Generally, Florida personal injury protection (PIP) insurance pays 80 percent of medical bills and 60 percent of lost wages, up to a total of $10,000 for both combined. Generally to get your wages through your own car PIP insurance, you must supply the insurance company with a “wage verification form” plus a “disability note” from your treating physician. The wage verification form is a form filled out by your employer that explains how long you have worked there, explains you rate of pay and explains the days your missed from work due to the accident. The “disability note” is either a form but more commonly is a note from your treating doctor that basically explains that you missed work days due to the the accident. Once these two documents are sent to the PIP carrier, then then are paid in line, first come first serve. Thus, if this is submitted very early and the injured person has a PIP deductible, then it may be applied to the deductible. If it is submitted late or if the injured person has large hospital bills, then the wage claim may come after PIP benefits are exhausted.
Interestingly, you can exclude wages from PIP to lower your insurance and this is commonly elected by people who are retired and thus would not be making a wage claim in an accident.
Note that it is also possible to receive lost wages from your employer if you have sick time accrued. Also, it is possible to receive lost wages if you have a short or long term disability policy, either if purchased through work or outside of work on your own.
If you have been in a car accident, please call Drucker Law Offices at 561-483-9199 (Boca Raton Main office) or 954-755-2120 (Coral Springs satellite office) or 561-967-3840 (Lake Worth satellite office) or 305-981-1561 (Miami satellite office) for a free consultation. We only charge fees and costs if we recover money for you.
Of course, a case based on a fact pattern such as the one above is unique and any other case should be judged based on the specific facts of the case. The advice in this blog is intended to be general and should not to be used as specific advice for a case, as the slightest difference in the facts could change the result. Also, this blog is, as the web site name suggests, based on Florida law and the laws of any other state could vary significantly from Florida.
