You can take an insurance request seriously without treating every request as a command. First identify the company’s role, the coverage involved, the document it wants and the deadline it relies on. Then give accurate information and keep a record of what happened.
Keep the request, the policy and your response together. A voluntary interview for the other driver’s insurer is different from a duty under your own policy or a court order. Start with the topic that matches the request in front of you.
In this chapter
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Notify and cooperate with your own insurer
Notify your insurer, respond to policy requests and distinguish claim handling from rate, cancellation or renewal decisions.
7 questions in Notify and cooperate with your own insurer
- When should I tell my own insurer?
- What documents or inspection may my policy require?
- What if I missed a request or reported late?
- What if my insurer is also handling someone else’s claim against me?
- Could reporting or using my coverage affect my premium or renewal?
- How are rate changes, surcharges, cancellation and nonrenewal different?
- What if a claim has been coded inaccurately in my loss history?
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Should I give the insurance company a recorded statement?
Understand voluntary recorded interviews, your own policy duties and what to do if you have already given a statement.
8 questions in Should I give the insurance company a recorded statement?
- How can an honest answer become a problem?
- What does a lawyer do instead?
- What if the adjuster says a statement is needed to pay my bills?
- Does this apply to my own insurance company?
- What about an examination under oath or legal papers?
- I already gave a statement. What now?
- What if the call is already being recorded?
- What if an investigator or police officer contacts me?
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Review requests for records authorizations and medical examinations
Review medical authorizations, records requests, examinations and requests for identifying information.
5 questions in Review requests for records authorizations and medical examinations
- What does a medical authorization permit?
- Why is the insurer asking for earlier medical or work records?
- How do I distinguish an insurer examination from a court-ordered one?
- What if a request seems broader than the claim?
- Why is someone requesting a Social Security number or other identifying information, and how can I verify the purpose and recipient?
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Keep a claim moving and track unanswered requests
Track unanswered requests and the deadlines that actually apply to your insurer and claim.
5 questions in Keep a claim moving and track unanswered requests
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Respond to a denial and choose an escalation route
Identify the reason for a denial, organize a specific challenge and understand complaint and legal-review routes.
4 questions in Respond to a denial and choose an escalation route
Inside the Insurance Playbook: Jacobsen v. Allstate
Read the historical attorney-fee script, Allstate’s settlement comparison and what the case does—and does not—show for a Texas claim.
7 questions in Inside the Insurance Playbook: Jacobsen v. Allstate
- What happened to Robert Jacobsen?
- What did Allstate’s own research say about lawyers?
- The attorney-fee script, in the Court’s words
- Does a contingency fee erase the benefit of a larger settlement?
- Why should Texans—and other Americans—care about a Montana case?
- The insurer has institutional resources behind the adjuster
- What should you do before a statement or settlement?
Attorney reviewed by Jacob Alford · November 11, 2026
Disclaimer
Jacob Alford, a Texas personal injury lawyer, and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com provide this guide for general information, not legal advice about your particular claim. You are specifically warned about the dangers of attempting to handle a claim yourself.
In Jacobsen v. Allstate, the Court described Allstate’s own internal research that being represented (having a lawyer) meant a claim typically settled for 2–3 times as much. Allstate’s own research also showed that having a lawyer could multiply a recovery perhaps up to 5 times.
The Court documented the internal workings of Allstate’s training for its adjusters and showed just how rigged talking to Big Insurance can be. Read Allstate’s script and judge for yourself: Inside the Insurance Playbook: Jacobsen v. Allstate.
A recorded statement is designed to be used against you, and a verbal settlement can give up valuable rights. Get advice before a voluntary recorded interview or accepting an offer.
You do not need to decide whether to hire a lawyer before asking questions. Jacob Alford and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com offer a free, no-obligation discussion of the process, even if you do not want to hire a lawyer: 210-512-2222. Before you settle, make the free call.
