Criminal Injuries Compensation Support (CICA)
Person-centred and direct access to Criminal Injuries Compensation Claims for female victims of domestic violence and sexual assault
We feel it is important to address the needs of women while they wait for counselling support and would like to offer another free service to them which could boost their financial position and provide necessary closure to difficult chapters of their lives. HSTAR can now help women who are survivor victims of assault and abuse crimes, make personal injury claims.
Based on so many written and verbal support requests from our clients with filling their injury claims – from January 2023 HSTAR Scotland provide full support and representation for survivor victims of abuse to claim their compensation through the CICA government scheme.
If you have suffered from a violent or sexual-orientated crime in the United Kingdom, then you could be entitled to Criminal Injury Compensation. This is a government-funded scheme that is operated by an agency that operates within the Ministry of Justice Department and allows victims to obtain a compensation award for personal injury, psychological harm and loss of earnings. The eligibility of these awards is determined by strict eligibility within the scheme. This can be reviewed by the staff at HSTAR Scotland.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme was established to compensate innocent victims who suffer personal injury as a result of violent crime. The assailant quite often does not have the means to financially compensate the victim. The CICA, therefore, provides some form of financial; compensation to the victim in recognition of the personal injury sustained and of the traumatic ordeal experienced.
HSTAR works to provide you with the best representation so that you can obtain compensation for the injuries that you have sustained.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) currently deals with personal injury compensation claims arising from crime. There is a threshold value of £1,000 for personal injury compensation so compensation will only be paid if the injury has a value that exceeds £1,000.
We feel it is important to address the needs of women while they wait for counselling support and would like to offer another free service to them which could boost their financial position and provide necessary closure to difficult chapters of their lives. HSTAR can now help women who are survivor victims of assault and abuse crimes, make personal injury claims.
Based on so many written and verbal support requests from our clients with filling their injury claims – from January 2023 HSTAR Scotland provide full support and representation for survivor victims of abuse to claim their compensation through the CICA government scheme.
If you have suffered from a violent or sexual-orientated crime in the United Kingdom, then you could be entitled to Criminal Injury Compensation. This is a government-funded scheme that is operated by an agency that operates within the Ministry of Justice Department and allows victims to obtain a compensation award for personal injury, psychological harm and loss of earnings. The eligibility of these awards is determined by strict eligibility within the scheme. This can be reviewed by the staff at HSTAR Scotland.
If you wish to consider instructing HSTAR to represent you for your CICA application, please get in touch with us: Tel. 01786 845720, Email: compensationclaims@hstar-scotland.org
Eligibility rules for criminal assault or abuse claims (UK)
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority often referred to as CICA, is the government agency that currently manages and controls the scheme. They have a set of rules which are used to determine whether a person is eligible to claim an award. The current key criteria are
● You must have reported the crime or assault to the police as soon as possible.
● The police must have been able to investigate thoroughly throughout the case with your full cooperation.
● You must have a medical record which identifies any injuries suffered.
● An application to the CICA must have been made within 2 years of the assault.
● Anyone applying for a claim with a criminal record can and may be refused compensation immediately.
It is worth noting that it is possible to claim after the deadline in cases where the victim has suffered or still suffers from mental health problems or has an exceptional reason for any delay. It is again essential to obtain legal advice before submitting any application.
Reasons a client cannot claim are:
If the applicant has a criminal record and it has not been spent.
● If they have made a previous application for the same injury with the same assailant.
● If they have failed to report the incident to the police or if there was a delay in the actual report.
● If they have failed to cooperate with the police in bringing the assailant to justice. E.g. they have dropped statements or charges against the assailant.
● If they are out of 2 years to claim without any reason for this. The exception is if they have mental health issues, which prevent them from claiming sooner.
● If the injuries they have sustained do not meet the criteria of the CICA scheme.
● If the conduct of the applicant makes it inappropriate to make an award.
Your privacy and confidentiality during the CICA process
If you make a claim for a criminal compensation award following any violent or sexual assaults that you may have suffered, the process is completely private and confidential. This means that only organisations or people who are involved in the process of determining the eligibility of a case will be aware of the details. This includes the CICA team, the police, your doctor and your legal representative if you have chosen to be represented by one. The offender will have no knowledge that you have submitted the application and is not involved in any at all during the process of the claim.
How to commence a claim for personal injury compensation
Our responsibilities are to check clients' eligibility and run basic assessments with them with the highest level of the trauma-sensitive and person-centred approach.
Our case workers are trained to deliver person-centred and trauma-sensitive assistance in English, Polish, Urdu, Punjabi and Ukrainian for victims of violent crime who qualify for financial compensation to process the complex paperwork.
HSTAR Scotland will contact you to arrange face-to-face or Zoom meetings to log your interest and will make an initial eligibility claim assessment based on CICA compensation policies and rules.
Provide as much information as you can about the incident and provide details of the report to the Police.
Describe any of your injuries and if you have ongoing symptoms, describe them fully.
If you have suffered the loss of earnings or other losses, including details.
Once the form is lodged, HSTAR Scotland sends an acknowledgement with a reference number. Please quote this reference in all correspondence. The application process can take up to 12-18 months and in complex cases, it can take longer, however, our experienced representative will ensure that your claim is dealt with efficiently and will keep you updated throughout the entire process.
If you wish to consider instructing HSTAR to represent you for your CICA application, please get in touch with us: Tel. 01786 845720, Email: compensationclaims@hstar-scotland.org
Privacy and confidentiality during the CICA process
If you make a claim for a criminal compensation award following any violent or sexual assaults that you may have suffered, the process is completely private and confidential. This means that only organisations or people who are involved in the process of determining the eligibility of a case will be aware of the details. This includes the CICA team, the police, your doctor and your legal representative if you have chosen to be represented by one. The offender will have no knowledge that you have submitted the application and is not involved in any at all during the process of the claim.
How to commence a claim for personal injury compensation
Our responsibilities are to check clients' eligibility and run basic assessments with them with the highest level of the trauma-sensitive and person-centred approach.
Our case workers are trained to deliver person-centred and trauma-sensitive assistance in English, Polish, Urdu, Punjabi and Ukrainian for victims of violent crime who qualify for financial compensation to process the complex paperwork.
HSTAR Scotland will contact you to arrange face-to-face or Zoom meetings to log your interest and will make an initial eligibility claim assessment based on CICA compensation policies and rules.
Provide as much information as you can about the incident and provide details of the report to the Police.
Describe any of your injuries and if you have ongoing symptoms, describe them fully.
If you have suffered the loss of earnings or other losses, including details.
Once the form is lodged, HSTAR Scotland sends an acknowledgement with a reference number. Please quote this reference in all correspondence. The application process can take up to 12-18 months and in complex cases, it can take longer, however, our experienced representative will ensure that your claim is dealt with efficiently and will keep you updated throughout the entire process.
If you wish to consider instructing HSTAR to represent you for your CICA application, please get in touch with us: Tel. 01786 845720, Email: compensationclaims@hstar-scotland.org