When you bought your insurance policy, if you are like most people in Oregon, you were thinking you were getting liability coverage, so if you caused a crash and injured someone, your insurance would take care of them. \u00a0But your insurance also contains “personal injury protection.” known as PIP.
\nThe idea behind PIP is that if you get injured from “the use, occupancy or maintenance, of any motor vehicle” (ORS 742.520 (2) (a)), then your own insurance will pay up to $15,000 for your medical treatment. \u00a0If you have paid extra premiums for higher limits, then you may have more than $15,000 in coverage. \u00a0They will only pay for medical treatment received within one year after the accident, no matter how much or how little of the $15,000 you have spent.
\nIf you are hit by a car as a pedestrian or a bicyclist, and do not have car insurance, you may still have PIP, because there are circumstances in which the PIP for the driver who hit you has to pay your bills.<\/p>\n
What PIP Pays<\/strong> Wage Loss<\/strong>
\nPIP is the first place to go to get your medical bills paid after any injury involving a car. \u00a0In fact, when your health insurer finds out you were involved in a car crash, they usually will not pay your bills, because they expect PIP to pay them, up to $15,000.
\nPIP can make a huge difference in your life, particularly if you have no health insurance. \u00a0But even if you do have health insurance, PIP has no deductibles or copayments, and, within reason, you can go to any medical provider you want. \u00a0Some PIP policies have a deductible, but Oregon law does not allow the deducible to be more than $250.
\nIf you have been hurt in a car crash and you have auto insurance, use that PIP to get all the medical care you need.<\/p>\n
\nPIP will also pay some of your wage loss, but not all of it. \u00a0PIP will pay 70% of your normal wages up to a maximum of $3,000 per month. \u00a0One of the reasons they only pay 70% of your income is that, generally speaking, you do not have to pay taxes on the money you receive from PIP.
\nBut there is a catch. \u00a0PIP will only pay your wage loss if you miss at least 14 consecutive days of work. \u00a0To collect wage loss reimbursement from PIP, you need a note from a doctor saying you cannot work for 14 days or more. \u00a0And you have to miss at least 14 days of work in a row.
\nPeople often want to know, “If I use my vacation days or my sicks days so that I am not actually losing wages, can I still get PIP to pay my wage loss?” The answer is, “Sort of.”
\nYou can get PIP to pay your wage loss, but if you have used vacation pay or sick days, then the money PIP pays for wages lost is probably going to go to your employer, not you. \u00a0Then you would need to negotiate with your employer to get the sick days or the vacation days put back into your account in exchange for the PIP money you have given back to your employer.
\nIf you do not generally work for pay –for example if you are a stay-at-home mom or dad–there is a PIP “wage loss” for you too. \u00a0If, because of your vehicle-related injuries, you are unable to perform normal household functions (cooking, cleaning, childcare) for 14 days or more, PIP will pay up to $30 per day for you to hire someone to do these things for you. \u00a0True, $30 doesn’t usually cover the help you need, but it is better than nothing.<\/p>\n