Demand package
The organized set of records, bills, and narrative a claimant's attorney sends an insurer to present a claim and ask for an amount.
Collision Bureau is not a law firm and this is not legal or medical advice. It is general information about what happens after a crash. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney licensed in your state or a treating clinician.
What it means
A demand package is the assembled file a claimant's attorney sends an insurer to present an injury claim. The package puts the whole case in one place: a cover letter stating the amount sought, the medical records, the itemized bills, proof of lost income, photos of the vehicles and the injuries, the police report, and the policy documents. It is the full file an adjuster needs to evaluate the claim without asking questions.
The point is to shift the file from phone calls and partial updates into one organized document. An adjuster who holds the package can read it in order, reach a reserve number, and respond.
How it works
The attorney gathers records from each treating provider and verifies the itemized bills against the records. Wage loss gets documented with employer letters or payroll records. Property damage gets its own backing documents when the claim includes that component. Photos and the police report sit at the front for context, and the medical narrative runs through the middle. The demand letter opens the package and states a number.
The package goes to the adjuster assigned to the file. The adjuster reviews it against the policy limits and the reserve the insurer has set, and responds within a timeframe the parties either agreed on or that state claim-handling rules provide for. The response can be an offer, a denial, a counter, or a request for more records.
Why it comes up
Most injury claims resolve on the strength of a demand package without any lawsuit. The file either settles after the first package, settles after a round or two of negotiation on the same package, or does not settle and becomes a lawsuit. If a suit is filed, the package often sets the baseline the discovery phase then tests against the other side's view of the records. The package also travels into mediation when the case reaches that stage.
What it is not
A demand package is not a court filing. Nothing in it has been sworn to, and nothing in it has been tested by the other side. It is a one-sided presentation of the claimant's case, which is the whole point. The insurer's view of the same file is a different document, assembled from the same underlying records but read with a different interest in mind.
Questions people actually ask
01Is the demand package the same as the demand letter?
No. The demand letter is one document inside the package. The letter states a number and summarizes the claim. The package is everything that supports the letter: the medical records, the itemized bills, proof of lost wages, policy declarations, photos, and anything else that documents the loss. An insurer evaluating a claim reads the whole package, which is why what gets included and how it is organized is more than a formality.
02When is a demand package sent?
Timing varies by file. The package usually goes out after treatment has reached a stable point and the medical specials, wage loss, and other out-of-pocket costs can be documented without guessing. Sending too early means the file is incomplete and the number is a placeholder. Sending too late can brush against the state's statute of limitations. What is right for your file is a question for the attorney handling it, who manages the timing against the records as they come in.
03Does the insurer have to respond to a demand package?
Insurers generally respond, because leaving a demand package unanswered sets the file up for a lawsuit. The response can be a counteroffer, a denial, a request for more records, or a lower offer that the claimant then has to decide what to do with. Some states have good-faith claim handling statutes that put additional obligations on how insurers respond to properly presented claims, and the specifics are a question for an attorney licensed in your state.