By Stephen Anderson. Last updated 29th June 2022. If you have been the victim of a violent crime, such as assault, rape or sexual abuse, you could make a claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA provides compensation for victims of violent crime in England, Scotland and Wales under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (CICS 2012) when there is no other option to be compensated. Although it may seem complex, this guide on making a claim through the CICA could help you understand the process you need to go through to seek compensation for your pain and suffering.
A guide on making a claim through the CICA.
As the victim of a violent crime, you may not only be suffering from physical and psychological harm, you could also be in a difficult financial position as a result of your injuries. If so, you may be able to seek compensation by making a claim through the CICA.
We’ll explore the compensation you could claim and the evidence you’ll need to provide in order to do so. We’ll also look at whether you’re eligible to claim.
If you feel ready to start your claim, before or after reading this guide, you could seek legal help from a criminal injuries solicitor. For more information, get in touch with our team on the details below:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Use the ‘live support’ option to the bottom right of this screen
Select A Section
- An Overview Of Claims Made Through The CICA
- Making A Claim Through The CICA
- Checking Your Eligibility To Claim
- Submitting Your Criminal Injury Claim
- How Much Compensation Will I Get From The CICA?
- No Win No Fee Solicitors Can Help With Claims Through The CICA
- Related Criminal Injury Guides
An Overview Of Claims Made Through the CICA
The CICA offer victims of serious crime an avenue to seek compensation in cases where they aren’t able to identify the assailant or the assailant wouldn’t have the means to pay compensation in a traditional claim.
There are certain factors that you need to be aware of before you make a claim through the CICA, such as the amount of time you have to put forward your application. We’ll provide further details on the time limits further in our guide.
As the criminal injury claims process may seem complex, you may wish to use a solicitor who has experience handling similar cases. However, we understand you may be apprehensive to do so because of the costs normally involved in seeking legal representation.
If so, our panel of solicitors could take your claim under a No Win No Fee agreement which can allow you to hire a solicitor without paying an upfront fee.
For more information, contact our team on the number above.
Making A Claim Through The CICA
In order to build a strong criminal injury claim, there are several pieces of evidence you’ll need to gather. The evidence you provide will allow the CICA to determine whether you have a valid case.
You may be asked to provide various information, including:
- Proof that you meet the residency requirements
- Medical evidence to show that you suffered an injury for which the Scheme could provide compensation
- Evidence of any past or future loss of earnings
In addition, you must be able to show that the incident was reported to the police and that you co-operated with the police.
The CICA may also require evidence that your behaviour didn’t contribute to the incident in which you sustained harm. They may speak to witnesses or the police to confirm this.
CICA Claim Time Limits
If you’re wondering how long you have to claim criminal injury compensation, it’s important to be aware that there are time limits to starting a claim through the CICA.
Generally, you will have no more than two years to apply from the date the incident occurred. You can start this immediately and do not have to wait for the outcome of your case or police investigations, provided there is enough information for the CICA to make a decision on your case.
The time limit could be extended in certain circumstances but you must have an exceptional reason why you couldn’t start your claim within the two years. For example, the incident may have caused you severe psychological harm resulting in you having a reduced mental capacity.
Additionally, if you are the victim of a violent crime, you should report it to the police as soon as you reasonably can. However, if there is an exceptional reason why you were unable to report the incident to the police in a reasonable time, the two years could start from the date you report the incident.
Other exceptions may apply for anyone under the age of 18. For more information, call our team on the number above.
Top Tips On Making A CICA Claim
If you have suffered criminal injuries and you’re wondering if making a CICA claim is possible for you (and what steps to take if it is), then you can keep the following tips in mind:
- If you have only very recently suffered injuries from a criminal attack, make sure to seek the medical attention you require for your injuries, then it’s essential to report the crime to the police as soon as possible.
- If you suffered criminal injuries a while ago, make sure that you still have enough time to start a claim. As mentioned earlier, the time limit for starting a CICA claim is usually two years from when the crime occurred. The time limit can be different in certain circumstances, such as when the victim is a child, or the claim relates to historical abuse.
- Look into hiring a criminal injury claim solicitor who can potentially support your case. While it is your choice whether you do this or not, having the support of a solicitor who is experienced with handling CICA claims can be incredibly valuable. They should be able to advise and support you on key steps such as gathering evidence.
Checking Your Eligibility To Claim
Generally, the CICA can provide compensation to victims of a violent crime or people whose loved ones have died following a violent crime that meet the required criteria.
For people whose loved ones have died, you may be eligible for a bereavement payment. This can be paid to a qualifying relative, such as a:
- Spouse or civil partner that was living in the same household.
- Partner who had been living in the same household continuously for a minimum period of two years before the person died.
- Parent.
- Child.
As per the CICS 2012, if there is more than one person eligible for the award, they will be paid £5,500. However, if only one person is eligible, they will be paid £11,000.
For children of the deceased person, they will receive £2,000 each year from the date of death until the day before they turn 18. The payment may be made to a qualifying relative.
