By Jennifer Pritchett, Associate Editor

Easy Legal Finance Inc. has launched a new treatment loan solution to help plaintiffs access the rehabilitation therapy they need after being injured in an accident, says its president and CEO Larry Herscu.

“We can help plaintiffs by paying for their treatments as they work through their rehabilitation after an accident.”

Herscu says making recovery a priority can be difficult when plaintiffs are faced with the financial stresses of funding the necessary treatments. Easy Legal’s treatment loan eliminates the burden of securing funds to allow them to focus on their health and wellness, he says.

When you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, the majority of plaintiffs in Canada have access to three forms of insurance coverage: 1) collision/ comprehensive insurance; 2) accident benefits known as Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) in Ontario, Part 7 Benefits in BC and S.P.F #1 in Alberta; and 3) third-party liability insurance, which involves litigating the at-fault or negligent driver, Herscu says.

Your accident benefit coverage is intended to provide the injured party with the medical and rehabilitation services required after an accident; however, once a plaintiff’s coverage has been exhausted or denied by the insurance company, that’s where we can help, he says.

When someone is injured, they try to access their statutory accident benefits, but there can be delays in getting the approvals, Herscu says.

“In other cases, the injured party may have exhausted their benefits,” he says. “And depending on the province you reside in, there are different amounts you are eligible to receive under the statutory accident benefits coverage. If you’re an injured party and need to continue with your treatment when you’ve used all of your benefits, looking at a solution likes ours may be the answer to continue to fund your rehabilitation.”

In British Columbia, for example, people who’ve been injured can access up to $150,000 for treatment under their Part 7 benefits; that coverage is capped at $65,000 in Ontario, Herscu says.

When the treatments reach the respective limits, the injured party often can’t afford to continue paying the cost of rehab treatment out of pocket, he says.

“The injured person isn’t working and is frequently already in debt so they don’t really have the option of paying.”

Here’s where the new Easy Legal solution comes into play.

“It’s designed to help people who’ve been delayed in getting the statutory accident benefits from their insurer and for those who have used all of their benefits and still need rehabilitation support,” Herscu says.

And while some treatment professionals will cover the costs of the treatment until the plaintiff’s case is concluded, that’s a “real burden to those service providers,” he says.

Herscu says that with the new solution, the plaintiff can go to any service provider of their choice, and Easy Legal will pay them directly and in full, based on the loan amount secured.

“You and your team will decide who the best professional is,” he says. “This opens the scope of those professionals you can see because you don’t have to limit yourself to those who are willing to carry your bill.

“Easy Legal will assume that risk and wait to be reimbursed when your matter is concluded. Whatever the treatment costs, we’ll pay — subject to our review of the client’s case.”

Herscu notes that while other companies have similar litigation funding products, Easy Legal’s treatment loan is set apart by allowing plaintiffs to work with any service provider, which gives them flexibility, and pays the treatment professional directly and in full, instead of them receiving a percentage of their bill.

The response to the new solution has been positive from plaintiffs, treatment providers, and lawyers, he says.

“For the plaintiff, it’s great because if they can’t afford their treatments and they’ve been cut off, they can get the rehabilitative care they need and it doesn’t cost them any money today,” he says.

Lawyers like it because their clients can continue receiving their treatment and document their recovery as they build their legal case and negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement, Herscu says. “It can relieve the administration and financial responsibility of managing their clients’ treatment and recovery,” he adds.

And for the treatment provider, they no longer have to carry the bill; Easy Legal pays for it, Herscu says.

“It enables their patients to continue with their treatments that have been refused, delayed, terminated or exhausted by an insurance carrier.”