Whilst it is a representative’s role to assist with the claim process, there are certain tasks that an applicant must do themselves.
In this article we will run through the specific responsibilities which fall on an applicant and will explain why they are necessary to ensure the success of a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
It goes without saying that an applicant must cooperate with the CICA’s requests and their representative at all times. When the CICA do not receive the information they have requested, the claim is unable to progress and will be rejected on this basis.
Further to this, if an applicant is uncontactable (whether this be due to a change in contact details the representative was not made aware of, or just a lack of response from the client) the representative will not be able to satisfy the CICA’s request and again, the claim will ultimately be rejected.
Therefore, it is crucial that your representative is made aware of any changes to your details to prevent the above from happening. Please click here to read more about how you can help assist your representative.
Under paragraph 92 of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, the CICA state that it is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain and provide any evidence they wish to be considered/that has been specifically requested within the claim. This would typically include, but is not limited to, completing a ‘Treatment of Injuries form’ and obtaining medical evidence such as medical records/reports.
Sometimes an applicant will incur costs when requesting medical evidence , e.g. a GP may impose a charge to complete a report. The CICA do expect an applicant to pay for this themselves however, they understand that not all applicants will be able to do this.
As such, the CICA would be able to pay for any medical evidence required and would simply deduct up to a maximum of £50 from any final award made. Should an applicant pay for their own evidence and the cost amounts to more than £50, the CICA will refund an applicant for any amount they paid over the standard £50.
Of course, there are situations where an applicant is unable to obtain their own documentation altogether which is where the representative would step in. All that is required would be a signed consent form from the applicant stating they are happy for their information to be shared with their representative.
Further reading
(Link to CICA)
WHAT TO DO NEXT
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