Applying for a review of a criminal injuries compensation claim
HNK Solicitors can help people who are applying for a review of their criminal injuries compensation claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Our expert CICA solicitors can help you to get the compensation you deserve to help you move on with your life after you have fallen victim to a violent crime.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority rejects or refuses to award compensation on a high volume of all submitted claims. In a lot of cases where compensation is awarded, the CICA regularly make the wrong decision, which results in the level of compensation awarded being far too low.
After going through the claims process with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, and once an initial decision is made by them, you have a choice to make, dependent on the outcome you wish to receive. If the claim has been rejected, you can choose to give up there and accept it or apply for a review. If you have received an offer, you can accept it or you can choose to apply for a review of this offer. It is strongly advised you seek legal help if you are unsure about what to do following the decision you have received.
Many applicants who do not already have a representative may wish to elect one, if their Criminal Injuries Compensation Claim is refused or they believe their award is too low, to assist them with a review. Our expert CICA solicitors can help those who believe their compensation is too low or those who believe their claim has been unfairly rejected to apply for a review of the CICA’s decision, even if you did not originally seek our help with your CICA application.
We can complete the review application on your behalf at the CICA review stage, and handle all communications with the CICA. We will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
How the CICA review application process works
If your criminal injuries compensation claim has been rejected or undervalued, and you have applied for a review and you still do not agree with the decision, the next step is to start an appeal. The appeal is made to the First-Tier Tribunal, and the Tribunal Service is not part of the CICA. It is an independent body who is responsible for ensuring that CICA decisions are fair, correct, and properly implement the law.
The review application will be looked at by another CICA officer who had no involvement in your original claim. The CICA will contact you within three months of receiving the review request to let you know how your review is progressing.
The new CICA officer will read your CICA review application and come to a final decision, which you will be notified by via letter. The CICA claims officer may come to a different decision, or request further information to assess the claim further. In some cases, reviews can lead to a less favourable decision, or the original decision/reward may be left unchanged. This is why it can be extremely beneficial to instruct an experienced CICA solicitor to help with your CICA review application, as they know how the CICA works and how to prepare a written review with the highest chance of a successful outcome.
The grounds on which an application for a review is sought must be sufficient for the CICA to overturn their original decision. There must be evidence to back this up, an emotional appeal will not work. The CICA stick rigorously to their scheme, and so an application for review must clearly explain why their decision is incorrect, according to their scheme. An experienced CICA solicitor will know the ins and outs of the CICA scheme and be able to present this argument clearly on your behalf.
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HNK Solicitors can help with your criminal injuries compensation claim review
As leading criminal injury compensation solicitors, HNK Solicitors have an excellent record on receiving successful review decisions from the CICA. In many cases, we have succeeded in obtaining an increased award for an applicant or in arguing that the applicant is eligible for an award where they previously had been rejected.
If you have been dealing with your application to the CICA without representation and feel you have reached the stage where you need legal assistance in making a review application, HNK Solicitors offer free no-obligation consultations where we are more than happy to look over the details of your case with a view to taking your claim on. In many cases, we can offer a no-win, no-fee agreement, so you would not have to pay a penny unless your claim is successful.
We understand this process can be difficult and distressing, but we are here to help make the process as easy and stress-free as possible. You will be assigned a dedicated case handler who will fight to get the compensation you deserve. In the event you do not agree with the review decision, we can represent you again at the appeal stage if we believe you have a good chance of challenging the decision.
Free Consultation
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation where we will help assess your claim with discretion and sensitivity and offer honest advice.
No-Win-No-Fee
We can offer a no-win-no-fee service which means it costs you nothing upfront and you only have to pay if your application is successful and you receive compensation. As a standard we charge a set fee of either £500 or 25% Plus VAT (whichever is the greatest) from the compensation you receive. No matter how long your claim takes to conclude, or how much work we have to invest in the matter, our fee remains fixed.
Trained Experts
All our criminal injuries lawyers are highly trained to deal with these sensitive cases with care and consideration. They have years of experience in dealing with applications to the CICA and want to help you get the compensation you deserve, so you can rest assured they have your best interests at heart.
FAQ
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is a government-run scheme which provides the innocent victims of violent crimes who suffer injury or psychological harm with compensation.
If you have been the blameless victim of a crime and suffered an injury, you could be entitled to make a compensation claim from the CICA.
It is as simple as getting in touch with us and one of our expert criminal injury lawyers will provide you with a free, no-obligation consultation in which time they will assess your claim and let you know if they believe you are entitled to launch a review.
If we believe you have a strong case, our experts can advise you about how much compensation you can expect, any costs and can even take care of the review application process on your behalf.
If you satisfy the criteria, you could be entitled to compensation ranging from £1000 to £500,000, depending on the severity of your injuries.
The compensation depends on the type of injuries you sustained, examples of some of the most common awards received are:
- • A strained neck or whiplash lasting more than 13 weeks: £1,000
- • Fractured jaw: £1,500
- • Significant scarring to the face: £2,400
- • Fractured skull requiring an operation: £4,600
- • Loss of a front tooth: £1,500
- • Funeral payments: a maximum of £5,000
- • Bereavement payments: maximum of £11,000
- • Repeated rapes over a period exceeding 3 years: £22,000
- • Non-penetrative sexual acts over clothing: £1,000
A CICA case can be a lengthy, complex and a difficult process. Many innocent victims of crime expect the CICA to be sympathetic and make the process as easy as possible when they apply for compensation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Having an experienced CICA solicitor can be the difference between a successful or rejected claim and a solicitor is much more likely to get you the amount you deserve. Our team of highly trained criminal injury lawyers have expert knowledge in CICA cases and a wide range of experience, so they know the best steps on how to proceed. They can also make this process much easier and less stressful for you by guiding you through the process, chasing up and securing any evidence, medical reports, police statements or social service reports which may be needed to support your case. Our lawyers take away the stress of you having to deal with your own application, leaving you to focus on your recovery.
We also have a dedicated team at the CICA who oversees all of the applications we submit on behalf of our clients. This ensures that any applications we submit are dealt with efficiently and promptly. This isn’t a service that is afforded to applicants who apply directly without our assistance, or to all other firms of solicitors.
If the CICA make a decision in regards to your review application, our dedicated lawyers provide you with advice in regards to the merits of the decision. If the CICA make an offer of compensation which is not correct, or if they come back with the same decision to reject your claim, our solicitors can guide you through the process of appealing the decision and represent you at the Tribunal.
Our knowledge of the CICA Scheme 2012 is extensive, this equips our lawyers with the understanding required to challenge any incorrect decision made by the CICA. If the CICA do not put right any incorrect decisions they make, we will represent our clients before the Appeals Tribunal whereby our advocacy skills are put to good use. Such assistance throughout the process isn’t afforded to an unrepresented applicant.
