By Legal Futures Associate Verisk [1]
The percentage of road-traffic accident claims with psychological injury indicated in medical reports are increasing YoY across both the MoJ and OIC portals.
Verisk’s Claim Outcome Advisor insight report found:
- Between Q4 2021 and Q4 2025, psychological indicated settlements in both MoJ and OIC increased +19.1%.
- MoJ psychological settlements increased +23.4%.
What has caused this?
- The Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021 introduced a fixed tariff on whiplash claims, while psychological injuries remain largely non-tariff.
- Increased public awareness and understanding of mental health conditions.
- Ministry of Justice definition of ‘minor psychological injury’ is broad, encompassing a wide range of symptoms.
What does this mean for lawyers?
- Potential increase in claimants seeing legal representation to navigate valuation and evidence requirements for injuries falling outside fixed-tariff claims.
- Greater need for consistent, fair, and defensible medical report analysis.
- Negotiations likely to increase due to the subjective nature of psychological injuries, creating a wider scope for disputes.
Claims Outcome Advisor automates medical report assessments with an innovative medical report reader tool, using advanced analytics to identify injury severity accurately and consistently. COA seamlessly integrates with the MoJ and OIC portals, helping process more than 2 million claims.
Reach out to our claims team to learn more: claimsuk@verisk.com [2]