Additionally, if a qualifying relative was financially or physically dependent on the deceased person at the time of their death, they could receive a dependency payment.
Furthermore, in certain circumstances, a person whose loved one has died as a result of a criminal injury may be eligible to receive funeral payments.
For more information on what you might be eligible to claim in compensation following a fatal criminal injury, call our team.
Submitting Your Criminal Injury Claim
As discussed, there are various pieces of information you’ll need to provide when submitting your CICA claim, such as showing the incident was reported to the police. However, additional information may be required, such as:
- Details of any unspent criminal convictions: If you have a criminal record, this may affect the compensation you receive.
- Details of the incident: The CICA will look at whether you were partially responsible for the injuries you sustained, for example, because you intended to provoke the person who attacked you.
In addition to this, you will need to provide medical evidence where necessary. Also, you may be invited to attend an appointment arranged by the CICA to produce an additional medical report on the full extent of your condition.
It’s important to be aware that many factors will be considered when you make a claim through the CICA. For that reason, it may be beneficial to seek legal advice from an experienced solicitor. Call our team for more information.
How Long Could A CICA Claim Take?
The time it takes for you to receive compensation following a claim made through the CICA can vary depending on multiple factors. For instance, further evidence may need to be obtained for the CICA to make a decision on your case.
Interim Payments
In some cases, the CICA may have decided you’re eligible to receive compensation but may not yet be able to accurately calculate how much you’re eligible to receive. For example, if your injury is still healing, it may be difficult to understand the long term impact your injury may have. While you’re waiting, you could receive an interim payment that can cover any immediate expenses.
Any interim payment you receive will be deducted from the final award you receive from the CICA.
How Much Compensation Will I Get From The CICA?
When making a claim through the CICA, you may be awarded compensation for your injuries. Additionally, you may be able to seek compensation for loss of earnings and other special expenses. However, you will need to provide evidence in order to support your claim for any loss of earnings or special expenses.
Injury payments are awarded based on the tariff of injuries set out in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. Medical evidence will be considered to determine the severity of the harm you’ve sustained.
However, we have created a table based on the tariff to give you an idea of the compensation that may be awarded for certain injuries.
Please be aware that the table is not a conclusive list of injuries for which the CICA awards compensation. For that reason, please get in touch with our team to discuss your specific injury.
| Injury | CICA award amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Physical abuse of adults | £8,200 | Persistent severe abuse that has carried on for over 3 years |
| Burns | £33,000 | Burns that have affected over 25% of the skin on multiple areas of the body. |
| Quadraplegia or Tetraplegia | £250,000 | Complete and substantial impairment of the motor or sensory function of upper and lower limbs. |
| Mental injury | £27,000 | A seriously disabling permanent mental injury that has been confirmed by diagnosis of a psychiatrist. |
| Moderate brain damage | £82,000 | Where dependence on others is significant. There may also be a significantly reduced ability to work and an effect on the senses. |
| Very serious brain injury | £175,000 | Significant reduction in life expectancy and little or no meaningful environmental responses. |
| Eye | £13,500 | Detached retina in both eyes. |
| Face | £11,000 | Multiple facial fractures. |
| Hand | £82,000 | Total loss of one hand or loss of function. |
Multiple injuries receive payment for the highest/second highest/ third highest value. Therefore, you could receive:
- 100% of the value of your highest value injury
- 30% of the value of your second
- 15% for a third injury
There are situations in which you could receive compensation for more than three injuries, such as if you have become pregnant, lost a foetus or contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
Speak with our team to see how a criminal injuries solicitor could help you understand the compensation you could receive by making a claim through the CICA.
No Win No Fee Solicitors Can Help With Claims Through The CICA
As mentioned, you could opt to hire a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis. There are several benefits to doing so, such as:
- No upfront fees to hire the solicitor
- You won’t need to pay any ongoing costs while your claim proceeds
- You won’t pay solicitor fees if your claim fails
If your case wins, you’ll need to pay a small success fee. The fee will be deducted from your overall settlement figure as a legally capped percentage. Also, your solicitor will make you aware of the fee before they begin working on your case.
Our panel of solicitors can work on your claim under a No Win No Fee agreement. If you’d like to find out more, simply reach out to our team. After they have assessed your claim to determine whether it has a chance of success, they could appoint a criminal injury solicitor from our panel to begin working on your case.
Alternatively, they can provide further clarification on anything you may still be unsure of. So, why not get in touch today:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Speak with an advisor using the live chat function below
Related Criminal Injury Guides
Please see below for further guides we’ve published on different accident claims. We have also provided some useful external resources you may find helpful.
- Historical sexual abuse claims
- Manslaughter and murder victim compensation claims
- How to find criminal injury lawyers
- Report rape or sexual assault
- How do I get a copy of my health medical records?
- A government guide to criminal injuries compensation
We hope our guide on making a claim through the CICA has helped. If you have any additional questions, please contact our team on the number above.
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