A letter of protection (LOP) is a document your personal injury attorney sends to a medical provider, agreeing that your bills will be paid out of your settlement once the case resolves. It’s what lets you begin chiropractic care right away after a car accident, even if you don’t have health insurance or extra money on hand.
Georgia attorneys use letters of protection routinely because delaying medical treatment can hurt both your recovery and your claim. Once your attorney sends the letter, a clinic like Arrowhead Clinic can start treating you the same way it would any other patient – exam, in-house X-ray if needed, and a treatment plan – without collecting payment at each visit.
This is the payment model Arrowhead Clinic has built much of its practice around for accident victims. If you’re wondering whether you qualify or how the process works for your situation, a free consultation is the easiest way to find out.
Once you hire a personal injury attorney, they review your accident and decide whether a letter of protection makes sense for your case. If it does, the attorney sends a signed letter to your chiropractor or doctor stating that your medical bills will be paid from the proceeds of your settlement or verdict, not by you directly.
From there, treatment moves forward like any other visit. The clinic keeps detailed records of your care, which later support your attorney’s Demand Letter to the insurance company. When the case resolves, the clinic is paid out of the settlement, similar in structure to how a Medical Lien is satisfied.
A letter of protection generally requires two things: an injury from an accident where someone else may be at fault, and a personal injury attorney willing to issue the letter. Attorneys typically only send an LOP once they believe the case has enough merit to eventually cover the medical bills through settlement.
If you haven’t hired an attorney yet, that’s usually the first step. Arrowhead Clinic can help connect accident victims with a personal injury attorney, and can speak to whether it’s worth pursuing a claim at all in our is it worth getting an attorney for a car accident FAQ.
Waiting to get care because you can’t afford it is one of the most common mistakes accident victims make, and gaps in treatment can give an insurance adjuster reason to argue your injuries weren’t serious. An LOP removes that barrier so you can be examined and start care while the medical need is still fresh.
It also keeps your case moving in the background. Consistent chiropractic records show a clear timeline connecting the accident to your injuries, which attorneys rely on when they negotiate. Our blog explains more about whether a personal injury claim covers chiropractic care and why an attorney often sends a client to a chiropractor.
Yes. Treating accident victims on a letter of protection is core to how Arrowhead Clinic operates. In 48+ years of serving Georgia accident victims, the clinic has built its intake process around patients who need care immediately but can’t pay out of pocket while a claim is pending.
That includes same-day and walk-in appointments, in-house X-ray, and staff experienced in coordinating directly with personal injury attorneys on the paperwork. Arrowhead Clinic has locations across Georgia, from Atlanta to Savannah.
Every case is different, and a letter of protection is an agreement to pay from settlement proceeds, not a guarantee that a case will settle for a specific amount or on a specific timeline. Your attorney is the right person to walk you through what happens to outstanding bills if a claim resolves for less than expected or doesn’t settle at all.
If you’re not working with an attorney and just need chiropractic care, that’s a different path – our can you see a chiropractor without insurance FAQ covers self-pay and lien-based options that don’t depend on a pending legal claim.
Yes. A letter of protection comes from your personal injury attorney, since it’s the attorney who agrees to pay your medical bills out of the eventual settlement. If you don’t have one yet, Arrowhead Clinic can help connect you with a personal injury attorney.
They work toward the same goal – delaying payment until settlement – but a Medical Lien is typically placed by the clinic itself against the proceeds of your case, while a letter of protection is a promise from your attorney to the clinic. Many clinics, including Arrowhead Clinic, use both together.
Yes. You can see a chiropractor without insurance or a letter of protection through self-pay visits. See our can you see a chiropractor without insurance FAQ for details.
Your medical bills are typically paid from your settlement before you receive the remaining funds, whether they’re covered by a letter of protection or paid another way. Your attorney can explain how this applies to your specific case.
Yes. Arrowhead Clinic offers a free consultation so you can ask questions about a letter of protection, your injuries, and payment options before committing to care.
Why personal injury attorneys refer car accident clients to a chiropractor, and how documented treatment supports your claim.
For 48+ years our chiropractors and injury specialists have helped over 400,000 accident victims recover. Your consultation is free — call now and start feeling better.
