The demand phase is when clients start counting. Treatment is over, so in their mind the work is done and the money should follow. It does not, and this message is where you explain why before they have to ask.

When to send this

You set this. One day after the phase changes is the default worth starting from: soon enough to feel connected to what happened, and far enough back that a phase set by mistake can be corrected before anything reaches a client.

Sooner is mildly better here, since this message exists to get ahead of "what is taking so long."

A second message about thirty days later is worth considering, because that is roughly when a client who was told "a few weeks" starts counting. It does not need to say much beyond that records are still coming in and nothing is stuck.

Do not assume treatment has ended. Firms reach this phase at different points, and some start a demand while a client is still being seen. A message that opens "now that your doctors have released you" is wrong for anyone still going to appointments, and it is the kind of wrong that makes a client stop treating. Describe the stage instead of what came before it.

What your client is thinking right now

Most of them think the hard part is behind them and the money should follow. "What is taking so long?" is the question underneath.

Some, though, are still going to appointments and will wonder why a demand is happening now. The same message has to work for both, which is the main reason to describe the stage rather than announce that treatment is over.

Neither group knows that records take weeks to arrive, that bills come from every provider separately, or that the insurance company gets time to respond. Every one of those is a normal delay that reads as neglect if nobody explains it.

What to cover

What a demand actually is, in one sentence. It is the letter that tells the insurance company what happened and what it is worth.
What has to happen first. You are collecting records and bills from every provider they saw, and providers are slow.
Roughly how long. Weeks, not days. Give a range you are confident in rather than a date.
What happens after it goes out. The insurance company takes time to respond, and their first answer is usually not their last.
What you still need from them. This is the phase where client input genuinely changes the number.

Their job in this phase

Ask for the things that are only in their head, because this is the last chance to get them into the demand:

Symptoms they still have, and things they can no longer do
Out-of-pocket costs: prescriptions, mileage to appointments, equipment, help around the house
Work they missed, including partial days
Anything about how the injury changed daily life at home

The specific ask matters. "Anything else you want us to include?" gets nothing. "Are there things you used to do that you cannot do now?" gets a paragraph.

Sample message

Your case has moved into the demand stage.

A demand is the letter we send the insurance company. It tells them what happened, what you have been through, and what we believe your case is worth. Before it can go out, we need every medical record and bill from every provider you have seen. Collecting those usually takes a few weeks and is the slowest part of the process.

Two things would help. First, tell us about anything you still cannot do that you could do before. Second, add any bills or receipts you paid yourself in the app, including mileage to appointments.

Once the letter goes out, the insurance company has time to respond, and their first answer is rarely their last. We will call you when we hear from them.

https://youtu.be/o2M97kT6Yj0

A shorter version

Your case is in the demand stage. That is the letter we send the insurance company setting out what happened and what your case is worth.

We need every record and bill from every provider you have seen, which takes a few weeks. Meanwhile, add any receipts you paid yourself in the app, and tell us about anything you still cannot do.

Looking ahead

Say what comes after, because clients hear "demand" and expect a cheque. One line does it: "After we send it, there is usually some back and forth before we agree on a number."

What not to say

No figure. Not a number, not a range, not "cases like yours." It becomes the floor in their mind and anything below it feels like a loss.
No send date you do not control. Providers set that timeline, not you.
Avoid the vocabulary. "Demand package," "special damages," "policy limits" and "maximum medical improvement" all have plain-English versions. Use those.
Do not imply it is nearly over. For most cases the demand is the midpoint, not the finish.

The video

Free for any firm to use.

There is a Spanish cut as well: Fase de Demanda. Match the video's language to the message it sits in.

To embed it, paste the link on a line by itself in the message body, with nothing else on that line.

Key goals

The client knows what a demand is and why it takes weeks
The client has contributed their own losses to it
No number has been promised

What to Say in a Demand Phase Message