CRIMINAL INJURY COMPENSATION FORM
This text is a concise guide to applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). To succeed in a claim to the CICA you must satisfy the basic requirements and submit a criminal injury compensation form within two years of the incident. Under extraordinary circumstances, the CICA has the prerogative to extend this limitation.
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CICA Application Forms
Potential claimants who can submit a criminal injury compensation form include :-
- people who have been victims of a violent crime and have been injured physically or mentally
- those with a close relationship to the victim or people who were physically present during crime
- people involved immediately after the crime who also suffered trauma
- close relatives of a deceased victim who passed away because of a violent crime
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Barred Claims
A criminal injury compensation form should NOT be submitted in the following circumstances :-
- crimes that occurred outside England, Scotland or Wales (Northern Ireland has its own scheme)
- the resulting injury did not require two visits to the doctor nor did it last for more than six weeks
- certain cases related to sexual abuse which discontinued before October 1979
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Compensation Parameters
Other factors that may affect a decision about whether or not to submit a criminal injury compensation form :-
- failure to fully cooperate with the authorities during investigation
- the incident was not reported within a reasonable period of time
- the incident causing injury was provoked or planned by the applicant
- aggressive or unreasonable behaviour on the claimant's part during or after the incident
- the victim or claimant has an 'unspent' criminal record (Rehabilitation of Offenders Act)
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Fatal Injury
For cases wherein the victim died, £11,000 can be paid to a qualifying claimant which includes parents, children, spouse or partner. For more than one claimant, £5,500 will be paid to each. If someone else paid for the funeral services, that person can make a claim for a reasonable amount even if not a qualified claimant.
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Loss of Wages
Loss of wages can be compensated but only after a minimum of 28 weeks of absence from work. What is paid out is the loss of salary after this period. Additional expenses such as medical treatment and special equipment and personal care may also be claimed by qualified claimants.
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Review & Appeal
For rejected claims, you can apply for review by a more senior CICA claims officer. This leads to a final decision that can be appealed to the Appeals Panel. In cases wherein you feel wronged by the CICA or the Appeals Panel, you have the option of taking the matter to the Ombudsman who has jurisdiction over both bodies.
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No Win No Fee Solicitors
Our specialist personal injury solicitors deal with CICA claims using the risk free no win no fee scheme. Compensation is paid in full. If you decide to use our services to make a claim you can rest assured that the advice you will receive is accurate and objective. You will be told of your chances of success as well as the estimated value of your claim. We pride ourselves in being client oriented and assure you of a totally professional service. If the claim proves unsuccessful, you will not be charged.
In the case of CICA claims terms will vary and in the case of MIB claims terms may vary.