The Ministry of Justice had shared information about the new claims portal which launches on 31 May 2021 The new portal for claiming compensation for minor personal injuries caused by road traffic accidents will be launched at www.officialinjuryclaim.org.uk and will impact both claimants and claims professionals.
It has been developed by MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and is a free and independent service for people injured in a road traffic accident to claim compensation for an accident that occurs on or after 31 May 2021.
The easy-to-use online portal guides claimants through the process of making and managing a claim, obtaining a medical report, and if the claim is successful, receiving compensation.
The impartial service does not make any money from claims and will deliver the reforms found in the Civil Liability Act 2018, in relation to road traffic accident related personal injury claims. Official Injury Claim is designed to be used by unrepresented claimants and representatives on behalf of a claimant.
Why has this changed?
With around 600,000 claims each year, the cost of compensation for low-value whiplash injuries caused by road traffic accidents has increased motor insurance premiums, despite that fact that the UK has some of the safest roads in Europe.
The Government is tackling this through a range of measures, which will ensure claimants continue to receive proportionate compensation for genuine injury whilst reducing premiums for all motorists.
What the changes will deliver:
- A new digital whiplash portal to make a claim for any road traffic related personal injury, valued at under £5,000 including claims for whiplash.
- Increasing the small claims track limit for road traffic accident related personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000, so legal costs are no longer recoverable by the successful claimant.
- A new fixed tariff of compensation for whiplash injuries with an injury duration of up to two years.
- A ban on the practice of seeking or offering to settle whiplash claims without first obtaining medical evidence.
What to do next:
Registrations are now open for claimant representatives, third party administrators (TPAs) and compensators. Other claims professionals, including medical professionals, will access the service in different ways.
Registrations are open to help you prepare for the service launch. This includes setting up your organisation, creating accounts for your web users and developing your integration to the service.
Further information and support:
There is a toolkit for claims professionals, which can be accessed here. The toolkit provides more information on the claims process, language and accessibility, training and further detail on who can claim.
Further resources for professionals are also available as well as a guide for claimants who are unrepresented.
To contact the portal support centre, call: 0800 118 1631.