Can I make a CICA claim?
The CICA Administered Scheme outlines the conditions that must be met for a victim of crime in England, Scotland, or Wales to be considered eligible for compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
You could be eligible to claim if:
- You were physically or psychologically injured (or both) as a result of a crime of violence in Scotland, England, or Wales.
- Crimes of violence include physical attacks, threats causing fear of immediate violence, sexual assault, arson, and certain other violent acts done intentionally or recklessly.
- You do not need to be a British citizen to apply, but it must have taken place in Great Britain.
- In assessing an injury, the CICA will take into account any relevant medical conditions you had before you were injured.
- You were the dependant and/or a close relative of a person who died as a result of a violent crime.
- A close relative normally means the husband, wife, civil partner (or a person who was living within the same household as the victim in a relationship like a husband, wife or civil partner), parent or child.
- This includes witnessing the incident in which a loved one was injured, or you yourself were injured while taking justified, exceptional risks to prevent a crime.
- You were injured in the last two years. This time limit may be disregarded, but only in exceptional circumstances where:
- The circumstances of your injury meant that the CICA could not reasonably have expected you to apply within the two-year time limit, and it is still possible to investigate your claim.
- If the police report was before your 18th birthday, you can apply up to your 20th birthday.
- Your injuries are serious enough to qualify for the lowest (minimum) award the CICA can pay under the Scheme.
- The minimum award is £1,000. If your injury is not serious enough to qualify for a £1,000 payment, the CICA will not be able to make an award.
- Psychological injury awards usually require a diagnosis/prognosis from a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, and they must be disabling for a specified period (often 6 weeks or more).
How to make a CICA claim
If you’re ready to make a claim on behalf of yourself or a minor, please contact us so we can begin the process and support you in any way possible.
1. A private discussion about the incident
A member of our staff will arrange a face-to-face meeting in one of our offices or over the phone, if you prefer.
We’ll ask a few questions about what happened, when and where it took place, whether it was reported to the police, and how you’ve been affected physically and/or psychologically. You won’t be pressed to share more than you’re comfortable with.
After this, we’ll be able to tell you there and then if we think you are eligible to make a claim and inform you of the potential compensation amount you may be entitled to.
2. We handle the application
Then, we’ll start right away and complete a formal application to the CICA, presenting your case.
Our team will gather all the necessary evidence and negotiate on your behalf with the CICA. With your consent, we will put together an evidence plan which will include the following:
- Your police crime reference
- Medical and therapy records (for psychological injury, assessments from a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist).
- Proof of time off work, if loss of earnings may apply.
- Receipts/quotes for special expenses such as treatment, equipment, or home adaptations in relation to the incident.
We will then draft the application for you in your own words, map injuries to the corresponding tariff categories, and research any additional rewards you may be able to receive. You’ll be able to look over this draft before we submit it.
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3. We manage the process
Once your application has been submitted, we will liaise with CICA and handle follow-up questions on your behalf.
We will keep you up to date via emails and texts, depending on how often you’d like to be updated. If your health or circumstances change during the claim, we can update the evidence so that your award reflects your current needs.
The CICA can be challenging to deal with, as it must adhere to strict rules; however, we will do our best to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
4. Settlement and further support
When CICA makes a decision or first offer, we go through it line by line with you, explaining what each part covers, how any deductions were calculated, and what your next options are.
If something isn’t right, we’ll request a review and submit evidence for our reasons for doing so. If no resolution is reached, we can assist you in filing an appeal. Whatever the outcome, our role is to make sure you understand the decision, the payment process, and the future of your claim.
How much can I claim?
CICA awards are based on a fixed tariff of injuries set by Parliament, relating to physical, psychological, and abuse-related injuries. The available award amounts start from £1000 and cap at £500,000.
If you have experienced more than one eligible injury from the incident, you will receive 100% of the highest-valued injury, 30% of the second, and 15% of the third (CICA counts up to three).
Additional payments for pregnancy, loss of a foetus, STIs and STDs caused by a sexual offence are considered separately, so they’re not reduced by this formula.
Examples of some of the awards available include:
- £1,500 to £6,200 Fractured Jaw
- £27,000 Loss of an Eye
- £2,400 to £11,000 Facial Scarring
- £1,500 Loss of a Tooth
- £1,000 Fractured Tibia
Fatal payments can also be made for the loss of a family member, such as a bereavement payment (normally £11,000 if there is one qualifying relative or £5,500 each when there is more than one), child’s payments (usually £2,000 per year until age 18), dependency payments (paid at the SSP weekly rate and shared between eligible dependants) and funeral payments (£2,500+ for reasonable additional costs).
