Filing a Personal Injury Claim for Medical Expense Compensation

A personal injury medical compensation claim is usually filed and treated differently than a property damage claim. The amount of compensation involved and the fact that claimants usually seek several different types of damage awards requires insurance companies to investigate personal injury medical compensation claims separately from other portions of a claim. Because of this, the instructions and inclusions for filing such a claim are unique.

Include Receipts, But Not Records

When filing your claim, it is permissible, or even sometimes required by the insurance company, to include the receipts for your medical expenses. Note, however, that these receipts will contain private information that the insurance company will use to investigate your medical treatment. Therefore, make sure to not include any receipts that are not related to your claim or that may potentially reflect poorly on your request.

At this juncture, however, it is unnecessary to include copies of your medical records. While you are entitled to these and should have a copy for your own records, there is no need for you to provide this private information to the insurance company. If the company needs to review them in order to determine the amount of compensation to offer you, it will request a release form from you and then obtain the records directly from the physician. In fact, including your records when not required to do so in your claim may raise questions about certain aspects of your claim.

Break Down Your Claim

To obtain the most compensation possible for your injuries, it is important that you justify your request. You can do so by breaking down the elements of your request into its separate parts. For example, if your claim comprises a portion of medical expenses, but also pain and suffering, lost wages or other damages, make a list of the different types of damages and how much money you request for each one. This will enable the insurance company to identify the amount of money you seek for medical expenses, which they will most likely award without a fight.

Be Clear About Your Request

Regardless of whether the amount of compensation you seek includes non-medical expense reimbursement, be clear about the portion of the award that will be dedicated specifically to your medical costs. Most insurance companies will not argue with a claimant requesting money for previously incurred medical expense. Similarly, if you request money for future medical expenses, be clear about the amount and how you arrived at that value.

Getting Legal Help

If you are filing a claim for personal injury medical expense compensation, seek legal assistance with your claim. It is very rare where a medical expense compensation claim is only for past medical expenses, which makes such claims more difficult and easier to be disputed or denied by the insurance company.

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