How To Make A Claim Through The CICA

By Stephen Bishop. Last Updated 30th June 2023. Welcome to our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, where we’ll explore how to make a claim through the CICA.

Did you know that if you’re assaulted or the victim of a sexual assault, you could be entitled to compensation? Unlike making a personal injury claim, you could claim for any criminal assault through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). In this guide, we’ll look at how the CICA compensation scheme works, the eligibility criteria and how much compensation you could receive. We’ll also discuss the types of injury you could claim for and how long claims can take.

Our team of advisors could help you begin a CICA compensation claim. They’ll begin by offering a no-obligation assessment of your claim. Then they’ll offer advice on your options. If the claim has good grounds, they could introduce you to a personal injury lawyer from our panel. If they agree to take your claim on, they’ll work on a No Win, No Fee basis.

To discuss starting a claim right away, please call us on 0333 000 0729 today. Alternatively, please continue reading this CICA compensation guide for further information about claiming.

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A Guide To CICA Compensation Claims For Criminal Injuries

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. They deal with claims from people who’ve suffered a physical or mental injury as a result of violent crime in England, Wales or Scotland.

In our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, we'll explore how to make a claim through the CICA.

In our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, we’ll explore how to make a claim through the CICA.

The scheme is government-funded and the rules are set by parliament. They are also responsible for the CICA tariff of injuries 2019 which sets the value of payments made by the scheme.

In our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, we’ll explore how to make a claim through the CICA. Even though you won’t be suing the criminal directly, we’d still advise you have a specialist personal injury solicitor on your side. That’s because a solicitor will try to ensure your claim not only covers the injuries you sustained but also any financial losses you might incur in the future. Also, once you’ve settled a claim, you can’t go back and ask for more compensation for something you forgot to include.

It’s important to note that CICA claims differ from normal personal injury claims as they have their own set of eligibility criteria. We’ll discuss these later in the guide. We’ll also look at the CICA claim waiting-time, examples of CICA payouts and how a No Win, No Fee solicitor could help with your case.

Another point worth noting is that you can make a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on behalf of your child or an adult who doesn’t have the capacity to claim themselves. We can provide free advice on the method of claiming in this way.

After you’ve completed this guide, if you have any further questions, or would like to begin a claim, please get in touch. We provide free advice on the CICA claims process and a no-obligation assessment of your claim.

What Is A Criminal Injury – An Overview

In explaining how to make a claim through the CICA, we’ll break-down what the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is in the next few sections.

The CICA website states that they can compensate people who’ve been physically or mentally injured because they were the victim of a violent crime. Here are some examples of what could be claimed for:

  • Grievous bodily harm.
  • Actual Bodily Harm.
  • Assault or sexual assault.
  • Historical sex abuse.

Essentially, you could make a claim for any violent crime which has left you injured. Proving these injuries is an important part of the claims process and another reason why using a specialist solicitor could help. Our panel of solicitors uses independent medical experts to assess you as part of the claims process. They assess you locally by asking questions, examining you and reviewing your medical records. Their report can be submitted with your claim to show what injuries you sustained, how they affected you and whether you’ll suffer any long-term symptoms.

What Is The CICA?

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was set up in 1996. They manage the government’s criminal injuries compensation scheme and use its rules to determine when compensation is awarded. According to their Customer Charter, the CICA aims to provide a service which is:

  • Sensitive to victims.
  • Fair in the way it assesses compensation requests.
  • Efficient in the way that it operates.
  • And that tackles any fraudulent claims promptly.

CICA deals with more than 30,000 applications every year, with over a 95% satisfaction rating from applicants between 2018 and 2019.

Do I Need Evidence When Making CICA Claims?

To make a valid criminal injury claim through the CICA, you will need to present the relevant evidence. The evidence that is required for all CICA claims includes:

  • A police reference number to show that the crime has been reported.
  • Evidence that you meet the residency requirements.
  • Medical evidence, such as a report from the healthcare provider that treated your injuries.

It is important to note that when you make a claim through the CICA, they will be able to liaise with the police for any information they may need relating to the incident.

You can contact our advisors online or on the phone today if you would like to ask any questions about preparing a criminal injury claim.

Could I Claim CICA Compensation If No One Has Been Charged Or Convicted?

If you meet the CICA claim eligibility requirements, you could still claim if the criminal wasn’t found, charged or convicted. The main thing that you must do is report the crime to the police and obtain a crime number.

