Withdrawn when:

  • Submitted in error or duplicated
  • Victim requests withdrawal
  • Employer verification fails
  • Parent claim is withdrawn or denied

Withdrawal requires an originated document and no non-draft award items.

Reopening A Withdrawn income loss claim can be reopened back to an active state (Intake / Under Review) if additional income loss periods need to be processed or if corrections are required.

End-to-End Summary

Submit Claim Verify Employer Approve Wages Issue Payment Completed
Screenshot: VCPOffice — Income loss in Completed state showing final financial summary with all wages paid

Cross-Portal Visibility

Portal Access Level What Users See
VCPOnlineRead-only (after submission)Income loss status, approved amount, payment status. Cannot edit after submission.
VCPOfficeFull AccessComplete management interface with employer info, approvals, service bills, and payments.
VCPAdvocateRead (assigned claims)Advocates can view income loss claims for their assigned victims.
Screenshot: Side-by-side showing income loss in VCPOnline (victim view) and VCPOffice (staff view)

Key Features & Capabilities

Employer Information Tracking

Dedicated employer section captures company name, contact person, address, phone, and email. Stored as structured data for reporting and verification.

Pay Period Tracking

Track the number of days or pay periods of lost work alongside dollar amounts. Calculate per-period wage rates automatically.

Employer Verification Workflow

Staff can use employer contact information to verify income loss claims. Documentation requirements are configured per program.

Estimate-to-Actual Support

Track estimated income loss while waiting for employer verification, then update with verified amounts once confirmed.

Victim Reimbursement Focus

Payments are typically reimbursements directly to the victim, with clear tracking of the reimbursement vs. direct payment distinction.

Duplicate Detection

Warn-mode detection based on date ranges, amounts, and providers prevents duplicate income loss claims for overlapping periods.

Configurable Benefit Limits

Maximum income loss amounts, coverage percentages, and eligibility rules are configurable per program through benefit category settings.

Complete Audit Trail

Every action is logged from submission through payment, including employer verification activities and all financial changes.

Communication

VCPMS provides multi-channel communication capabilities throughout the income loss lifecycle. Staff and external users are kept informed at every stage — from submission acknowledgment through employer verification to payment completion.

SecMail / vPostalBox

Secure two-way messaging between staff, victims, and employers. Messages are linked to the income loss claim for full context. Template-based correspondence for verification requests and approval/denial letters.

Automated Notifications

Configurable notification triggers fire at each state transition — submission received, under review, approved, payment issued. Delivered via email, in-portal alerts, or SMS per user preference.

Deadline Reminders

Time-based workflow triggers send automatic reminders for pending employer verifications, overdue reviews, and approaching program deadlines. Configurable per program through WorkItem Manager settings.

Outlook Integration

VCPMS optionally integrates with Microsoft Outlook via the Microsoft Graph API to extend communication and scheduling capabilities. Outlook is a convenience layer — all functionality works fully without it.

Outlook is Optional When Outlook integration is not configured, all notifications are sent via SMTP, all workflow actions remain available in the VCPMS web interface, and deadlines appear in the VCPMS dashboard. Zero functionality is lost.

Graph API Email Delivery

When enabled, notification emails are sent via Microsoft Graph API from the agency's shared mailbox instead of SMTP. If Graph fails, the system automatically falls back to SMTP — no emails are lost. Supports rich HTML formatting and delivery tracking.

Calendar Sync

Hearing dates, employer verification deadlines, and payment due dates are optionally pushed to staff Outlook calendars as one-way events. VCPMS remains the source of truth — calendar events include deep links back to the claim. Events update automatically when dates change.

Actionable Messages (Adaptive Cards)

Notification emails can embed Approve/Reject buttons directly in Outlook via Adaptive Cards. Staff can take workflow actions without leaving their inbox. The same actions remain available in the VBO web interface. Requires Exchange admin approval for the organization.

Reply Tracking

When email is sent via Graph, replies from recipients are correlated back to the original SecMail conversation using Graph conversation IDs. Reply activity is logged on the work item for a complete communication record.

Two integration modes support different user types:

  • Organization Mode — Configured once per tenant by the admin. Uses app-only authentication with a certificate. System notifications are sent from a shared mailbox. Calendar events are pushed to any staff member's calendar. Available to VBO staff.
  • Personal Mode — Each user individually connects their Microsoft 365 account via OAuth consent. Emails are sent from the user's own mailbox. Calendar events appear in their personal calendar. Available to VBO staff, Advocates, and Service Providers.

Configuration is managed through the Administration → Outlook Integration page in VBO. The feature must first be enabled by the host administrator via the App.Extensions.OutlookIntegration feature flag. See the Admin Guide for setup instructions.

Related Documentation

Claim Lifecycle

Understand the full claim lifecycle. Income loss is one of three requested benefit types within a victim compensation claim.

Expense Bill Lifecycle

Compare with expense bills for one-time expense reimbursements (medical, dental, funeral, etc.).

Treatment Plan Lifecycle

Compare with treatment plans for ongoing session-based treatment approvals.