The Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas) Scheme (“CICO”) was established by the Ministry of Defence in 1979 to compensate individuals and their dependants who are victims of violent crime whilst serving in the British armed forces overseas.

The CICO Scheme is run by Veterans UK and mirrors the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (“CICA”) administered by the Ministry of Justice to compensate victims of violent crime within Great Britain.

The CICO specifies that members of the armed forces and their “accompanying dependants” will be eligible for an award where they have taken “an exceptional and justified risk” within one of the four specific criteria set out at paragraph 15 (1) of the scheme. Similarly, a person may be eligible if they “sustain a criminal injury in a relevant place which is directly attributable to being present at and witnessing an incident, or the immediate aftermath of an incident” under paragraph 16.

The purpose of the CICO is to ensure that military personnel and their dependants are eligible for the same statutory compensation schemes as civilians. Often, individuals who have suffered mental health injuries cannot afford to pay the exorbitant cost of private therapy or counselling and they are forced to join long waiting lists for NHS treatment whilst their mental health deteriorates. Those who receive awards under the scheme frequently use the same to obtain private therapy, counselling and other treatment, to improve their lives.

Both the CICO and the CICA scheme are discretionary and those who may be entitled to compensation must make an application within two years of the incident occurring detailing:

  • The circumstances of the incident or period of abuse;
  • Details of the perpetrator;
  • The injuries suffered;
  • Whether the matter was reported to the police/military police;
  • Whether medical assistance has been sought and obtained; and
  • Any further information.

Here at Farleys, we have a dedicated and specialist team dealing with applications to the above bodies and as such, we ensure that the CICA and CICO make offers to clients at the correct value by appealing decisions on rejected applications or on applications when the offers made do not adequately compensate our client for their injury or the impact that it has had on their life.

Contact our experienced  team for a no obligation assessment of your case on 0845 287 0939 or leave your details via our online contact form and we will call you back.