Q: Insurance company state farm, is telling me I have to give them my social security number to settle my injury claim?
I have an injury claim with state farm, the at fault drivers insurance company and they are telling me that before they will settle my claim and pay me, that I have to give them my full social security number. Is this true and is this required by law if I'm not comfortable providing this personal info? I typically only give it to a government agency such as irs on my tax forms and the state dmv and I don't even give it out to my medical providers. Can they withhold settlement unless I provide it?
A: Yes this is normal standard operating protocol when insurance companies settle injury claims.
Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer
A: Yes, providing your social security number is typical. The reason that insurance companies ask for your social security number is they want to confirm whether Medicare/CMS paid any of your medical bills. If the answer is yes, Medicare/CMS has a lien which, if left unpaid, can result in the federal government pursuing the insurance company for payment. As you can imagine, insurance companies do not want to pay you for settling your case and then later have to pay additional funds to resolve a Medicare/CMS lien.
Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer
A: Yes, that's standard operation procedure for insurance carriers. They want to know that who they're paying is the right person. Good luck
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