Criminal Injuries Compensation Claims

Whereas those suffering from personal injuries resulting from accidents caused by negligence claim through the civil courts, anyone injured due to a violent crime can claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The other difference is that criminal injury payments are in accordance with a fixed tariff that is determined by the extent of the injuries while personal injury claims are independently assessed.

In order to claim successfully, you must have an injury that is covered by the scheme and which results from a violent crime. The crime must have taken place in England, Scotland or Wales and must have been reported to the police, although it is not necessary for the assailant to have been convicted or even caught. You must have documented evidence of receiving medical attention and must submit an application for compensation within two years of the occurrence of the crime, although this period can be extended in certain circumstances.

Applications are submitted on a CICA claim form. In simple cases, you may be able to complete and submit this personally although using a claim service to help you may increase the chances of success. This work may be undertaken on a 'no win, no fee' basis but 100% of the compensation is rarely paid when a firm is involved. Instead, the firm will generally require a commission of 10-30% of the final compensation although they may improve the level of compensation gained.

Once an application is submitted, you will receive an acknowledgement and a personal reference number. A case worker will be assigned to the claim and will make enquiries to the police, hospital and other organisations with knowledge of the assault. These case workers tend to be experienced in processing claims and will generally reject those that are fraudulent or frivolous.

If your application is unsuccessful or you are not satisfied with the compensation you are offered, you have 90 days to request a review. This is conducted by a senior CICA officer, who goes through the papers before coming to a decision. If you are still not happy, you have a further 90 days to request an oral hearing in front of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel, which is independent of CICA. Oral evidence is given to the appeals panel at an informal hearing that can last up to several hours. All aspects are looked at and the decision of the panel is final. The only options after that are to accept the decision or ask for a judicial review, although this is a serious step to take.

Here are some organisations relating to criminal injury claims:

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Whilst here are some further information articles about claiming if you have been the victim of a violent crime:

Crime Injury Compensation Claim: Any injury which occurs as a result of any criminal action are usually eligible for a compensation payment from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The amounts given vary widely, but they do help the victim...


Criminal Compensation Claims: There are a number of instances where a criminal injury case does not result in a prosecution. In some instances, the criminal trial may find the accused "not guilty". What happens to the claim filed by the victims? Will th...


Untraced Driver Compensation Claims: Untraced driver road accidents, or hit and run accidents are one of the most difficult cases for compensation, due to the obvious complication of untraceable driver, which means that the liability is difficult to place, and...


Criminal Injury Claim: The United Kingdom has the oldest compensation scheme in place, specifically meant for those who are victims of crime. The first version of the criminal injury compensation scheme was introduced in 1964. Today, if you are a...


Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: The authority is a government body that administers the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in England and Wales on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and in Scotland for the devolved Scottish Government. A separate scheme...


Compensation for Criminal Injuries: Anyone who has been injured as a result a criminal activity is likely to be aware that they have the right to claim compensation for those injuries, However the rules on how the claim is made and what can be claimed for may...