Bill Text: NY A07714 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes certain terms to be included in no-fault automobile liability insurance policies; provides that any covered person under such a policy shall have 6 months to provide the insurer of his or her claim for compensation; authorizes service of notice of claim upon the state insurance fund when the appropriate insurer liable for a claim cannot be ascertained; authorizes extensions of the 6 month filing requirement if the claimant has a reasonable justification based on the preponderance of the evidence.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to insurance [A07714 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A07714-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7714
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                    April 22, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  P. RIVERA  --  read once and referred to the
         Committee on Insurance
       AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to  the  terms  of  motor
         vehicle liability insurance policies
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Section 5103 of the insurance law is amended  by  adding  a
    2  new subsection (i) to read as follows:
    3    (I)  EVERY  OWNER'S  POLICY  OF  LIABILITY INSURANCE ISSUED ON A MOTOR
    4  VEHICLE OR A MOTORCYCLE IN SATISFACTION OF THE REQUIREMENTS  OF  ARTICLE
    5  SIX OR EIGHT OF THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW SHALL CONTAIN THE PROVISIONS
    6  SPECIFIED  IN  THIS  SUBSECTION  IN  THE  WORDS IN WHICH SUCH PROVISIONS
    7  APPEAR, EXCEPT THAT AN INSURER MAY, AT ITS OPTION, SUBSTITUTE FOR ONE OR
    8  MORE OF SUCH PROVISIONS CORRESPONDING PROVISIONS  OF  DIFFERENT  WORDING
    9  APPROVED  BY  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  WHICH  ARE  NOT LESS FAVORABLE IN ANY
   10  RESPECT TO THE INSURED OR ANY COVERED PERSON. EACH  PROVISION  CONTAINED
   11  IN  THE  POLICY  SHALL  BE PRECEDED BY THE APPLICABLE CAPTION OR, AT THE
   12  INSURER'S OPTION, BY SUCH APPROPRIATE CAPTIONS  OR  SUBCAPTIONS  AS  THE
   13  SUPERINTENDENT MAY APPROVE.
   14    (1)  EACH  POLICY SHALL, EXCEPT WITH RESPECT TO DESIGNATION BY NUMBERS
   15  OR LETTERS, CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS:
   16    (A) ACTION AGAINST INSURER. NO ACTION SHALL LIE  AGAINST  THE  INSURER
   17  UNLESS,  AS  A  CONDITION  PRECEDENT THERETO, THERE SHALL HAVE BEEN FULL
   18  COMPLIANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THIS COVERAGE.
   19    (B) NOTICE. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, WRITTEN NOTICE SETTING  FORTH
