PTSD claim via CICA

[999FnR]

Hi, I realise this topic will only apply to members in uk regarding CICA and hope I have put it in the correct forum as could not find anywhere else to put it, so apologies if it needs to be moved.

I started a claim last year with the criminal injury compensation authority CICA, I suffered a traumatic attack at work in 2021 and was diagnosed with PTSD I have since struggled in life at home and work and have still not gone back to my full role I was in before the attack.
I have entered a claim and so far have done all the paperwork myself, I was wondering if anyone on here has made a claim and if they used a solicitor to assist with the claim or did they successfully do it all themselves? My concern is being fobbed off if I represent myself as opposed to someone who knows what they are doing handling it.
If anyone has made a claim or has any advice would be much appreciated.

I don’t expect to be back in my full time role at any point due to the trauma and am currently looking at either leaving or re training for something else but the financial burden that’s putting on me and my family is pretty overwhelming alongside everything else.

 

[Movingforward10]

I haven't put in a claim.
But my partner put in a claim from a road traffic accident and used a solicitor who took half the payout.
I was thinking of putting in a claim if I reported to the police. And was thinking of doing it myself.

Have you seen the CICA document that says how much payout you get per injury? It's a set fee. So as long as you can work out what you can claim for (the right mix of things), then best to do it on your own?
But then maybe it depends on how confident you feel about filling in forms and understanding the process? Sometimes having someone do that for you, especially when thinning about stress and managing, is worth the solicitor fee?

 

[999FnR]

I haven't put in a claim.
But my partner put in a claim from a road traffic accident and used a solicitor who took half the payout.
I was thinking of putting in a claim if I reported to the police. And was thinking of doing it myself.

Have you seen the CICA document that says how much payout you get per injury? It's a set fee. So as long as you can work out what you can claim for (the right mix of things), then best to do it on your own?
But then maybe it depends on how confident you feel about filling in forms and understanding the process? Sometimes having someone do that for you, especially when thinning about stress and managing, is worth the solicitor fee?

Yeah I saw that a solicitor will take a good chunk of it, my concern was if the CICA make me a low offer as I am not using a solicitor and I won’t know enough wether it’s right to accept or appeal and my grounds to appeal.
Maybe I will wait to see what they offer before I consider some legal advice and if i think it’s too low then seek some advice, I did look at the table I think the sticking point is going to be the length of time my symptoms will affect me, in my psychiatrist report she has stated that she expects this to be at least several more years and unlikely to continue in my original role.
Looking at the pay scale table there seems to be a jump from 5 years to for the rest of your life and nothing in between this.

 

[CrumbFish39]

I'm doing all of the basic stuff myself and waiting until I have the first offer or rejection from CICA before then consulting a solicitor. That way I don't think that they can reasonably charge such a huge percentage of the final award.

Given your psych has mentioned that they expect you to have symptoms for many years it may be that CICA won't make a decision until a significant amount of more time has passed.

What I don't like about CICA is that they're so uncommunicative and seemingly unaccountable to anyone.

 

[999FnR]

I'm doing all of the basic stuff myself and waiting until I have the first offer or rejection from CICA before then consulting a solicitor. That way I don't think that they can reasonably charge such a huge percentage of the final award.

Given your psych has mentioned that they expect you to have symptoms for many years it may be that CICA won't make a decision until a significant amount of more time has passed.

What I don't like about CICA is that they're so uncommunicative and seemingly unaccountable to anyone.

Yeah I was thinking that way, although I spoke to someone there Few weeks back regarding some Information they was waiting for and he told me they have everything they need and will asses it shortly but not heard anything since.
Not sure how long they can wait though as it’s already been 3 and half years since my accident so surely they can’t put it on pause indefinitely, I believe the time frames for suffering are set at 28 weeks,1 year or more,5 years or more or rest of your life.
Have no idea how they make that decision without waiting 5 years or more.

 

[999FnR]

I have already had to move job roles due to triggers that I was suffering to try and help relieve symptoms, although it helps with certain triggers the job is a lot harder to learn than my previous role and is taking a lot of learning.