Ombudsman criticizes long wait for victim compensation

Victims of violence and other crimes face excessive delays in compensation cases with the Danish Compensation Board (Erstatningsnævnet), according to the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s investigation, which reveals a significant drop in decisions made by the board and an increase in pending cases. The number of cases waiting over a year rose from 24% to 41%, and cases awaiting processing grew by 30%. The Ombudsman began the investigation after an April announcement by the board indicating up to two years for processing claims, citing resource shortages. Although the Ministry of Justice and Civil Administration are working on solutions, including structural analysis to improve processing, no mention is made of additional resources for the board. Two experienced legal professionals have also been temporarily reassigned to the Mink Secretariat, with additional pay incentives, leading to criticism for neglecting victims of traumatic crimes.