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You can apply for compensation if you are a blameless victim of a violent crime, or if your loved one has died as a result of a violent crime. Annex B of the Scheme lists what is and what is not a crime of violence for the purposes of the Scheme. Compensation is also available to those injured whilst taking an exceptional and justified risk for the purposes of preventing or containing a crime including apprehending a suspected offender.
You can apply for compensation for:
Not all claims for compensation will be successful; you must be eligible under the rules of the Scheme.
If you are a close relative of a person who dies as a result of their injuries, you may be able to apply for a payment. To be eligible for such payments you must be what the Scheme calls a ‘qualifying relative’.
A qualifying relative is a person who at the time of the deceased’s death was:
You may be eligible to make a claim for a mental injury if you witnessed, and were present at, an incident in which a loved one was injured as the result of a crime of violence. You may also be eligible if you were involved in the immediate aftermath of an incident in which a loved one was injured.
If you are claiming a payment because you witnessed, or were involved in the immediate aftermath of the injury of a loved one, you must have suffered a mental injury as a result. We will need medical evidence from a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist confirming that this is the case.
The relatives likely to qualify are listed above.
You will only be eligible for a payment from this compensation Scheme if you meet one of the residency, nationality or other requirements under paragraph 10. This means that you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK on the date of the incident or one of the conditions in paragraphs 11 or 13 of the Scheme is met.
You will also be eligible for compensation if you are a national of a member state of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or the Council of Europe Convention on the Compensation of Victims of Violent Crime. Special provisions apply to potential victims of human trafficking and people who have made applications for asylum. The criteria in full is contained in paragraph 10 of the Scheme.
Compensation is payable under the Scheme for incidents that occur in Great Britain (Scotland, England and Wales).
If you are a United Kingdom (UK) resident and were injured as a result of a crime of violence in another country which is part of the European Union (EU) we can help you apply for compensation from that country. Please call our EU Assistance Team on 0300 003 3061 or email eucat@cica.gsi.gov.uk
If you were injured outside the EU, you may be able to apply under a similar scheme operated by the country concerned. Please contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for more information. Details can be found on http://www.gov.uk
Yes. If the crime for which you are seeking compensation has not been reported to the police we cannot make a payment. It is a requirement of the Scheme that all incidents, for which a claim is made, be reported to the police.
No. You do not need to wait for the outcome of any police investigations or a criminal trial before making a claim.
The Scheme is intended to be one of last resort. Where the opportunity exists for you to pursue compensation elsewhere you should do so. We will expect you to take all reasonable steps to obtain any social security benefits, insurance payments, damages or compensation to which you may be entitled as a result of your injuries.
You may still be eligible for an award under the Scheme even if your assailant is not known, or is not convicted. We expect you to have co-operated fully with any police investigation. Decisions under the Scheme are made on the balance of probabilities.
You must apply as soon as it is reasonably practicable for you to do so. If you were an adult at the time of the incident, this should normally not be later than two years after it occurred. We can only extend this time limit where:
• due to exceptional circumstances an application could not have been made earlier; and
• the evidence provided in support of the application means that it can be determined without further extensive enquiries by a claims officer.
- Material (non-psychological) damage:
- Psychological (moral) damage:
- Material (non-psychological) damage:
- Psychological damage:
Wherever possible, we will settle claims by offering a single lump sum payment.
Your claim may be affected if:
The Scheme is not means tested.
We cannot pay compensation in the following circumstances:
Compensation will also be withheld or reduced where you have received compensation for the same injury from certain another sources including civil court damages.
The rules of the Scheme and the value of the payments awarded are set by Parliament and are calculated by reference to a tariff of injuries. The size of the award varies to reflect the seriousness of the injury.
The minimum award we make is £1,000 and the maximum payment is £500,000.
We will calculate any award payable.
We will reduce an award if you received, or have an entitlement to, a payment for the same injury as a result of:
Where special expenses are awarded we will reduce your payment to take account of social security benefits for the same injury and insurance paid, regardless of who paid the premium if you are claiming for items like adaptations to your home or personal care.
Where we have decided that you are eligible for a payment but we cannot make a final decision then we may consider making an interim payment. If we are unable to make a final decision this is likely to be because we are waiting until the long term impact of your injury is understood.
We may consider re-opening a claim after a final payment is made if:
We will not normally re-open a case unless it is within two years of the final decision. If you ask us to re-open a case more than two years after our decision, we will only consider this where you are able to give us enough evidence to make a decision on the case without the need for further extensive enquiries.
The information we need from you will depend on the type of application you submit. The application process will indicate what information is required at that time. We will also write to you for any further information as we need it.
It does not cost to submit an application for compensation. Where appropriate we will ask you to provide medical evidence. If there is a cost attached to obtaining the medical evidence then you may be expected to meet this. The cost of obtaining medical evidence will vary but you will not be expected to pay more than £50 in total.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)
Alexander Bain House
Atlantic Quay
15 York Street
Glasgow
G2 8JQ
Tel.: UK: +44 (0)300 003 3601; (from outside the UK): +44(0)203 684 2517
Web: https://www.gov.uk/
No, we will correspond with you.
The length of time needed to assess your claim will vary depending on how complicated it is. For example, claims involving loss of earnings will take longer than those only involving a payment under the tariff of injuries. The CICA will not finalise your claim until you confirm that you have recovered, as far as possible, from your injuries. We aim to resolve straightforward cases within 12 months of receipt.
If you disagree with the original decision and want us to review it, you must send us your written application for a review within 56 days of the date of the original decision. You will need to enclose any additional evidence that you wish us to consider in support of your claim.
When we get your request for a review along with all your supporting information, a claims officer, other than the one who made the original decision, will consider it. The review decision can be more or less favourable than the original decision, or the original decision may be unchanged.
If you disagree with a review decision, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Criminal Injuries Compensation) in accordance with Tribunal Procedure Rules. You can find these rules on the First-tier Tribunal website.
You can apply for compensation via our website which also has helpful information about the Scheme.
The link to our website is above, and our Customer Service Centre advisors on +44(0)300 003 3601 can help. Please note the Customer Service Advisors will only conduct the discussion in English.
You do not need a paid representative such as a solicitor or claims management company to apply for compensation. If you choose paid representation we cannot meet the cost of this, and you will have to pay these costs yourself.
You can contact the Victims Information Service for help with your application.
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