The CICA

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is a government funded scheme which provides compensation to innocent victims of violent crime.The CICA scheme was first introduced in 1964 and is based in Glasgow. Here tens of thousands of applications are dealt with each year, with hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation awarded.

A “Tariff” of compensation is used to value the physical and/or mental injuries suffered, with the minimum payment for a single injury being £1,000.00 and the maximum being £250,000.00. Payments are also made for out of pocket expenses, such as loss of earnings, the cost of medical treatment, etc. with the maximum overall award possible being £500,000.00.

The CICA scheme is for people injured in Great Britain, i.e. in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has its own separate scheme, as do many countries within the European Union, with the CICA also able to assist with claims that arise out of incidents within the EU.

All applications are judged in a fair and reasonable way after full details of the circumstances and the injuries are considered. Often, even if the assailant is not convicted of an offence, or not identified, compensation can still be obtained.

Whatever assault you have been subjected too, we can help. Our fully qualified solicitors have many years experience dealing sensitively with Claimants who have received injuries due to being subjected to crimes, such as an assault, sexual abuse, etc. or with where a loved one has died as a result of a violent crime, and even where a violent incident took place outside of the UK, liaising closely with EU Compensation Assistance Team, or EUCAT. Our team can assist with all aspects of a claim to the CICA or EUCAT, guiding you through the process every step of the way to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation that you deserve.

What happens in an application to the CICA?

After the application has been sent to the CICA they will investigate what happened in the assault, and the consequences, obtaining reports and statements from the relevant authorities, such as the Police, the Hospital attended and your GP.

Once the CICA has sufficient information, they will put forward an award of compensation in writing. This will be in accordance with the “Tariff” which provides different awards for each different injury sustained. The minimum award that can be made is £1,000.00, with the maximum being £500,000.00.

When the offer of compensation is received, our solicitors will advise on the reasonableness of this and if it is felt that it is not sufficient, it will be suggested that you consider asking the CICA to carry out a “Review”. Our solicitors will then fully draft a detailed request for a Review on your behalf, possibly obtaining from the CICA copies of all of the evidence that has been considered in making the original decision so that they can fully advise you of the position.

If, after the Review has been completed, the further offer of compensation put forward by the CICA is still not reasonable, our solicitors will advise you that it is possible to submit an “Appeal”. This is then heard before the CICA Appeals Panel and representation at this will be provided for you.

Due to the experience and expertise of our fully qualified solicitors, more often than not, an amount of compensation that is reasonable will be obtained without the claim having to progress to an Appeal, however whatever action is required to get you the compensation that you deserve, our team will assist you every step of the way.

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We will then contact you to take the next step in processing your compensation claim.



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