Criminal Injuries Compensation Claims
If you have been injured during the course of a criminal offence, you may be eligible for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 2003 and our personal injury department can asssist you.
All applications are assessed by an Assessor, Criminal Injuries Compensation.
There are particular rules for the payment of compensation.
First, there needs to be a personal injury or loss for which you are entitled to be paid compensation which can include replacement of clothing or items damaged during the course of an offence committed against you.
You are also able to claim for the time you were required to take off work to recover from any injury which is not covered by workers' compensation, medical expenses, travel to and from appointments, and the cost of any report used to support your application.
You should report any offence committed against you to the police, as this information will be required by the Assessor to establish whether you are entitled to compensation. The Assessor also has access to the Director for Public Prosecutions' files which are used to confirm the prosecution details of known offenders.
Normally, you have three years from the date of the incident to make an application. However, we do not recommend that you make an application until such time as your injury has settled and you are able to provide as much information as possible about your past treatment expenses or future treatment needs.
You can apply for an extension of time if longer than three years has passed from the date of the incident. We recommend that children under the age of 18 who have been the victims of crime are assisted to make an application either once they have turned 18, or once their injury has settled. There is no guarantee that the Assessor will extend the period of time to make an application.
The maximum amount of compensation payable for injuries resulting from criminal offences after 15 December 2003 is $75,000.00. Not all applications are awarded this amount.
Click here to contact us regarding a criminal injuries compensation claim