What Is A CICA Claim? – A Step-By-Step Guide

If you are wondering, ‘what is a CICA claim?’ This guide will explain the government-funded Compensation Scheme run by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which is responsible for compensating victims of crimes of violence in Great Britain. 

Additionally, it is important to consider other options for claiming criminal injury compensation before applying through the CICA. Firstly, you could claim against the perpetrator directly.

what is a CICA claim

What is a CICA claim?

However, this requires that you know the identity of the person responsible and that they have the available funds to pay the compensation amount. Secondly, you could claim against a vicariously liable party, for example, if the act of criminal violence occurred at work because of employer negligence, then you could be entitled to claim against them. 

In this guide, however, we will focus on making a claim through the CICA in the case that neither of the options above are possible. Additionally, we will explain how using a No Win No Fee solicitor could benefit your claim.   

Speak to a member of our team at Criminal Injuries Compensation Expert to check if you’re eligible to receive criminal injuries compensation. Our advisors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to offer legal advice at a time that suits your needs.  

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Choose A Section

  1. What Is A CICA Claim? – A Guide
  2. When Am I Eligible To Make A CICA Claim?
  3. What Evidence Do You Need When Making A Criminal Injury Compensation Claim?
  4. Potential Criminal Injury Compensation Amounts
  5. Why Seek Criminal Injuries Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
  6. Learn More About What A CICA Claim Is

What Is A CICA Claim? – A Guide

A claim for criminal injury compensation can be made through the CICA. This covers injuries caused by crimes of violence, including sexual assault, common assault and attempted murder.  Injuries you could sustain include cuts, fractures (such as a broken jaw) and mental injuries. 

Continue reading for the answers to the questions ‘what is a CICA claim?’ and ‘how much compensation could I be awarded?’. We will outline the eligibility criteria that must be met to make a CICA claim and the evidence you may require.

Please speak to an advisor if you have any questions. If your case is valid, you could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel. 

When Am I Eligible To Make A CICA Claim?

The Scheme outlines a criteria of eligibility that must be met to potentially receive a compensation award through the CICA as a victim of a violent crime, including: 

  • Meeting the residency requirements. 
  • The incident having occurred in Scotland, England, Wales or another ‘relevant place’. 
  • You must be a victim of violent crime. The definition of a crime of violence includes physical attacks, sexual assault and threats that cause the person to be reasonably firmly placed in fear of immediate violence. 
  • You must have reported the incident to the police

Other factors they may consider when evaluating your case could include whether or not you cooperated with the police in any investigations to bring your assailant to justice and whether you have any unspent criminal convictions. 

Additionally, you could make a claim if you were involved in or witnessed the immediate aftermath of the injury of a loved one. However, to be eligible to make a claim, you must have suffered a disabling mental injury as a result. Furthermore, you could also claim as a qualifying relative that has been bereaved due to a violent crime.

Please speak to a member of our team to ask, ‘what is a CICA claim, and am I eligible?’. If you have a valid claim, then you could be connected with a No Win No Fee lawyer from our panel. 

What Evidence Do You Need When Making A Criminal Injury Compensation Claim?

To claim compensation through the CICA, you will need to provide them with certain evidence, including: 

  • A police reference number. This shows that you reported the crime to the police. 
  • Proof that you meet the residency requirements laid out in the CICA Scheme.
  • Medical evidence of your injuries. 
  • Evidence of any financial losses that your injuries have caused you.

The CICA will then be able to confirm with the police on other factors, such as whether you cooperated with them and whether you have any unspent criminal convictions that could affect your compensation award.

Is There A CICA Claim Time Limit?

You may wonder, ‘what is the CICA claim time limit?’ if you’re curious about how long you have to claim. In general, you have two years to start a claim from the date the incident was reported to the police. This is usually the date of the accident unless exceptional circumstances apply. 

However, there are some exceptions to this time limit. Claims may still be considered in cases where exceptional circumstances meant an application could not have been made earlier, and the evidence provided could mean the outcome can be determined without extensive enquiries by a claims officer.

Additionally, exceptions apply for applicants who were under the age of 18 at the time of the incident. Please contact a member of our team to learn more. They may be able to give insight into whether you are within the relevant time limits to claim. 

Potential Criminal Injury Compensation Amounts

You may wonder, ‘what is a CICA claim payout?’ You could receive two potential categories of compensation for a successful criminal injury claim. Firstly, you could receive a payment for your injuries resulting from the violent crime. Secondly, you could receive a payment for loss of earnings and special expenses, which covers certain financial losses resulting from your injuries.  

In the table below, we have used the CICA tariff of injuries to provide a table showing compensation amounts for different injuries. This table is alternative to using our criminal injuries compensation calculator; our team can also offer advice on how to use our calculator. Special expenses are not included in the table and will be discussed in the following section.  

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If you have multiple injuries qualifying for compensation, the Scheme states that the CICA could award compensation for up to three injuries under the following formula:

  • The most highly valued injury would receive 100% of the full tariff value. 
  • The second highest or equally valued injury would receive 30% of the tariff amount. 
  • The third highest or equally valued injury would receive 15% of the tariff amount. 

Although they only award for up to three injuries, you could receive additional tariff payments if you have become pregnant, lost a foetus or contracted a sexually transmitted disease as a direct result of the incident of criminal violence.  These will not be subject to the above reduction formula. 

Special Expenses In A CICA Claim

When claiming under special expenses, your injury must be so severe that it caused you to lose earnings or affected your earning capacity for more than 28 weeks. After this, you can be compensated for the loss of earnings from week 29 onwards. 

Furthermore, other special expenses will be paid from the date of the injury; this could include: 

  • Physical aids, such as a hearing aid or a walking stick that you relied on, which were broken in the violent incident. 
  • The cost of medical treatment from the NHS or another healthcare provider where the same cost would arise were you treated by the NHS. 
  • Housing adaptations, such as a stairlift, that you now require due to disabilities caused by your injuries. 
  • Care expenses relating to food preparation or bodily functions. 

You must provide evidence of special damages, such as receipts, payslips or bank records. Also, all costs you claim reimbursement for must be necessary, reasonable, directly result from your injuries and not be available elsewhere for free.   

Why Seek Criminal Injuries Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?

Using a No Win No Fee solicitor, operating under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), can provide many benefits when seeking criminal injury compensation; for example, you will generally not make payments for any upfront or ongoing fees for your solicitor’s services. Nor will you usually pay for the services of a solicitor should your claim be unsuccessful. 

On the other hand, a successful claim will mean a No Win No Fee solicitor receives a ‘success fee’. This is a small, legally capped percentage of the compensation. 

See If You Can Make A CICA Injury Claim Today – Contact Us For Free

Please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team today to make an enquiry, such as ‘what is a CICA claim?’ Our advisors are on hand to provide free and confidential legal advice at a time convenient for you. Moreover, they could connect you with one of our specialist criminal injury solicitors if they find that your claim may be valid.  

You can:

Learn More About What A CICA Claim Is 

These guides from our website provide further reading on criminal injury claims: 

We will also provide some external sources to provide more information:

Thank you for reading this guide; we hope to have answered the question, ‘what is a CICA claim?’

Writer Jess Ox

Publisher Fern Shelley