Should I give the adjuster my old MRI or make them prove it?

Q: Should I give the adjuster my old MRI or make them prove it?

"Have you ever hurt that body part before?" That is the adjuster's next question, and your answer matters because they want to turn an old MRI into a reason to pay less. Most people assume Michigan law lets an insurer deny a claim just because you had prior back, neck, or knee problems. That is not how it works. In Michigan, a negligent driver or property owner can still be responsible for making a pre-existing condition worse. The rule is basically this: they take you as they find you. If a flash-flood hydroplaning crash on US-23 near Ann Arbor aggravated an old disc issue, the aggravation is part of the claim. What insurers hope you will do is hand over years of records so they can say, "See? This was already there." An old MRI showing degeneration is not the same thing as proof that your current pain, limits, or treatment were inevitable without this wreck. So the smarter path is usually do not casually hand over your entire old medical history. Make them tie their request to the body part and time period that matter. Michigan insurers often ask for broad releases; that does not mean you should volunteer unlimited records. The practical difference is huge: For Michigan no-fault PIP benefits, you still must submit the Application for No-Fault Benefits within 1 year of the crash. For a pain-and-suffering claim against the at-fault driver, the issue is whether the crash caused a serious impairment of body function under Michigan's auto law, even if it worsened something preexisting. If they want old records, give targeted, limited records tied to the same condition, not every scan you have had since middle school. If the crash changed your symptoms, treatment, work ability, or daily life, that difference is the evidence that matters.

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Accepted Answer

&#34;Have you ever hurt that body part before?&#34; That is the adjuster's next question, and your answer matters because they want to turn an old MRI into a reason to pay less. Most people assume Michigan law lets an insurer deny a claim just because you had prior back, neck, or knee problems. That is not how it works. In Michigan, a negligent driver or property owner can still be responsible for making a pre-existing condition worse. The rule is basically this: they take you as they find you. If a flash-flood hydroplaning crash on US-23 near Ann Arbor aggravated an old disc issue, the aggravation is part of the claim. What insurers hope you will do is hand over years of records so they can say, &#34;See? This was already there.&#34; An old MRI showing degeneration is not the same thing as proof that your current pain, limits, or treatment were inevitable without this wreck. So the smarter path is usually do not casually hand over your entire old medical history. Make them tie their request to the body part and time period that matter. Michigan insurers often ask for broad releases; that does not mean you should volunteer unlimited records. The practical difference is huge: For Michigan no-fault PIP benefits, you still must submit the Application for No-Fault Benefits within 1 year of the crash. For a pain-and-suffering claim against the at-fault driver, the issue is whether the crash caused a serious impairment of body function under Michigan's auto law, even if it worsened something preexisting. If they want old records, give targeted, limited records tied to the same condition, not every scan you have had since middle school. If the crash changed your symptoms, treatment, work ability, or daily life, that difference is the evidence that matters.