Examples Of CICA Payouts

By Stephen Moreau. Last Updated 27th August 2024. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government sponosored executive agency established to provide the victims of violent crimes a means of claiming compensation. This guide examines who might be eligible to make a criminal injury claim.

As well as the eligibility criteria, we’ll go over what evidence you’ll need to provide, what injuries can be compensated in CICA claims and some examples of CICA payouts from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.

At the bottom of this guide, we examine the No Win No Fee contract offered by our panel of expert criminal injury solicitors. For a free assessment of your eligibility or for further guidance on the criminal injury claims process, get in touch with our advisors using the contact information given here:

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  1. Examples of CICA Payouts You Could Claim
  2. Eligibility To Claim A CICA Payout
  3. What Criminal Injuries Could You Claim A Payout For?
  4. Required Evidence For Criminal Injury Claims
  5. Making A No Win No Fee CICA Claim
  6. Further Examples Of CICA Payouts You Could Claim

Examples of CICA Payouts You Could Claim

If you make a successful CICA claim, you will be awarded compensation for the pain and suffering your criminal injury has caused you.

Your injury will be valued in accordance with the tariff found within the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. These are fixed amounts.

In the table below, you can view some examples of CICA payouts that may be offered for certain injuries. These figures have been taken from the CICA tariff.

Under the multiple injury formula, you can also claim compensation for up to three injuries. If your claim is successful, you will receive 100% of the listed compensation for your highest-valued injury. You will then receive 30% for the second highest, and 15% for the third highest.

InjuryDescriptionAmount
Multiple Criminal Injuries Plus Financial LossesCompensation for several serious criminal injuries plus compensation for financial losses such as a loss of earnings.Up to £500,000
Major Paralysis - Not From Damage To The BrainQuadraplegia/tetraplegia, which is impaired motor or sensory function of the upper and lower body, of a substantially complete nature.£250,000
Major Paralysis - Not From Damage To The BrainModerate hemiplegia - impairment of motor or sensory function affecting one half of the body.£55,000
Brain DamageModerately severe brain damage, causing serious disablement of physical or mental faculties. There is a substantial dependence on professional or another type of care with an impaired intellect and personality of a marked nature.£110,000
BurnsBurns affecting multiple areas of body and covering 25% of total skin, with significant scarring.£33,000
Eye Loss of one eye.£27,000
LungPermanent and disabling damage to lungs from smoke or chemical inhalation.£11,000
EpilepsyA continuing disability but the condition is well controlled on medication.£6,200
ToeLoss of great toe£6,200
ChestInjury requiring a thoracotomy.£6,200
FaceFractured ethmoid requiring surgery.£2,400

CICA payouts could also include special expenses. Under special expenses, you could receive:

  • Any equipment that was damaged in the incident that you relied on as a physical aid.
  • Any equipment needed to cope with your injuries, such as a wheelchair.
  • The cost of home adjustments to cope with your injuries, such as the installation of a stairlift.
  • Care costs that relate to food preparation or your bodily functions.

You will need to provide evidence that the costs are necessary, reasonable and were directly caused by the criminal injuries you’ve suffered. They also mustn’t be available for free anywhere else.

Additionally, you may also be able to claim for a loss of earnings. However, specific eligibility requirements need to be met.

If you would like to ask any questions about CICA payouts, or to see if you could also be eligible to claim for a loss of earnings, please contact our advisors.

Eligibility To Claim A CICA Payout

It is not necessary that the perpetrator be convicted or even identified for you to make a claim through the CICA. However, claiming through the CICA is intended as a last resort, and if there is a way for you to pursue compensation from another source, you should do so. This could mean claiming directly against the perpetrator, or making a vicarious liability claim against an organisation that failed to protect you such as an employer.

If this is not possible, and there is no other avenue you could take to seek criminal injury compensation, you could claim via the CICA. To do so, certain criteria must be met. For example:

  1. You were the victim of a crime of violence. The Scheme has its own definition of this, which can include a physical attack, sexual assault, and arson or fire-raising.
  2. The crime was reported to the police.
  3. The crime happened in Great Britain (England, Scotland or Wales) or another relevant place, for example, a ship registered in Great Britain.
  4. You are claiming within the relevant time limit. 

What Is The Time Limitation Period For A CICA Claim?

The time limit for starting a claim through the CICA is normally 2 years from the date of the crime. Exceptions could be made to this two year time limit, including:

  • If a claim is made for sexual or physical abuse that occurred when the claimant was a child.
  • If the crime impacted the claimants physical or mental health and this meant they were unable to claim earlier.

In circumstances such as these, it may be possible to claim for a crime of violence that happened more than 2 years ago.

It’s also important to be aware that when reporting the incident to the police, this needs to be done as soon as it is reasonably possible. However, in instances where you’re unable to make the report straight away, exceptions can be made if there is evidence to show extenuating circumstances prevented you from doing so.

For further guidance on the eligibility to claim through the CICA, and how long you have to do so, please contact an advisor on the number above.

What Criminal Injuries Could You Claim A Payout For?

CICA payouts are awarded for certain injuries sustained due to a crime of violence. The CICA define a “crime of violence” as a physical attack, or another act or omission of a violent nature that causes physical injury to a person. The Scheme also makes provision for causing the fear of violence in another.

A few examples of violent crimes that are compensated under the Scheme are:

  • Physical attacks.
  • Threats of physical violence.
  • Domestic abuse.
  • Sexual abuse.
  • Any other violent act or omission that causes injury to another. 

This section aims to provide a very general overview of the sorts of violent crimes you can make a CICA claim for. To discuss examples of CICA payouts further, or to find out if you could be eligible to make a criminal injury claim, talk to our advisors today using the contact information given below.

Required Evidence For Criminal Injury Claims

To make a claim for a CICA payout, you will need certain evidence that can support your case. Evidence that may be needed includes:

  • A police/crime reference number which shows that your crime has been reported to the police (this is a required action when wanting to submit a claim to the CICA).
  • Confirmation that you meet the residency requirements.
  • Medical evidence that confirms your criminal injuries, such as medical reports from the hospital that treated you.

Additionally, when you are making a claim to the CICA, they will be able to liaise with the police for information relating to the incident that caused your injuries. 

If you arrange to get help from a criminal injury solicitor, then they can assist with gathering evidence for your case. For more advice on gathering evidence for a criminal injury claim, or other related topics such as examples of CICA payouts, please contact our advisors online or on the phone for free today.

Making A No Win No Fee CICA Claim

After assessing your claim and deciding it is valid, our team of advisors could connect you with a solicitor from our panel. You could be offered a type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Instructing a solicitor under a CFA means you benefit from the following features:

  • Not paying any fees for that solicitor to begin working on the claim.
  • You will also not incur fees for this work during the claim itself.
  • And lastly, should the claim be unsuccessful, there are no fees to pay.

Upon the success of your claim, you will be awarded compensation. The solicitor will automatically deduct a percentage of your settlement amount, partially as payment for their services. This is known as a success fee. The percentage your solicitor can take is subject to a legal cap meaning you will keep most of your compensation

For more information about starting a potential claim, you can contact our team via:

Further Examples Of CICA Payouts You Could Claim

See more of our guides:

Further resources:

Thank you for reading our guide on examples of CICA payouts. For further guidance, our team can offer you advice on starting a potential claim, answer your questions and provide more information on who is eligible to claim through the CICA.

Writer RR

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