Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) Updates

The Government have announced they will be rolling out a new application service for victims of violent crimes in Great Britain by 15 September 2023.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) have confirmed they will be closing their existing application service on this date. This will mean any applications which have been started on the site before this date will be lost if these are not submitted before 15 September 2023.

The CICA have advised that the reason for the update was to simplify the process for victims of violent crimes when applying for compensation, as well as altering the service design to remove as many potential triggers for re-traumatisation as possible, whilst ensuring that they have enough information to accurately process applications.

What is a CICS Claim?

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS – “the Scheme”) is a government-funded system designed to compensate victims of violent crime. It is administered by the CICA, who decide if applicants are eligible and assess the appropriate compensation value of any award.

There have been numerous versions of the Scheme since its inception. The present version of the Scheme is known as the ‘Amended 2012 Scheme’ and came into force on 13 June 2019. If you were the victim of a violent crime prior to this date then an earlier version of the Scheme may apply.

The rules of the current Scheme and the value of the payments awarded, are set by the Secretary of State and approved by Parliament. To qualify for an award, an injury must be described in the Tariff of Injuries at Annexe E of the Scheme. The CICA must pay an award in line with these prescribed amounts, based on the severity of the injuries and the impact upon you.

The Scheme does acknowledge that no amount of compensation can ever truly make up for the harm and suffering caused to victims by violent crime, with the injury awards being intended as an acknowledgement of harm and an important gesture of public sympathy.

Eligibility for the CICS Scheme

You may be eligible to claim compensation under the Scheme if you were the victim of a violent crime. A ‘violent crime’ is defined by the CICA as an intentional or reckless act that involves at least one of the following:

• A physical assault
• A sexual assault
• Any act of a violent nature intended to cause physical injury, and / or
• A threat of physical violence intended to cause fear

Examples of claims which may fall within this category include:

• mental or physical injury following a crime of violence
• sexual or physical abuse
• loss of earnings (where you have no or limited capacity to work as the direct result of a criminal injury)
• special expenses payments (where your injuries mean that you have been unable to work or have been incapacitated to a similar extent for more than 28 weeks), and
• a fatality caused by a crime of violence including bereavement payments, payments for loss of parental services and financial dependency; and funeral payments

You may also be eligible for compensation if you were taking a ‘justified and exceptional’ risk trying to stop a crime.

You usually have to claim within two years of the crime taking place and the crime must be reported to the police before you apply.

Here in the Personal Injury Team at Lanyon Bowdler we can assist you in the preparation of your CICA application and then formally represent you if you would like to investigate the matter further, or challenge a Tribunal decision if you believe that you have been undercompensated. If you would like more information please contact us.