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Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) claim

Can I apply for Compensation?

In order to consider an application, the CICA must be satisfied that:

• You have been the victim of a violent crime
• You reported the matter to the police as soon as possible
• You are making an application within 2 years of the assault, though sometimes even if this is not the case, the claim could still be successful

If the answer to all of the three questions above is “Yes”, contact us now for a quick and easy, “No Win, No Fee”, no hassle, service.

The CICA

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is a government funded scheme which provides compensation to innocent victims of violent crime. The CICA scheme was first introduced in 1964 and is based in Glasgow. Here tens of thousands of applications are dealt with each year, with hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation awarded.

A “Tariff” of compensation is used to value the physical and/or mental injuries suffered, with the minimum payment for a single injury being £1,000.00 and the maximum being £250,000.00. Payments are also made for out of pocket expenses, such as loss of earnings, the cost of medical treatment, etc. with the maximum overall award possible being £500,000.00.

The CICA scheme is for people injured in Great Britain, i.e. in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has its own separate scheme, as do many countries within the European Union, with the CICA also able to assist with claims that arise out of incidents within the EU.

All applications are judged in a fair and reasonable way after full details of the circumstances and the injuries are considered. Often, even if the assailant is not convicted of an offence, or not identified, compensation can still be obtained.

Whatever assault you have been subjected too, we can help. Our fully qualified solicitors have many years experience dealing sensitively with Claimants who have received injuries due to being subjected to crimes, such as an assault, sexual abuse, etc. or with where a loved one has died as a result of a violent crime, and even where a violent incident took place outside of the UK, liaising closely with EU Compensation Assistance Team, or EUCAT. Our team can assist with all aspects of a claim to the CICA or EUCAT, guiding you through the process every step of the way to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation that you deserve.

What happens in an application to the CICA?

After the application has been sent to the CICA they will investigate what happened in the assault, and the consequences, obtaining reports and statements from the relevant authorities, such as the Police, the Hospital attended and your GP.

Once the CICA has sufficient information, they will put forward an award of compensation in writing. This will be in accordance with the “Tariff” which provides different awards for each different injury sustained. The minimum award that can be made is £1,000.00, with the maximum being £500,000.00.

When the offer of compensation is received, our solicitors will advise on the reasonableness of this and if it is felt that it is not sufficient, it will be suggested that you consider asking the CICA to carry out a “Review”. Our solicitors will then fully draft a detailed request for a Review on your behalf, possibly obtaining from the CICA copies of all of the evidence that has been considered in making the original decision so that they can fully advise you of the position. If, after the Review has been completed, the further offer of compensation put forward by the CICA is still not reasonable, our solicitors will advise you that it is possible to submit an “Appeal”. This is then heard before the CICA Appeals Panel and representation at this will be provided for you.

Due to the experience and expertise of our fully qualified solicitors, more often than not, an amount of compensation that is reasonable will be obtained without the claim having to progress to an Appeal, however whatever action is required to get you the compensation that you deserve, our team will assist you every step of the way.

CICA compensation awards

The amount of compensation that you are likely to receive from the CICA if your claim is successful is contained within the “Tariff”. These amounts are set by Parliament. The tariff applied since April 2001, amended in November 2008, and then again in 2012, provides details of the maximum levels of CICA Compensation Awards.

How much compensation will I get?

There are currently 35 levels of compensation for injuries ranging from £1,000.00 to £250,000.00.

If you also have out of pockets expenses as well, such as loss of earnings, the cost of medical treatment, etc. the CICA will pay further compensation up to £250,000.00, giving a total amount payable under the scheme of £500,000.00.

You may have suffered a number of injuries and the CICA will provide compensation for the three most serious as follows:

• 100% compensation for the value of the most serious injury;
• plus 30% of the value of the second most serious injury
• plus 15% of the value of the third most serious.

Examples of CICA compensation awards:

• Minor head injury, concussion/impairment of balance/headaches – £1,500.00
• Facial Scarring (serious) – £11,000.00
• Broken nose with partial loss of sense of smell/taste – £3,500.00
• Fractured cheek bone with continuing symptoms – £3,500.00
• Broken jaw with continuing symptoms – £6,200.00
• Front tooth, loss of – £1,500.00
• Dislocated shoulder, with continuing symptoms – £3,500.00
• Fractured clavicle, with continuing symptoms – £2,400.00
• Broken arm, with continuing symptoms – £3,500.00
• Removal of spleen – £11,000.00
• Broken leg, with continuing symptoms – £1,800.00
• Broken big toe, substantial recovery – £1,000.00
• Disabling but temporary mental anxiety – £1,000.00
• Sexual Assault – £11,000.00

Can I Claim?

One of the first questions we are asked is “Can I claim criminal injuries compensation?” There are a number of steps to take before you can claim criminal injuries compensation.

What you should do if you’re the victim of a violent crime:

• Ensure that you obtain any medical assistance you require before doing anything else, for example from your local hospital, GP or Dentist.
• As soon as you able, and preferably immediately, report the crime to the Police and obtain a Crime Reference Number. This is of paramount importance as the Crime Reference Number will be required for the application to proceed.
• Obtain the names and addresses of any witnesses who saw the incident, if possible.

Can I claim criminal injuries compensation?

The quickest way to find out for sure is to contact us immediately and speak to one of our fully qualified solicitors. However, three questions to ask are:

• Were your injuries sustained as a result of a violent crime?
• Were your injuries suffered within the last two years? Although there is a time limit of two years for CICA claims, in certain circumstances, successful claims can be made for incidents experienced longer ago than this.
• Was the incident reported to the Police shortly after it happened or, if not, was there a reasonable explanation for the delay for this?

If the answer to the above points is “Yes”, contact us now or fill out the short form and we’ll be in touch with you shortly.

Why Choose Us?

Why Choose Metcalfe David Eyres?

We have many years experience in the field of CICA claims and have found that despite the CICA being created as far back as 1964, there are still many people who either don’t know about it at all, or know about it but don’t know how to make a successful application for compensation. If you suffer injury due to a crime, we can help you understand your right to claim compensation and navigate you through the CICA process to get you the compensation that you’re entitled to.

Working with you

When you contact us you will be starting a partnership which, from our side, will include an absolute commitment to ensuring that you receive financial justice for the criminal injuries that you have suffered.

Commitment to excellence

If you make an enquiry regarding your CICA claim with Metcalfe David Eyres, you will immediately be contacted by an expert solicitor in the field of CICA claims. Your legal expert, who you will deal with from the start of your claim to the very finish (no speaking to one person one day, then someone else another, etc. with us), will:

• be a friendly and caring professional;
• provide advice whilst showing the utmost sympathy and sensitivity;
• be an experienced expert in CICA claims.

Best value

Your claim will be pursued on a “No Win, No Fee” basis which means that, for once, you actually want to have to pay a bill, as if you are that means that you will be receiving compensation.

It also means that if you don’t win, we won’t get paid which, if you weren’t convinced before that we will fight as hard as possible for you, you really should be convinced now. Rest assured, we will fight tooth and nail to get you as much as possible.

Call us now on 0114 249 3222 or 01246 555387 or send us an enquiry by filling out the form for the first step to the CICA compensation that you deserve.