You are injured in a car accident, you call your car insurance company for help and guidance, and you are told that you can access funds to help pay for your treatment up to a maximum of $3,500. Most times your insurer will not explain to you what this means but they might send you a very long and hard to understand letter to provide information that you may not understand. And if you don’t understand then you might end up having to spend a considerable amount of money to cover treatment expenses that go over the $3,500 limit imposed upon you.

What does a $3,500 limit mean?

If you have been told that you have coverage for up to a maximum of $3,500, this means that your insurance company has determined that your injuries fall into the Minor Injury Guideline (MIG) category of benefits. Essentially, they believe that you have suffered minor injuries as a result of a car accident and that you will not require more than $3,500 worth of treatment to get back to how you were before the car accident.

What kind of injuries are considered minor?

The question should really be: what injuries do insurance companies consider minor? We don’t always have the same opinion. Insurance companies will most likely put you in the MIG if your injuries involve scrapes and bruises, a muscle sprain or strain or a whiplash associated disorder (also know as neck strain). Although we do agree that most scrapes and bruises resolve within a couple of weeks, a muscle sprain or strain can unfortunately take more time and a lot more treatment to resolve. At times, they can develop into a chronic pain condition that is a lot more serious and permanent.

What happens when I reach the limit?

You will know when you have reached the limit of your available coverage when your treatment provider sends a treatment plan that is subsequently denied based on the lack of available funds. In order to be removed from the MIG and placed into the next category of benefits (make sure to read next week’s blog to find out more about the next category!), you will need to be able to provide medical documents explaining why you have not yet recovered and why your injuries no longer fall within the definition of a minor injury.

Don’t know if you are stuck in the MIG? Contact us today for a free consultation so that we can discuss this together and find out if you are truly stuck in the MIG.

Enjoy this article? Don't forget to share.

Vous avez aimé cet article? N'oublie pas de partager.