Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is a government funded scheme designed to compensate blameless victims of violent crime in Great Britain.

You will be eligible to apply for compensation if you have been a blameless victim of a violent crime, or have lost a loved one as a result of a violent crime and if you:

• Are a British citizen, or meet one of the other residency requirements
• Apply for compensation within two years of the crime occurring
• Report the crime to the police
• Fully cooperate with the Police and the Criminal Justice System
• Suffer a physical and/or psychological injury serious enough to qualify for the minimum award under the scheme.

Your claim may be affected if:

• Your conduct contributed towards the incident
• You do not cooperate fully, during the claim

Criminal Injuries Compensation authority will be unable to pay compensation if:

• The injury was sustained before 1^st August 1964
• The injury occurred outside England, Scotland, Wales, (Northern Ireland has its own scheme)
• You have an unspent conviction which resulted in a custodial or community sentence
• You have already applied for compensation for the same injury
• The assailant could benefit from an award
• The injury happened before 1^st October 1979 and you and the assailant were living together as members of the same family

You should make an application within two years of the date of the incident. An extended time limit may be given where:

• Due to exceptional circumstances an application could not have been made earlier.
• There is evidence available that a crime of violence occurred and Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority can make a decision without further extensive enquiries.

If your injuries do not qualify for the Criminal Injuries compensation, the government has a Hardship Fund. This provides short term financial help for victims who are in low paid work and are unable to work due to the crime. This fund is only available for victims, where the crime has occurred in England or Wales.

Further information can be obtained or an online application made using the link below: –

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/criminal-injuries-compensation-authority

The application process should take no longer than 20 minutes.

If you do not have access to the internet, or need help to complete an application please call CICA on 0300 003 3601.

CICA Online application process Go to www.cica .gov.uk Click on ‘Apply for compensation for a criminal injury Click on ‘Start now’ Enter your details to create a new user account Click on the activation link that will be sent to your e-mail Select the reason that the application is being made, and begin your application. Once you have started your application you will have 60 days to complete it. Once you have completed and submitted your application within a week you will receive a copy of your application and a consent form. This consent form should be signed and sent straight back to Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Following this CICA may request further information such as: Treatment of Injuries form- you may be asked to complete this giving details of the treatment you have received for the injuries you sustained. GP medical report- you may be asked to take this to your GP for them to complete about the treatment you have received and the state of your health. Your GP may charge up to £50 for this. Photos of scarring- you may be asked to provide images of any scarring you have as a result of the incident.