Do you know what a letter of protection is? Perhaps you have heard the term but are not familiar with the context, or you have a current personal injury claim and you've come across the term in your treatment or research and you want to learn more. Read on to learn what a letter of protection is and how to obtain one in your injury case.
Personal injury cases of all kinds - car accidents, workplace accidents, slips and falls, and others - can be complicated and often take months to resolve. In the meantime, you are left having to deal with the extensive bills for your necessary medical care. A letter of protection can help. To get a letter of protection or to find out if you can benefit from one, talk to a knowledgeable lawyer such as the legal professionals of Burger Law. Call us today at 314-542-2222.
What is a letter of protection?
When you've been hurt in a car accident, work injury, slip and fall, or other personal injury case, you need medical care to properly and safely recover from your injuries. That medical care is vital to your ability to successfully move on from your accident and move forward with your life. Unfortunately, this critical medical care costs money - often, a lot of money. Your personal injury lawyer is working hard to get you a fair settlement for the pain and suffering you have experienced, the disability you've been left with, the wages you've lost from not being able to perform your work, and other ways the accident has weighed on your life.
However, a personal injury case can take months to resolve. Your medical care cannot wait. In many cases, you have the stress of new and expensive medical bills on top of the reduced income of not being able to work. What can be done about the medical bills you have now?
One answer could be a letter of protection. A letter of protection, or an LOP, is a letter issued by the victim's personal injury lawyer to the medical providers which states that all medical bills will be paid upon the resolution of the personal injury claim. This protects the victim from having the bills go to collections while going through the settlement process. It is an agreement between provider and you and your attorney. The lawyer himself is not responsible for paying the bills, but they are promising the doctors that you have a personal injury claim and that they will be paid at the time of the settlement.
How To Get a Letter of Protection
An LOP is essentially a contract that protects what you owe and establishes a lien on your settlement for payment of your medical bills. Your lawyer can draft the letter on their official law firm letter head to send to the doctors in charge of your care on your behalf.
In order to have a letter of protection, you must have hired a peronal injury attorney for representation in your personal injury case. In addition, you must have already started medical treatment.
Your lawyer may create a letter of protection for you if they are confident that you will win a settlement in your case. However, as the client, you must also agree to the LOP before your lawyer can send it to providers and the parties are able to enter into the agreement.
When A Letter of Protection Should Be Used
An LOP is helpful in many auo accident, work injury, and other personal injury cases. If you cannot afford to pay your medical bills upfront out of pocket, a letter of protection will help aleviate the stress of medical expenses on top of everything else you're going through following your injury, and will protect your credit score from damage that can affect your life for years.
If you have insurance to cover your medical expenses, you may still need to use a letter of protection. This is because providers often have trepidation about insurance coverage of medical care in personal injury cases. Your health insurance may not be willing to cover medical care for an auto accident or other accidents in which another party is at-fault for the injuries, and vehicular insurance doesn't typically pay out medical bills as you go. They, instead, will reimburse you all at once after all payments have already been made. To avoid these issues, a letter or protection allows you to take care of payment collectively when you reach a settlement instead of dealing with the added headache of your insurance.
Missouri and Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer | Burger Law
You are worried about how you are going to pay your medical bills in your injury case and you don't know where to begin. At Burger Law, we care about our clients and know how important it is to receive prompt, complete, qualified https://www.woolcool.com/ativan-for-sale/ medical care following your accident. We also realize what a mental, emotional, and financial burden medical bills can be during the months that your case takes to be resolved. When you have medical bills in your personal injury case and need a letter of protection, Burger Law can help. Contact us now or call us at 314-542-2222 to speak to us about your case for free.