CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION AUTHORITY [“CICA”] CLAIMS

CICA is a Government organisation which allows you to claim compensation if you were the victim of a violent crime.

You usually have to claim within 2 years of the crime. The crime must be reported to the police before you apply.

You might also be able to claim compensation if you were taking a ‘justified and exceptional’ risk trying to stop a crime. For example somebody was in danger and it was not a situation that you were trained to deal with.

You may be able to claim for a crime that happened more than 2 years ago if both of the following apply:

• the crime happened on or after 1 August 1964
• you’re claiming because of childhood sexual or physical abuse or you can prove you could not claim earlier, for example because your mental or physical health stopped you

You can get compensation for

• physical injuries
• disabling mental injuries
• sexual or physical abuse
• the death of a close relative
• paying for someone’s funeral
• loss of earnings and expenses

Disabling mental injuries

A disabling mental injury is something that significantly affects your day-to-day performance at work or school, your relationships, or your sexual relationships. Mental injuries must be diagnosed by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.

Loss of earnings and expenses

You might get compensation for loss of earnings, or paid expenses to cover the cost of:

• care, home adaptations or mobility aids
• damage to physical aids, such as dentures, walking sticks or glasses

You usually have to be unable to work or have very limited ability to work for 28 weeks or longer to be eligible.

You will not be paid loss of earnings for the first 28 weeks you were unable to work.

You must have been employed when the crime happened or for the 3 years immediately before it. If you were not employed, you might still be eligible if you could not work, for example because you were in full-time education, retired or caring for someone.

Make a claim

When you make a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), you’ll need to provide:

• the date and location of the crime
• the name of the police station where the crime was reported
• your crime reference number
• your GP’s name and address
• your dentist’s name and address (if you had dental treatment because of your injuries)
• details of any previous applications you’ve made to CICA
• details of any unspent criminal convictions
• proof of identity for you or anyone you’re responsible for, such as a birth or marriage certificate, power of attorney or deed poll

You will not be eligible for compensation (or might get less compensation) if you provide information you know is wrong or misleading. You can be prosecuted.

You must also be able to prove you’ve tried to get compensation or other money you’re entitled to, for example:

• by claiming benefits
• through insurance payments
• from a civil court claim
• from a criminal court case (if the crime went to court)

You do not need to wait for the outcome of other claims before you apply.

CICA does not cost anything to apply and you do not have to use a legal adviser. However, using a legal advisor like Trafford Law can help you through the process and make it less daunting and stressful which can be important if you are feeling vulnerable. We fight for the maximum amount of compensation possible and ensure this meets with CICA’s own guidelines. We operate a strict No Win No fee policy. If your case loses, it won’t cost you a penny. You only pay when your case is successful and the cost would be simply deducted from your compensation. This amount will never exceed 25% of your total compensation.