Maximum Medical Improvement Explained

Salley Law Firm • August 30, 2019

WHAT IS MAXIMUM MEDICAL IMPROVEMENT AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT MY CLAIM?

When individuals are injured and consult with an attorney, one of the main questions for those individuals is what is my case worth? Many, many factors will affect what and how much an individual’s claim will ultimately be worth.

Many factors will be used to calculate just how much your claim will be worth in the eyes of the insurance company including such factors as:

• Medical costs and expenses, past and future

• Lost wages

• Property damage, and

• Physical pain and emotional suffering

However, another major aspect of valuing your claim comes from a term called Maximum Medical Improvement or MMI. Maximum Medical Improvement is where you have reached the full potential of recovery from the injuries you have sustained. In other words, time, effort, and medical treatment will no longer improve your condition. This is the point where you have reached your “full recovery” or you have suffered a permanent disability.

Many times during the process you may feel like your attorney is not doing enough to pursue your claim. This however is not the case. It is important for you to reach MMI before your attorney can pursue all of the damages you are entitled to receive. MMI is extremely important to reach before you receive compensation because if you have sustained a permanent disability, you will need to receive compensation for it. This means that you will need and be entitled to compensation for future medical costs and expenses in your recovery.

If you settle your claim before you have reached MMI, you will lose hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars because you are only entitled to “one bite at the apple” or in other words, recover one time from the at-fault party’s insurance company. Furthermore, if you settle early and still need treatment or surgery, you will then have to pay for those medical expenses out of your own pocket. Thus, it is important to be patient during the claims process and focus on your recovery until you have reached MMI . After you have reached MMI, you and your attorney will sit down and have a conversation about the true value of your claim and for how much you will be willing to settle.

Issues such as these are why it is extremely important to have an experience attorney in your corner. Experienced attorneys will fight for you and protect your rights. You were injured, let us fight for you. Please contact Salley Law Firm today at (803) 356-5000.

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