There are many different but tedious steps and processes involved following a car accident. These steps are crucial for earning your entitled benefits and compensation. Two of the important steps are mileage forms and Independent medical examinations.
Injuries and settlements
The first step to make sure you don’t miss out on any benefits or compensation is to hire an attorney. An attorney can help with filling out mileage forms and guiding you through the process of an Independent Medical Examination. Hiring someone who has experience handling Personal Injury cases increase your chances of receiving everything you are eligible for after being involved in a motor vehicle collision where you sustained serious personal injuries.
In NYS, you qualify for No-Fault benefits if you are injured in an automobile accident. This ensures individuals receive medical treatment for the injuries sustained. These expenses can cover medical expenses, lost earnings, and incidental costs, regardless of who was at fault in a collision. You are entitled to medical treatment and out of pocket expenses directly related to the accident from your No-Fault carrier. The used gas and time spent attending your medical appointments are common out of pocket expenses. These medical appointments include specialties such as orthopedics, neurologists, physical therapy, chiropractic, and Independent Medical Examinations.
Independent Medical Examinations
After being in a car accident and filing a No-Fault claim in NYS, the insurance company will start paying for your medical treatment related to the injuries sustained in your accident. However, the insurance companies may request that you go through an “independent medical exam,” commonly referred to as IMEs. Regardless of claimants receiving treatment through their preferred physicians for their injuries, the insurance companies will want another opinion to validate the injuries. After filing your claim, your coverage will depend on these independent medical examinations. If you are claiming serious injuries but refuse to go to these appointments, you can be denied the No-Fault benefits that pay for your treatment.
There are some rules to follow and exceptions with these Independent Medical Examinations.
- You are allowed to reschedule your appointment one time, if there is an emergency situation. Although, it is still important that a claimant does everything they can to attend the meetings as scheduled.
- Being on time for these appointments are crucial as well. If late, they can say that you did not show up, which increases the risk of No Fault Benefits denial. Insurance companies must provide enough notice for these IMEs, as well as who will be administering them.
- Your attorney can read the after-examination report. More importantly, they can prepare you for the examination and explain what to expect. If you do not have an attorney, you may go into these examinations blind and possibly get your No-Fault benefits denied. These examiners will ask you an extensive amount of questions relating to the accident, again, why it is important to have an attorney to prepare and advise you the proper way to answer these questions.
Mileage Forms Benefits
Next, Mileage forms are also another important part of No-Fault Benefits. Medical mileage expense benefits are reimbursements of the mileage expenses to and from the medical appointments that are necessary for treatment relating to the injuries sustained in the motor vehicle accident. The New York No-Fault Medical Mileage rates are ~51 cents per mile. These expenses can be paid anything up to $25 per day. However, they are only paid for up until one year from the date of the accident. These medical providers include hospitals, physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, independent medical examinations, and more.
In order to receive reimbursement, you must submit a sheet including the list of mileage within the 90 days of the date that you went and received the treatment. This sheet will make you provide your home address, date, address of the place you received treatment, and amount of miles roundtrip. If you cannot find transportation to get to your medical appointments, you can take the bus, a cab, the subway or even utilize ride-sharing. Yet, it is critical that you get a signed receipt from who took you. The insurance company upon receiving the mileage sheet will verify these dates as well as who treated you. Then they will send you a check for the mileage you used to attend these appointments. As stated before, the insurance company will only pay for this mileage for one year following the date of the accident causing the injuries necessary for treatment.
Find a lawyer or doctor today!
If a claimant wants to receive these No-Fault benefits, they must be completed punctually. Failure to complete mileage sheets will result in not receiving compensation for your travel expenses. Additionally, failure to attend Independent Medical Examinations can result in your No-Fault benefits being denied. This is why it is vital to hire an experienced personal injury to represent you for your personal injury accident. By filling out the Find a Lawyer form, we will match you with such a lawyer to fight for you. Additionally, it is important you see a proficient doctor to assess your injuries.
