It can take anywhere from several weeks to several months for Progressive to respond to demand letters. In some instances, Progressive may fail to respond at all. Since insurance companies have no legal obligation to respond to these letters, receiving a response may be surprising.
Several factors can impact the amount of time it can take for Progressive and other insurance companies to review claims and respond to demand letters. With help from your Atlanta car accident lawyer, you can expedite the process and access the car insurance settlement you deserve.
Factors Impacting the Review of Your Claim
Multiple factors impact how long it will take for Progressive to review your car accident demand letter. They must thoroughly investigate your case’s details before responding.
You may be anxious about moving forward with your case and accessing your Progressive settlement funds. However, as long as the insurance company does not delay your claim in bad faith or take an unreasonable amount of time to process your claim, there is little you can do to expedite the process.
Under the law, there is no requirement that insurance companies must answer demand letters in any way. However, Progressive is more likely to respond to your communication if all of the following criteria are met:
Reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
First, Progressive may only respond to your demand letter if you have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). This means you have regained as much function as possible and healed as much as your physicians expect that you will.
The insurance company may hesitate to offer a settlement if you have yet to reach MMI. Your medical expenses could continue to increase if you require additional treatment, your condition worsens, or you continue receiving ongoing treatment.
Providing Necessary Supporting Documents
Your car accident lawyer must provide Progressive with the necessary supporting documents and evidence to process your claim. This could include one or more of the following:
- Evidence of your loss of income
- Vehicle repair quotes
- Diminished value estimates
- Proof of out of pocket property damages
- Medical records and statements from healthcare providers
- Photos of your injuries
- Video footage of the car accident
If Progressive needs to obtain additional evidence or conduct a more thorough investigation, it could take longer to respond to your demand letter and continue processing your claim.
Sending a Demand Letter
You may not hear back from Progressive after filing your claim initially. Your car accident lawyer may suggest sending a demand letter when this happens. This demand letter will include several details, such as:
- Copies of police and crash reports
- Information about how the accident occurred
- A liability determination
- A description of the injuries you sustained
- A description of the ways your life has been affected by your injuries
- The value of the car accident claim
- The amount of compensation you are seeking
- An evaluation of projected future medical costs
When your letter contains the necessary information and comes from your car accident lawyer, Progressive may take your claim more seriously. If they know you have an attorney working for you, they may be less likely to attempt to take advantage of you during this difficult time in your life.
Investigating the Claim
Before responding to your demand letter, Progressive may investigate your car accident. These investigations typically take 3 to 8 weeks, depending on the extent of the accident, the number of victims, and other factors. In some instances, insurers may delay the processing of the claim, hoping the car accident victim will grow frustrated and accept less than the claim is worth.
Since insurance companies like Progressive lose money by settling claims, it is in their best interests to reduce the amount they pay or deny claims entirely to reduce their profit loss. For this reason, having a car accident attorney advocating for your rights should be a top priority.
Next Steps After Investigations
After Progressive has completed its investigation, it may or may not respond to your demand letter. Generally, Progressive will answer a demand letter with a settlement offer which will likely be less than the value of your claim.
Your car accident lawyer will respond to the settlement offer with a counteroffer. This is where negotiations will commence, and your lawyer will attempt to work out a reasonable settlement that sufficiently meets your needs. Once an agreement is reached, you must sign a release form that states you will not see additional compensation from Progressive once your settlement has been paid out.
There is little you can do to increase the processing time or encourage Progressive to respond to your demand letter. Your best actions are to respond quickly to communications from Progressive auto insurance adjusters and ensure your demand letter is complete. Your car accident attorney can pressure them more powerfully based on their years of experience, and the insurer will see how seriously you are taking your claim.
What Happens When Progressive Does Not Respond to Your Demand Letter
You should not lose hope if Progressive does not respond to your initial demand letter. Your car accident attorney is ready to go up against this nationwide auto insurance provider when they have a financial obligation to you.
We will continue contacting Progressive insurance adjusters until we have no choice but to move forward with legal action against them. However, Progressive is unlikely to let the case go to court, as they may end up paying more than they wanted on your claim. Your attorney will take additional legal matters to hold Progressive accountable and obtain your deserved settlement.
Get Help from a Car Accident Lawyer Today
The insurance company will lose money by settling your claim. For this reason, they may resort to unscrupulous tactics to protect the insurance company’s best interests.
Fortunately, you have legal options. You can make the insurance company pay with help from an experienced car accident lawyer at John Foy & Associates. Contact our office today to learn more about the Progressive insurance claims process and what to expect from your settlement.
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