The fact that a crime hasn’t been solved is not your fault and won’t affect your ability to claim. If you require any more information or would like us to check if you’re eligible to begin a claim, please get in touch today. To learn more about how to make a claim through the CICA, please continue reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide. 

How Long Does A CICA Compensation Claim Take?

In general terms, CICA claims take around 12 to 18 months to be resolved. However, some cases are resolved much quicker.  High-value claims might take longer. In longer-term cases, the delay might be because there’s no anticipated recovery date because ongoing medical treatment is required. Therefore, settlement can only be reached when a clear prognosis has been provided.

In normal circumstances, you have to begin your CICA claim within 2 years of the date of the criminal injury occurring. This is less than the personal injury claims time limit of 3 years so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

In some cases, you might be able to claim after the 2-year time limit. That could be the case if:

  • You were unable to claim sooner because your physical or mental health prevented you from doing so.
  • Your claim is related to childhood abuse or sexual abuse.

If we refer you to a solicitor from our panel, they’ll check whether your claim is within the time limit or whether it can be extended. We’d advise you to begin your claim as soon as possible, though, to give them the time to gather any supporting evidence that’s required.

Eligibility To Make A CICA Compensation Claim

As well as making your claim within the CICA time limit, there are several other eligibility requirements. These include:

  • The crime must’ve taken place in England, Scotland or Wales.
  • You must not be responsible in any way for the crime.
  • Your injuries need to have been caused by the criminal act against you.
  • The crime must have been reported to the police and a crime number provided.
  • You must meet the nationality requirements. There’s a full list on the CICA website.
  • Your claim might be refused if you have an unspent criminal conviction.
  • Your claim can be for physical injuries, sexual or physical abuse, disabling mental injuries, the death of a close relative, funeral expenses and other expenses such as lost earnings.

If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible to claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, please ask a member of our team to go through your case with you. In the meantime, to learn more about how to make a claim through the CICA, please continue reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide. 

Types Of Criminal Injury You Could Claim Compensation For

There are many different types of violent crimes which could cause you to become injured and entitle you to make a CICA claim. Here are some of the most common:

  • Assault. Any type of violence against you could cause serious injuries. Crimes of ABH or GBH would fall into this category. Assaults can cause any number of injuries ranging from bruising and broken bones to brain damage. There’s also a possibility that you could suffer psychological trauma.
  • Sexual Assault. Any form of sexual assault could entitle you to make a CICA claim. We know that discussing this type of claim with an advisor might be tricky, but we’ll work compassionately and at a speed that suits you.
  • Historical Abuse. You might not begin your claim for historical abuse until many years after it happened. In some cases, CICA will allow you to claim within 2 years of when you reported it to the police.

Examples Of CICA Payouts – CICA Compensation Calculator

You could use a CICA compensation calculator to help you get an estimate for compensation in your claim. While not all the information that could be relevant to your claim will be present in a CICA calculator, the tool can help you by showing you the exact compensation for your injury listed within the CICA tariff.

It can also be beneficial in helping you understand how multiple injuries are valued within the scheme. In a claim for multiple injuries suffered in an assault, only three injuries can be claimed for at a time, and only the highest valued injury will be paid out at the full value listed in the tariff. The second highest injury is paid out at a rate of 30%, and the third is paid at a rate of 15%. A CICA calculator can make this compensation calculation for you.

We have included a table below of examples of the CICA payouts listed in the criminal injuries compensation tariff they provide.

Injury TypeCompensation Range
Mental Injury£6,200Where a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist diagnoses a mental injury that lasts between 2 and 5 years.
Facial Scarring£11,000Scarring to the face which causes serious disfigurement.
Brain Damage£27,000Where slight brain damage causes an intellectual deficit, personality change, effect on the senses and some dependence on others.
Eye Injury£2,400Where the injury results in slight but permanent blurred or double vision.
Dislocated Jaw£3,500Where a dislocated jaw injury causes a significant continuing disability.
Whiplash£3,500Whiplash that is diagnosed as seriously disabling but not permanent.
Arm £33,000Injuries which cause the loss of the non-dominant arm.
Thumb£2,400A fracture or dislocation of one thumb which causes continuing significant disability.
Lung£1,500A single punctured lung.
Hip£6,200Where both hips are fractured or dislocated but where there is substantial recovery.
Foot£13,500A continuing significant disability caused by fractured tarsal bones in both feet.

