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While the state
already required funds to be set aside to pay for the forensic
tests widely known as "rape kits," the ruling clarifies that
convicted offenders can be charged directly for the costs of
tests for their victims.
Nationally, many victims of sexual assault have to pay some of
the costs of rape kits. A recent study found that on average,
victims with insurance ended up paying about $950 for medical
services associated with rape kits.
Federal law requires states to pay for sexual assault forensic
exams, but hospitals often include more services than those
associated with the rape kit alone.
Monday's ruling explicitly permits the inclusion of the services
of sexual assault nurse examiners as "extraordinary" costs that
offenders can be ordered to pay themselves, turning down the
petitions of convicts Adam Teague and Bobby Rogers, who had been
charged $702.27 and $500, respectively, for their victims'
examinations.
(Reporting by Tom James; Editing by Patrick Enright and Peter
Cooney)
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