Criminal Injury Compensation Claims

If you have been injured in an act of violence in England, Scotland or Wales, you may be entitled to make a criminal injuries compensation claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). An agency of the Ministry of Justice, this organisation provides compensation to victims of violent crimes. This applies whether you’ve suffered physical and/or mental harm as a result of the incident.

Being the victim of a violent crime can be traumatic, and it’s important that you receive the compensation you deserve to help you recover from the incident and move on with your life. To help you secure the money owed to you, use our website to compare criminal injury solicitors today.

Am I Eligible To Claim Criminal Injury Compensation?

CICA provides compensation for physical and mental harm experienced, as well as for lost earnings where people have limited or no capacity to work as a result of the injuries they suffered. It also issues compensation in cases of fatality caused by violent crimes, including bereavement payments, payments for financial dependents and funeral payments.

In order to claim, you must:

• Have been injured enough to be awarded the minimum payout of £1,000
• Have been injured in an act of violence in England, Scotland, or Wales
• Make your application to the CICA within two calendar years of the violent incident that caused injury (Unless there are exceptional circumstances or you are a minor)
• Have reported the crime to the police

Don’t worry about the courts – you can be eligible for CICA compensation even if the violent offender hasn’t been convicted or even charged with a crime.

There are some cases where you wouldn’t be eligible to have a claim processed by CICA. These include:

• People whose injury took place before 1 August 1964
• People who have already applied for compensation for the same criminal injury under any earlier government programme in the UK
• People who were living with the person who injured them – this only applies if the crime took place before 1 October 1979

CICA may also refuse criminal injuries claims on the basis of:

• An injured person’s behaviour after the criminal injury incident
• An injured person’s criminal record
• Failure on the part of the injured person to cooperate with the police

The time it takes for CICA to assess your claim will largely depend on how complex your case is. All eligible claims to CICA will be paid, but you may have to wait for up to 12 months or longer to be awarded compensation.

How Do I Apply For CICA Compensation?

Applications for compensation can be made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). In order to apply, you will need to supply certain pieces of evidence. For example, you may be asked for medical evidence that shows you suffered injury, as well as evidence to support claims for lost earnings. You may also need proof that you meet the residency requirements. See our article guide on How to make a CICA claim.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our specialist solicitors who can talk you through everything and offer guidance where needed.

Fees And Compensation

When applying for criminal injury compensation, you don’t need a legal representative to act on your claim. However, if you do opt for paid representation, this is usually done on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. This means that you only pay if your claim is successful. The payment is an agreed percentage of your compensation.

CICA awards money under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, which sets the criteria that claims can be made under and determines the amounts paid out in compensation. The amount of compensation reflects the seriousness of the physical injuries suffered and/or the mental harm caused. Currently, the organisation provides compensation sums of between £1,000 and £500,000. CICA pays out more than £130 million each year in such cases.

How Long Do I Have To Make A Criminal Injury Claim?

It’s important to be aware that claims for CICA compensation must be made within two years of the date of the incident. There are exceptions to this. For example due to mental ill health or if the police advised not to make a CICA claim until after trial. However, evidence in writing would be needed for both these situations.

If the victim was a minor when the incident took place, the two year time limit doesn’t start until their 18th birthday.

For cases of sexual or physical abuse, the time limit starts from the date the incident is reported to the police.