About our services
Customer Charter setting out the rights and responsibilities of anyone applying for criminal injuries compensation.
Our commitment
To provide a service which is sensitive in the way we support victims, fair and accurate in the way we assess entitlement to compensation according to the schemes we operate and efficient in the operation of our processes.
Introduction
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is an executive agency, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. We are responsible for the administration of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Schemes and make payments of compensation to people who have been injured because they were the victim of a violent crime in England, Scotland or Wales. We also administer the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Scheme. The rules set out within the Schemes and the amount of compensation we can pay are set by the Secretary of State and approved by Parliament.
We recognise that no amount of compensation can ever make up for the harm and suffering caused to victims by violent crime. Injury awards are intended to be an acknowledgement of harm and an important gesture of public sympathy.
This Charter is to help explain what you can expect from us and help you to understand what we need from you. Further information is contained in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime in England and Wales and in the Victims’ Code for Scotland.
Efficient service
We handle a large volume of claims every year.
We aim to assess claims as quickly as possible and the majority are assessed within 12 months. However, the compensation we pay is not intended to meet immediate need. Each case must be considered on its own merits and determined based on the evidence available to support the application. It may be necessary for us to obtain information from third parties, usually including the police and relevant medical authorities to inform our assessment of eligibility and entitlement to compensation.
Complex cases will take longer to finalise to ensure that we can make a payment which reflects the severity of the injuries sustained and their long-term impact. It may not be possible to make a final decision if your medical treatment is ongoing or your level of recovery is not yet known. In some circumstances, we may be able to offer an interim payment if settlement of your claim is delayed until the long-term impact of your injury is understood.
The compensation we can pay is funded annually by the UK Government in England & Wales, and by the Scottish Government. If you are entitled to compensation, the amount we can pay is determined by the tariff of injuries within the relevant compensation scheme. The monetary value of compensation we can pay is not affected by our budget position, although we must manage the timing of compensation offers according to the resources available to us. Once a financial sum offered is accepted, we aim to pay compensation directly to an applicant’s bank account or to that of their representative within 20 working days.
Customer Charter - Your rights
What you can expect from us:
1 Fair decisions
We will:
- consider the information and evidence you provide in your application and obtain information relevant to your application from the police.
- if necessary, ask you to provide medical evidence or ask you to attend a special medical examination.
- explain our decision clearly in writing and tell you how to accept compensation, ask for a review of our decision or to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.
2 Efficient service
We will:
- only contact you if we need medical or other information and when we make a decision on your claim.
- gather sufficient medical information to understand the level of injuries sustained, know that your treatment is complete or have a clear understanding of your prognosis for recovery before finalising your case.
- measure how we perform and publish the results.
3 Respect
We will:
- treat you as an individual and ensure that our contact with you is courteous and respectful.
- only ask you to provide the information we need to assess your claim.
- respect your privacy and safeguard your personal information.
4 Ease of access
We will:
- publish a guide to claiming compensation on our website.
- provide an efficient and simple to use online application system and a telephony helpline service for those who need support.
- respect your preferred method of contact, support special communication needs and provide foreign language support, where possible (including information and application forms in Welsh if you ask us).
5 Fraud Aware
We will:
- respond robustly to all reports or incidents relating to suspected fraud in liaison with the relevant police authority and support any police prosecution.
- seek to recover any award resulting from a fraudulent claim.
- take action to recover any award for which an applicant has subsequently received compensation from another source and failed to make repayment.
Customer Charter - Your responsibilities
What we expect from you:
1 Provide accurate and complete information
We ask you to:
- provide us with accurate and truthful information about the incident and your injuries.
- tell us immediately if your contact details change.
- tell us immediately if there is a material change in your medical condition.
2 Obtain medical evidence to support your claim when required
We ask you to:
- obtain any medical records or reports from a doctor or dentist which we request. The cost of these reports will vary and some may be provided free of charge. If you need to pay, you will not be expected to pay more than £50.
- let us know if you have financial or other difficulties obtaining a medical report, as we may be able to offer help.
- attend further medical assessments if required to inform a decision on your claim.
3 Tell us if we need to communicate with you in a different way
We ask you to:
- tell us your preferred communication method and when it is suitable to call if we need to discuss your claim. If you find it too distressing to discuss your claim, let us know if you would prefer us to write to you or that you wish us to speak to a representative.
- contact us if you need support to complete an online application.
- advise us of any issues you may have which make communicating difficult.
4 Treat our staff with respect
We ask you to:
- understand that our staff will only ask questions and make requests for information to assist in assessing your eligibility for compensation and the amount we can pay.
- appreciate that even once all the information we have requested is available, it may be some time before your claim is decided and payment of your award can be made.
- treat our people with dignity and respect.
We aim to make claiming compensation as straight-forward as possible and to be kind to those who seek our support. We realise that as a victim of violent crime dealing with related issues such as compensation may be upsetting. We will always aim to help.
It is with regret, that on rare occasions, we may limit or refuse further contact with individuals who are repeatedly discourteous to staff or persist in contact about issues to which we have responded fully.