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I got in an accident the same day I reinstated my lapsed policy. Will it be covered?

I've been on time on my payments. But in January, my insurance payment lapsed on 1/25/20. But I made a payment on the next workday at noon on 1/27/20, but I had an accident that same morning. Do I have a right to be covered by my insurance?

Feb 27, 2020 Pico Rivera, CA

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Kristine Lee

Insurance Analyst

Kristine is a licensed insurance agent who joined The Zebra in 2019 as an in-house content researcher and writer. Before joining The Zebra, she was a…

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty
  • 6+ years of Experience in the Insurance Industry

It depends on how the policy was reinstated. If they reinstated with no lapse, then you are free to file a claim. If they reinstated with no lapse but had you sign what is called a No Loss letter — which dictates that no accidents had occurred before taking payment — then filing a claim would be considered fraudulent.

Finally, they may have reinstated the policy with a lapse, meaning that anything prior to the time of payment cannot be claimed.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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