We give more information about the CICA scheme below but our advisors can help you by explaining what else could potentially be included in your claim. Please reach out to an advisor for information about financial losses and eligibility to claim.

CICA Payouts – Special Expenses

As discussed, when claiming through the CICA, your compensation will be based on the figures in the CICA tariff. However, compensation through the CICA can also allow for payments to be made for matters related to bereavement, lost income and in certain circumstances, special expenses – which is additional compensation awarded for related financial losses.

Special expenses in CICA payouts can be requested for costs related to:

  • Equipment to help you cope with an injury
  • Treatment costs not available for free elsewhere
  • Adaptations to your home

If you seek an online tool such as a criminal injuries compensation calculator, this may not take special expenses into account. Our advisers are trained professionals and could offer you better guidance on what you are able to claim through the CICA. Please reach out now for a personalised estimate or a free consultation.

How Is Criminal Injury Victim Compensation Paid?

The CICA scheme pays compensation differently to a normal personal injury claim. They have a tariff or injuries which is used to determine compensation amounts, which is similar to how personal injury claims are dealt with. However, they only pay 100% of the tariff for the most serious injury. The second most serious injury will be paid at 30% of the tariff value and the third most serious at 15%.

Finally, we should point out that claims with a value of less than £1,000 won’t be paid under CICA rules.

If you’d like us to work out how much compensation you might be entitled to claim, please speak with a specialist advisor today. You could help prepare for the call by requesting a copy of your medical records from your GP or the hospital where you were treated. In the meantime, to learn more about how to make a claim through the CICA, please continue reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide. 

No Win No Fee CICA Compensation Claims

It’s quite understandable to worry about the cost of hiring a solicitor to help you make a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority claim. That’s why our panel of solicitors offer to work on a No Win, No Fee basis. This reduces the financial risks involved with claiming and lowers the stress involved too. It also means more people are confident enough to claim the compensation they could be entitled to.

When you get in touch, if we refer you to a solicitor from our panel, they’ll assess the merits of your claim with you. If they believe it could be successful, they’ll prepare a No Win, No Fee agreement for you to sign. This is also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement or CFA.

The CFA is a contract between you and your solicitor. Amongst other things, it will confirm that:

  • There are no upfront fees.
  • You won’t need to pay any solicitor’s fees during the claim process.
  • And, finally, if the solicitor is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay their fees.

When a claim is won by your solicitor, they may ask for a small contribution towards their costs. This is known as a success fee and it’s deducted from your compensation. You’ll know what level of success fee you’ll pay as it’s listed in the CFA. You needn’t worry too much about this though as success fees are legally capped.

To find out how to make a claim through the CICA using our No Win No Fee services, please see our contact section below. 

Contact Legal Helpline Today

Thanks for reading about how to make a claim through the CICA using our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide. We hope you’ve found the information useful and that you’d now like Legal Helpline to assist with your claim. If that’s the case, here are the best methods of contacting us:

  • You can call and speak with a specialist advisor for free claims advice on 0333 000 0729.
  • If you prefer, you can use our live chat feature to connect with an online advisor.
  • Finally, if you would like us to call you back at a convenient time, please complete our online enquiry form.

The claims process will start with a no-obligation assessment of your claim. The advisor will review what happened, how you suffered and whether you’re eligible to claim. If they believe your claim has merit, they could refer you to a personal injury solicitor on our panel. If they agree to handle your claim, they’ll do so on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Our panel of solicitors specialises in all forms of a personal injury claim. They’ll provide regular updates as your claim progresses and explain any legal jargon along the way. If you have any questions during your claim, your solicitor will be on hand to provide an answer.

You can begin your claim whenever it’s convenient as our claims line is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.

How to make a claim through the CICA FAQs

Where To Learn More

Hopefully, this criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide has answered all your questions on how to make a claim through the CICA. To assist you further, we’ve provided links to some more of our guides below.

Victim Support Resources

Finally, if you require further help in any way, here are the details of a number of different support organisations.

  • Victim Support – An independent charity that offers support to those affected by crime and traumatic events.
  • The Samaritans – The charity which provides confidential support over the phone, email or by letter.
  • NAPAC – The National Association for People Abused in Childhood is a UK charity that provides support to adult survivors of physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect.

If there is any more information you would like us to provide, please get in touch with an advisor today.

Thanks for reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, where we’ll explore how to make a claim through the CICA.

Guide by BE

Edited by REG