Settlement paperwork checklist

Core documents

• Police or incident report (and the report number)
• Photos of the scene, vehicles, or injuries you already have
• Your own insurance policy declarations page
• Correspondence from the other party's insurer
• Your signed fee agreement with your attorney
• Any release you have been asked to sign (keep a copy before returning it)
• The written settlement statement, when it is provided

People and contacts

Write down names, direct numbers, and reference or claim numbers.

• Attorney and the paralegal or case manager handling day-to-day work
• Claim number and adjuster for each insurer involved
• Billing contact for each treating provider
• Health plan member services and any subrogation or recovery unit
• Any government program contact if Medicare or Medicaid paid for care

Medical bills and repayment claims

• Itemized bill from each provider (not just the balance-due statement)
• Explanation of benefits from each health plan
• Any lien notice you received in the mail, with the envelope
• Any letter of protection you signed with a provider
• Conditional payment or recovery letters from a government program
• Notes on which balances are final and which are still estimates

Letters and call log

One line per contact is enough. Dates are what matter later.

• Date, who you spoke with, and what they said
• What you were told would happen next, and by when
• Anything you were asked to send, and the date you sent it
• Copies of everything you mailed or emailed

Before you sign anything

• Read the whole document, including the parties named in it
• Ask what claims you are giving up and against whom
• Ask whether repayment claims are addressed and by whom
• Ask for a copy of the signed version for your own file
• If anything is unclear, ask before signing — not after