§3360-M. Payment for forensic examinations for alleged victims of sexual assault

1.  Payment.  The board shall pay the costs of forensic examiner training as well as the costs of forensic examinations for alleged victims of sexual assault from the Victims' Compensation Fund. The board shall track expenditures for forensic examinations separately from all other expenditures. Forensic examination payments are not subject to any other provision of this chapter. For the purposes of this section, "sexual assault" means any crime enumerated in Title 17-A, chapter 11.

[PL 2017, c. 156, §1 (AMD).]

2.  Forensic examination; forensic examiner training and education.  The board shall determine by rule what a forensic examination may include for purposes of payment. An examination must include at least all services directly related to the gathering of forensic evidence and related testing and treatment for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The board shall pay a licensed hospital or licensed health care practitioner the actual cost of the forensic examination up to a maximum of $750.

The cost of sexual assault forensic examiner training and education provided by the sexual assault forensic examiner program must be paid from the Victims' Compensation Fund in an amount that may not exceed $50,000 per year.

[PL 2009, c. 79, §4 (AMD).]

3.  Process for payment.  A licensed hospital or licensed health care practitioner that performs forensic examinations for alleged victims of sexual assault shall submit a bill to the Victims' Compensation Board directly for payment of the forensic examinations. The hospital or health care practitioner that performs a forensic examination shall take steps necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the alleged victim's identity. The bill submitted by the hospital or health care practitioner may not identify the alleged victim by name but must be assigned a tracking number assigned by the manufacturer of the forensic examination kit. The hospital or health care practitioner that performs the examination may not bill the alleged victim or the alleged victim's insurer, nonprofit hospital or medical service organization or health maintenance organization for payment of the examination. The alleged victim is not required to report the alleged offense to a law enforcement agency.

[PL 2017, c. 156, §1 (AMD).]

4.  Other reimbursement.  The fact that forensic examinations are paid for separately through the Victims' Compensation Fund does not preclude alleged victims of sexual assault from seeking reimbursement for expenses other than those for the forensic examination. A victim seeking reimbursement from the Victims' Compensation Fund for expenses other than the forensic examination is subject to all other provisions of this chapter.

[PL 2017, c. 156, §1 (AMD).]

5.  Rules.  Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

[PL 2017, c. 156, §1 (AMD).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1999, c. 719, §1 (NEW). PL 1999, c. 719, §11 (AFF). PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. WW, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 79, §4 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 156, §1 (AMD).