Does Insurance Cover Physical Therapy for Accident Injuries in New Jersey?
Injuries caused by an automobile accident can have long-standing impacts. Even after initial healing has taken place, underlying misalignments can affect a person’s well-being for years to come or even the rest of their life. If you’ve been involved in an automobile accident in New Jersey and have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you need an experienced accident lawyer on your side to ensure that you get the immediate and ongoing treatment you need to return to full health, including physical therapy. Contact a member of our personal injury team today at 732-825-6120 to learn more about how we can support your accident recovery process by seeking the compensation you need for injuries that may lead to insurance-covered and out-of-pocket expenses. Explore why physical therapy after an accident is essential for long-term recovery and who is usually responsible for paying for it in New Jersey.
Significance of Physical Therapy Following an Auto Accident in NJ
Many people think that immediate hospitalization or medical treatment following an accident is enough to ensure a full recovery. Unfortunately, longstanding byproducts of accident injuries can manifest in a myriad of forms for months and even years to come. One of the reasons for this is that the body recovers its functioning, but misalignments caused by the accident heal over, causing further problems down the road. Physical therapy is a means of strengthening and retraining muscles to support the structure of the body so that mobility and alignment are maintained and increased.
Advantages of Physical Treatment after Injuries Due to a Car Accident
Often, accident injuries take a body part offline for an extended amount of time. As the body part heals, it needs support in regaining strength and flexibility in balanced ways. Often, because of injuries, people place undue pressure or weight on other muscle groups and body parts, creating habits that can wear down the body over time and even facilitate other injuries. Physical therapy helps the injury heal while also retraining the body to support itself and the injury in a sustainable way.
Injuries That Might Require Physical Therapy
A wide variety of auto injuries can benefit from physical therapy. The most common accidents for which physical therapy is sought are head and neck injuries such as whiplash, spinal injuries causing upper or lower back pain and including herniated and slipped discs, pulled muscles, broken bones, strained or sprained joints or other joint pains, and injuries including knee injuries, and numerous other acute injuries. Most likely, working with a physical therapist will allow you to properly heal the injured part of your body without causing future damage by operating in an imbalanced way while you recover and afterwards.
Who Pays for Physical Therapy Bills from a Motor Vehicle Collision in NJ?
In New Jersey, the insurance system is set up to pay for the driver’s medical expenses if they are injured in an accident. However, there are limitations and often additional expenses that individuals who need medical treatment are subjected to. In most cases, after an automobile accident, the injury will deem physical therapy “medically necessary,” lending itself to insurance coverage. In other words, your insurance policy pays for physical therapy that is deemed medically necessary, to an extent. Keep in mind, you will still need to pay your deductible and may be required to co-pay for part of the physical therapy once you reach a certain limit. This is why the specific terms of your insurance policy are important to examine. If insurance does not cover physical therapy, there are cash pay options.
Also, a personal injury claim may be another option if someone else caused the accident that led to your injuries. If you win a lawsuit against the other driver or another party, whoever is responsible for causing an accident injury will be held liable for financially covering the victim’s medical expenses, ongoing treatments, lost wages, and pain and suffering. This means that the at-fault party can be forced to cover expenses beyond the medical costs covered by your insurance policy. Our accident attorneys can help you navigate the options for recovering financial payment for your injuries and resulting losses.
When Requesting Reimbursement, How Can You Demonstrate Your Physical Therapy Costs?
When it comes to proving your physical therapy expenses for the purpose of seeking compensation, documentation is key. Keep a copy of all receipts, therapists’ notes, and scheduling information. Because physical therapy is one of the damages covered when you successfully file a lawsuit against the negligent party responsible for causing the injury accident, the more information you have about the total expenses of physical therapy received, the more completely you will be compensated for the treatment you receive. Likewise, if the insurance company contests your claim, you need to provide the most comprehensive information to ensure you receive the full amount you are entitled to.
Contact Our New Jersey Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Our skilled team of accident attorneys is dedicated to making sure that our clients get all of the physical, emotional, and financial support they need to fully recover from the accidents that upended their lives, so they can move on at 100 percent. Our personal injury team can assist with recovering complete financial damages for clients in Belmar, Freehold, Neptune, Tinton Falls, Middletown, Toms River, Jackson, Berkeley, Stafford, Point Pleasant, and throughout New Jersey. who were injured in an auto, bicycle, or pedestrian accident due to someone else’s negligence.
While you recover, we serve as your point of communication with insurance agents and all other appropriate parties, and help you gather the documentation needed to fully prove your case. Contact us at 732-825-6120 today to discuss filing an insurance claim and/or lawsuit to get started on the road to recovery.