More specific details on how much compensation you can get can be found on our CICA scheme page.
What we do for you:
- Provide fast and efficient service with no complications and no hassle.
- We handle the case with sensitivity, protecting your well-being.
- Liaise and make CICA contact, taking the stress off your shoulders.
- We guarantee a high-quality service; all our Solicitors have many years of experience claiming from the CICA.
- Our team works tirelessly to ensure we obtain the highest possible compensation.
- Help you gain justice for the pain you have suffered as a result of the abuse.
How much will it cost to make a claim?
Your application is dealt with on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, so if you are unsuccessful, there is absolutely no charge whatsoever to you.
If we are successful, then we will deduct no more than 25%, which includes VAT and will be confirmed in writing from the start.
A maximum of 25% will be deducted, but it may be significantly less, depending on your circumstances.
The percentage deduction amount depends on the amount of work we have to do, and the value of your settlement is also taken into account when determining the deduction. Once you contact us, we can provide more detailed information about the fees and guide you through the process.
The fee covers everything from the initial consultation to the application process, gathering police and medical evidence, liaising with the CICA, providing advice, and supporting an appeal if necessary.
The History of the CICA
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), formerly the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (established in 1964), was renamed CICA in 1996 and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.
It’s based in Glasgow and is funded by different agencies and bureaus in England, Scotland, and Wales. In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice backs the CICA; in Scotland, it is supported by the Justice Directorate instead.
Since CICA was established, it has paid over £3 billion in criminal compensation, making it one of the most generous compensation authorities globally. CICA awards are determined using a fixed tariff set by Parliament, covering over 400 injury types across 25 levels, with payments typically ranging from £1,000 to £500,000.
CICA FAQs
Is conviction required to make a claim?
You can apply regardless of whether anyone has been convicted of the offence.
CICA decides cases on the civil standard of proof, known as the “balance of probabilities”, and does not need to wait for a criminal trial if there is already sufficient evidence to reach a decision.
If you haven’t reported the abuse yet, we can discuss your options and provide support to help you with the process. Your safety and well-being are our top priority at all times.
Can I claim for psychological injury only?
Yes, if the psychological harm you have experienced is diagnosed by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist (e.g., duration and severity requirements) and meets the scheme’s threshold, you can gain compensation for this alone.
What is a criminal injury?
By definition, a criminal injury is an injury caused by a violent crime.
A crime of violence is defined as physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill someone. In the context of criminal injury compensation, the actual injury can be physical or mental so long as it’s been caused by a crime of violence.
Some of the more common types of criminal injuries are claims of abuse, such as child abuse, sexual abuse, rape and domestic abuse. This isn’t always just one singular incident; years of domestic abuse or childhood sexual abuse are treated as one.
Unsure if what’s happened to you constitutes a criminal injury? Give us a call today, and we’ll work through it with you.
I didn’t report right away; can I still claim?
As long as you reported the crime as soon as reasonably practical, you can still make a claim.
If the incident happened before your 18th birthday, you can claim up to your 20th birthday. If it was reported at or after 18, you usually have 2 years from the first report to claim.
However, special circumstances can be made if you have enough evidence to decide the case without further extensive enquiries, such as in childhood abuse cases or where trauma prevented earlier reporting.
Will a criminal record affect my claim?
A criminal record may affect your right to claim, depending on whether any convictions were unspent and the sentence they carried.
Under the current unspent convictions rule, some sentences exclude an award. This includes an unspent conviction with a custodial sentence or certain community/youth sentences listed in Annexe D of the Scheme.
Other unspent convictions not on the list, such as fines or discharges, can lead to an award being withheld or reduced, depending on the seriousness and recency of the offence under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act framework.
How long will it take to make a claim?
We can’t provide you with a set timeframe for how long your claim with CICA will take, as every case is different and requires various levels of evidence that need to be gathered.
Once you’ve contacted us, you should receive a letter within a week. After this, we’ll contact you again if we require more evidence and to inform you of whether your application will be progressed.
However, it can take us up to 12 months to contact you again, with complex cases taking longer. If your injuries are still being treated or the long-term impact isn’t yet known, CICA may wait before making a final decision.
If eligibility is clear but the final figure can’t yet be set, an interim payment may be possible. Once you receive an offer, you’ll have 56 days to accept (you can ask once for up to a further 56 days in exceptional circumstances), and we’ll usually pay you within 20 working days.
