Legal experts have recently reminded those who have filed personal injury claims to not forget the benefits of rehabilitation in order to speed injury recovery.
Personal injury compensation claims have historically resulted in being awarded a lump sum payment. In more complex claims, payment processing could take several years – especially when the liable party is reticent to make interim payments for much-needed medical care.
Thanks to the 1999 introduction of the Rehabilitation Code, which aims to promote the use of early intervention and rehabilitation in the claims process, injured parties now have the opportunity to make the quickest and best possible recovery. Revised in 2007, the Code covers not just medical recovery efforts but also deals with social and psychological factors as well.
Both insurers and injury solicitors were involved in the development of the code. Specifically designed in order to promote higher levels of co-operation amongst those who hold a state in rehabilitation efforts, the code provides a rubric approved by all the main insurance and legal associations in the UK.
The code’s objectives apply no matter how severe the injuries are in an accident claim. Injuries can be as simple as psychological trauma and minor fractures or as life-changing and catastrophic as spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain damage.
Rehabilitation can still have a place in a claimant’s recovery even in cases where he or she has suffered only moderate injuries. The goal of rehabilitation is to help these claimants gain quick access to therapies appropriate to their injuries in an expedited manner.
In questions of accident liability, a defendant insurer will rarely dismiss paying for rehabilitation of the injured party unless the insurer completely denies all liability.