After you’ve been in a car accident, it can all seem overwhelming - Who do I call? What information do I need? Who can help me? When am I going to feel better? While every case is individual and timelines for healing and recovery may differ, some things are the same for every claim. If you follow these four straightforward steps, it should hopefully help simplify things for you.
1. Contact your auto insurer right away and open a claim. They will assign an Accident Benefits Adjuster to you and send you out a package of papers. (There’s lots - they send out every possible form that MIGHT be needed). The really important one is the OCF 1 - Application for Insurance Benefits. Complete this form and return it to your insurer AS SOON as you receive it, to make sure there are no delays in getting treatment approved.
2. Do you have Private extended health care Benefits? (The auto insurance industry mandates that any existing benefits be used first before their coverage will take over). Contact your Benefits coordinator and find out the details of your plan - including:
> Does your plan cover your treatment if it is the result of a motor vehicle accident?
> What is your annual coverage amount for Chiropractic? For Massage?
> What percentage of each visit does your benefits cover?
> What date does your plan reset annually?
> How much coverage have you already used this year for Chiropractic? For Massage?
3. Contact our clinic to book your initial visit. Even if you are a current patient, you will need to have a full examination so the doctor can assess you and determine your injuries, get all the details of your accident, and formulate an individual treatment plan for you.
4. When you come for the first visit, please bring all the details of your Extended Health Benefits (as above), along with any claim information you may have already received from your auto insurance. This will allow us to set up your MVA file and make sure that we set up your billings correctly.
Helping you to heal includes trying to keep your accident-related stresses to a minimum, so if you have questions or concerns about any of the paperwork or processes, please reach out and ask! We are always happy to help :)
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