TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A program administered by the Kansas attorney general’s office has awarded more than $296,000 to victims of violent crimes in its latest round of distributions.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office says the Kansas Crime Victims Compensation Board approved the payments for 233 individuals at its February meeting.

The program was established in 1978 to help victims and those affected by violent crime meet such expenses as medical bills, mental health counseling, lost wages and funeral costs.

Funding for the program comes from court costs and fines, parole fees, restitution paid by offenders and wages earned by inmates for work they perform in state prisons.