   20  DETAILS  SUFFICIENT  TO IDENTIFY THE ELIGIBLE INJURED PERSON, ALONG WITH
   21  REASONABLY OBTAINABLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE TIME, PLACE AND  CIRCUM-
   22  STANCES OF THE ACCIDENT, SHALL BE GIVEN BY, OR ON BEHALF OF, EACH ELIGI-
   23  BLE  INJURED  PERSON, TO THE INSURER, OR ANY OF THE INSURER'S AUTHORIZED
   24  AGENTS, AS SOON AS REASONABLY PRACTICABLE, BUT IN NO EVENT MORE THAN SIX
   25  MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF  THE  ACCIDENT,  UNLESS  THE  ELIGIBLE  INJURED
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD10788-01-9
       A. 7714                             2
    1  PERSON  SUBMITS  WRITTEN PROOF PROVIDING A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE FAILURE
    2  TO COMPLY WITH SUCH TIME LIMITATION WHICH IS REASONABLE BY A  PREPONDER-
    3  ANCE  OF  EVIDENCE. IF AN ELIGIBLE INJURED PERSON OR THAT PERSON'S LEGAL
    4  REPRESENTATIVE  INSTITUTES  A PROCEEDING TO RECOVER DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL
    5  INJURY UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF SECTION 5104 OF THE  NEW  YORK  INSURANCE
    6  LAW,  A  COPY  OF  THE  SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT OR OTHER PROCESS SERVED IN
    7  CONNECTION WITH SUCH ACTION SHALL BE FORWARDED WITHIN SIX  MONTHS  AFTER
    8  THE  DATE OF THE ACCIDENT TO THE INSURER OR ANY OF THE INSURER'S AUTHOR-
    9  IZED AGENTS BY SUCH ELIGIBLE  INJURED  PERSON  OR  THAT  PERSON'S  LEGAL
   10  REPRESENTATIVE.   IN ANY INSTANCE IN WHICH AN ELIGIBLE INJURED PERSON IS
   11  UNABLE AFTER MAKING A REASONABLE EFFORT TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THE INSURER
   12  IS LIABLE FOR SUCH PERSON'S CLAIM, NOTICE SHALL BE DEEMED TO  HAVE  BEEN
   13  MADE UPON THE APPROPRIATE INSURER, IF SUCH NOTICE SHALL HAVE BEEN SERVED
   14  UPON  THE  STATE  INSURANCE  FUND.  THE ELIGIBLE INJURED PERSON SHALL BE
   15  DEEMED TO HAVE MADE A REASONABLE EFFORT  TO  ASCERTAIN  THE  APPROPRIATE
   16  INSURER,  IF HE OR SHE SHALL HAVE DIRECTED CORRESPONDENCE TO THE INSURED
   17  BY A MANNER OF SERVICE ENUMERATED IN SECTION 308 OF THE NEW  YORK  CIVIL
   18  PRACTICE LAW AND RULES.
   19    (C)  PROOF  OF CLAIM; MEDICAL, WORK LOSS AND OTHER NECESSARY EXPENSES.
   20  IN THE CASE OF A CLAIM FOR HEALTH SERVICE EXPENSES, THE ELIGIBLE INJURED
   21  PERSON OR THAT PERSON'S ASSIGNEE OR LEGAL  REPRESENTATIVE  SHALL  SUBMIT
   22  WRITTEN PROOF OF CLAIM TO THE INSURER, INCLUDING FULL PARTICULARS OF THE
   23  NATURE  AND  EXTENT  OF  THE INJURIES AND TREATMENT RECEIVED AND CONTEM-
   24  PLATED, AS SOON AS REASONABLY PRACTICABLE BUT, IN NO  EVENT  LATER  THAN
   25  SIX  MONTHS AFTER THE DATE SERVICES ARE INITIALLY RENDERED. THE ELIGIBLE
   26  INJURED PERSON OR THAT PERSON'S LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE SHALL SUBMIT  WRIT-
   27  TEN  PROOF  OF  CLAIM  FOR  WORK  LOSS  BENEFITS AND FOR OTHER NECESSARY
   28  EXPENSES TO THE INSURER WITHIN SIX MONTHS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE  FORE-
   29  GOING  TIME LIMITATIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROOF OF CLAIM SHALL APPLY
   30  UNLESS THE ELIGIBLE INJURED PERSON OR THAT PERSON'S LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE
   31  SUBMITS WRITTEN PROOF PROVIDING JUSTIFICATION FOR THE FAILURE TO  COMPLY
   32  WITH  SUCH  TIME  LIMITATION  WHICH  IS REASONABLE BY A PREPONDERANCE OF
   33  EVIDENCE. UPON REQUEST BY THE INSURER, THE ELIGIBLE  INJURED  PERSON  OR
   34  THAT PERSON'S ASSIGNEE OR REPRESENTATIVE SHALL:
   35    (A) EXECUTE A WRITTEN PROOF OF CLAIM UNDER OATH;
   36    (B) AS MAY REASONABLY BE REQUIRED SUBMIT TO EXAMINATIONS UNDER OATH BY
   37  ANY PERSON NAMED BY THE INSURER AND SUBSCRIBE THE SAME;
   38    (C)  PROVIDE  AUTHORIZATION  THAT  WILL  ENABLE  THE INSURER TO OBTAIN
   39  MEDICAL RECORDS; AND
   40    (D) PROVIDE ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION THAT MAY ASSIST THE INSUR-
   41  ER IN DETERMINING THE AMOUNT DUE AND PAYABLE.
   42    THE ELIGIBLE INJURED PERSON SHALL SUBMIT  TO  MEDICAL  EXAMINATION  BY
   43  PHYSICIANS  SELECTED  BY,  OR  ACCEPTABLE  TO, THE INSURER, WHEN, AND AS
   44  OFTEN AS, THE INSURER MAY REASONABLY REQUIRE.
   45    (2) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROMULGATE SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS AS  ARE
   46  NECESSARY  TO  IMPLEMENT  THE  PROVISIONS  OF THIS SUBSECTION; PROVIDED,
   47  HOWEVER, THAT SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS SHALL NOT BE LESS FAVORABLE  IN
   48  ANY  RESPECT  TO ANY COVERED PERSONS, NOR SHALL ANY ADDITIONAL CONDITION
   49  PRECEDENT FOR COVERAGE OR FILING A CLAIM BE ESTABLISHED THEREBY.
   50    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
   51  it shall have become a law; provided  that  any  rules  and  regulations
   52  necessary  to implement the provisions of this act on its effective date
   53  are authorized and directed to be promulgated and shall become effective
   54  on such date.
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