Criminal Injury Compensation Claim Solicitors – CICA Awards
Criminal Injury Compensation Claim Solicitors – CICA Awards
Application for an award by a criminal injury compensation claim solicitor may be rejected or reduced by CICA when the following considerations are taken into account
• The applicant’s unspent criminal conviction
• The victim’s behavior during the entire process, that is before the incident, during and after the occurrence
Application for an award by a criminal injury compensation claim solicitor may be rejected or reduced by CICA when the following considerations are taken into account
• The applicant’s unspent criminal conviction
• The victim’s behavior during the entire process, that is before the incident, during and after the occurrence
The right of Appeal – CICAP
A claimant has the right to appeal CICA’s decision to reject or reduce the award only if it is based on behaviour. In this case, the matter is taken to a more senior claims officer within CICA for reconsideration. Further, the claimant can appeal the subsequently proposed award to the Independent Criminal Injury Compensation Appeal Tribunal (CICAP).
The Injury Compensation Tariff Scheme
The injury compensation tariff scheme is a printed tariff that informs the decision to award financial compensation by allocating a figure for each and every potential injury. The tariff band ranges between £1,000 to £250,000 and all potential injuries are assigned a value therein.
The CICA’s administers this compensation scheme throughout Great Britain. Its main role is to offer financial compensation to victims of violent crime for personal injury, mental trauma, and consequent financial loss.
In order to qualify for an award, a victim’s injuries must have lasted six weeks or more and required medical attention on at least two occasions. In the event that a victim is dissatisfied with the compensation amount awarded by CICA, our solicitors will be present to advise and set an appeal. However, it worthy to note that compensation has a minimum value of £1,000 and will not go over the set cap of £250,000.
For cases involving multiple injuries, CICA will only consider the three most serious injuries. Of these three, the lesser injuries suffered are discounted by a set rate then all three amounts are summed up to establish the total award. An example of this is as follows:
- 100% of tariff scale value paid for the most critical injury
- 30% of tariff scale value for the next most serious injury
- 15% of tariff scale value of the least of the three injuries suffered
Financial Losses
In addition to pain and suffering, the criminal injury compensation claim solicitor can also make a claim for other losses. For instance, if the injuries sustained have incapacitated the applicant for more than 28 weeks, the claimant is entitled to claim for medical care and expenses as well as loss of earnings upon expiry of the first 28 week period. The maximum award for this potential claim is £250,000.
Time limits
Applications for compensation must be made within two years from the date of the incident. CICA can at its own discretion, extend the time limit depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident. This should not deter you from seeking advice from our solicitors as many applications have been allowed even after exceeding the time bar.
The Claims Process
The claim process starts with an initial application on a pre-printed form that is sent to the Criminal Compensation Authority in Glasgow within the stipulated time frame of two years. This application is acknowledged and referenced by the CICA who then obtain a police report of the incident and medical evidence. The CICA then requires the applicant to complete a questionnaire and uses this questionnaire together with all other information to decide whether the application will be considered for an award or not. It also determines the amount of the award. The applicant can choose to accept the award or refuse it and may request an interview or appeal to an independent tribunal. The entire process takes less than one year to complete.
Legal Costs
Our solicitors operate on the conditional fee agreement which essentially means that no legal fees are payable by the claimant unless the case is won. If the claim is lost then the client does not pay anything. Successful applications that result in financial awards to the claimants attract a fee of 25% plus VAT for services rendered including appeals.
Criminal Injury Solicitors
As expressed above, our solicitors handle CICA claims using the “no win no fee” principle. Before commencement of the claim process, the terms of the no win no fee principle will be explained to you fully both in writing and verbally. No legal fees are payable if your claim is rejected by the CICA. Similarly, you are not required to finance your case as it goes forward and you do not have to pay for any medical reports. Lastly, should you decide not to place a claim, after liaising with our criminal injury solicitor, you will not be obligated to do so and no legal fees are payable.
What we do
- Review potential claims and offer comprehensive legal advice
- Provide a pool of specialist solicitors to handle claims
- We use the ‘no win no fee’ principle
- In special circumstances help you claim lost salary
- Offer advice on the value of your injury claim
- Advise on CICA reviews and appeals
- Pursue maximum compensation on your behalf
What you should do
- Get in touch with our solicitors to discuss potential claims. Our experienced solicitors will help you through the entire process.
- Complete the contact form on our page or call us
Why use us?
- We offer top notch service
- We use the no win no fee principle
- No upfront fees required
- Risk-free claims
- We have highly experienced and professional solicitors to handle your claim.
- We are fully independent