QuestionQUESTION: Geico has asked me to sign a release for the hospital that I was admitted in after my accident in order to pay my PIP claim. Do I Have to sign this release for them to pay my bill?
ANSWER: Rob,
That is a hard question without seeing the release and without knowing the State where the policy is housed. Generally speaking some sort of release is normally required when an injury claim is settled, but I have to say it is unusual on no-fault coverages (PIP and MEDPay). If you sign a release and your coverage is not yet exhausted, and then you have a subsequent charge that is related to the same incident, release or not, the insurance company will likely be made to pay the claim.
If the release is specific in that it is only for a certain type of damages, then just make sure you have been paid for that specific damage and go ahead. It is not very common for an insurance company to use the "You signed a release!" argument, but it happens.
Although I am not an attorney, with over 15 years claims experience, I bet my opinion would be worthwhile and I don't have a problem looking at the release if you provide it. You can also look us up directly by searching for petty details claims services.
JP
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: So..they don't need the release to pay the PIP, but they do for the bill? All this mumbo jumbo confuses me.
AnswerThere is normally no release required for receipt of PIP benefits, but I would have to see the policy or at least know the State to give a more certain answer.
Now a written "release" from your doctor is a different thing. It means your doctor has said you have reached "MMI" or maximum medical improvement and you will have no further treatments. This type of release is commonly asked for.
In summary, there is a policy that regulates the PIP coverage, therefore whatever the policy says the insurance company can require, they can require. There is standard PIP language. . . and I don't see anything in the Texas version that requires a release be signed before getting payment.
If you were to force me to guess. . . I would say that there is no requirement for a release when presenting a PIP claim. I would ask the insurance company to provide me with their statutory, common law, or contractual citation that they rely upon when asking for the release. If there is no requirement for a release and they continue to refuse payment based on that, then I would think you could discuss your case with a good attorney and potentially win an action for bad faith or breach of contract.
I hope this helps!
JP
