What is the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)?
The CICA is a government body which aims to compensate those who are victims of violent crimes and abuse. The organisation helps to administer financial aid to victims in England, Wales and Scotland, even if the perpetrator has not been brought to justice.
What injuries will the CICA compensate for?
The CICA will only compensate for injuries that are a result of abuse or a violent crime. Examples of what constitutes a violent crime include:
- Assault (resulting in either psychological or physical injuries)
- Sexual abuse (including historical childhood abuse)
- Rape or sexual assault
- Domestic abuse (resulting in either psychological or physical injuries)
- Murder of a loved one
- Act of terrorism
What are the time limitation for bringing a CICA claim?
As a general rule, a claim must be brought within two years from the date the crime was committed. However, the following exceptions apply:
- Where the victim is a child, a claim may be brought at any point before the child’s twentieth birthday, providing the crime was reported to the police when the victim was a child.
- Where the victim has been subject to historic childhood abuse, a claim may be brought within two years from the date the abuse was reported to the police, even if the victim was an adult when the crime was reported.
- Where the victim has exceptional circumstances for not claiming within the two-year time limit, the CICA can allow the claim to progress providing there is a good reason for the delay (such as a victim having a disabling mental illness).
How much compensation will you receive?
There is a fixed tariff scheme the CICA use to determine whether a victim is entitled to compensation. The tariff scheme sets out a list of injuries and their severity, with the lowest award of compensation being £1,000 and the highest award being £500,000.
Where a victim has sustained more than one injury, the CICA will pay 100% of the compensation award of the most serious injury, 30% for the second most serious injury and 15% for the third most serious injury. The CICA will only allow victims to claim for up to three injuries.
In addition, where a victim has had to take time off work due to their injuries, the CICA may compensate for loss of earnings. However, there are strict criteria regarding loss of earnings payment.
While our team of specialist personal injury lawyers will always strive to obtain a CICA award for clients, there are several circumstances in which the CICA will reject a claim. Such circumstances include:
- Where the victim has unspent convictions.
- Where there was a delay in reported the crime to the police.
- Where the victim did not co-operate with the police investigation.
- Where the victim fails to co-operate with the CICA.
How much does it cost to make a CICA claim?
Our personal injury team will help you to make a CICA claim on a No Win, No Fee basis. This means that you do not have to pay anything upfront, and if your claim is unsuccessful, you will not pay anything for our services.
If your claim is successful, we will deduct our fee from your compensation award, which is capped at 25% plus VAT.
Why choose Ison Harrison Solicitors?
- We have a dedicated team of personal injury lawyers who offer expert advice at all stages of the CICA process.
- We provide an efficient service with ongoing updates with regards to the progress of your claim.
- We manage cases with sensitivity, and aim to provide a positive experience for our clients.
- We are committed to securing the best outcome for our clients.
If you would like to submit a CICA claim or would like further advice, please call us on 0113 284 5000 or contact us online for a free initial consultation about your CICA claim.
