Missouri Injuries Dictionary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

Not a fancy way of saying "everything a person does in a day." Usually, the phrase means the basic self-care tasks a person must be able to handle to live independently. That...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

assistive device

Like a pair of glasses helps someone see clearly or a cane helps keep balance, an assistive device is any tool, equipment, or technology that helps a person do everyday tasks...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

bank levy

A bank levy can empty money out of an account fast, sometimes before a person has time to cover rent, medical bills, or everyday expenses. That can change the outcome of a tax...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

bar order

You just got a letter that says a judge entered a bar order as part of a settlement, and now certain claims against one of the companies in the case are cut off. A bar order is...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

bellwether trial

You may see this phrase in a court notice, a lawyer's update, or a settlement letter saying a few cases were picked as "test cases" before the rest move forward. A bellwether...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

census plaintiff

Money and leverage can turn on whether an injured person is counted as a full claimant or only part of the running headcount. In a mass tort or large consolidated case, a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

claims administrator

A claims administrator is the person or company responsible for receiving, reviewing, processing, and paying claims under an insurance policy, settlement program, or other...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

class certification

Miss the meaning of this early, and a large case can look far stronger - or far weaker - than it really is. Class certification is the court's decision to let one lawsuit move...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

cy pres distribution

Not a bonus payment to class members, and not a way for lawyers or defendants to keep leftover settlement money, cy pres distribution is a court-approved method for directing...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

dangerous dog designation

No. A dangerous dog designation is not the same thing as the one-bite rule. People mix them up constantly. The one-bite rule is a common-law idea that an owner may avoid...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

disability rating

How disabled am I, in legal or insurance terms? A disability rating is a percentage or classification used to measure how much an injury, illness, or medical condition limits a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

functional capacity evaluation

A functional capacity evaluation is a standardized test, usually performed by a physical or occupational therapist, that measures a person's physical abilities and work-related...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

global settlement

A single agreement that resolves many related claims at once. "Single agreement" means one negotiated framework, usually between one defendant and a large group of claimants,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

home modification

Not just a fresh coat of paint or a nice-to-have remodel, home modification means changing a living space so a person can safely function there after illness, injury,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

impairment rating

People often mix up an impairment rating with a disability rating, and that confusion causes bad advice. An impairment rating is a medical opinion about how much permanent...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

independent adjuster

"Is this person from the insurance company, or are they actually independent?" It depends - but usually an independent adjuster is not your adjuster. It is a claims...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

innocent spouse relief

Insurance companies or defense lawyers may seize on a person's unpaid tax history, joint returns, or IRS notices to paint them as financially irresponsible or under pressure to...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

inventory settlement

What trips people up is that this usually is not a settlement of one person's case on its own. It is a deal covering a group, or "inventory," of similar claims that a law firm,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

IRS appeals process

Can you fight the IRS without going straight into a courtroom? Yes. The IRS appeals process is the agency's internal review system for people who disagree with an audit result,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

IRS audit notice

A letter from the IRS can directly affect your wallet because it usually means the agency is questioning a tax return, asking for proof, or proposing changes that could lead to...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

life care plan

A roadmap for the medical care, support, equipment, and money an injured person will need for the rest of their life. "Roadmap" means it is supposed to lay out future needs in...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

Lone Pine order

A court order used in complex injury cases to require each plaintiff to produce basic evidence - often medical records, diagnosis information, exposure details, and expert...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

MDL transfer

Insurance companies and defense lawyers sometimes talk about an MDL transfer like it means your case is being swallowed up, delayed forever, or turned into a class action where...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

multidistrict litigation panel

You might see this in a court notice, lawyer letter, or news update saying a case was "sent to the JPML" or that "the Panel transferred cases for coordinated pretrial...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

occupational therapy

Insurance companies and defense lawyers love to twist this into "just retraining" or "light help," as if a person who needs it must not be seriously hurt. They also use gaps in...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

offer in compromise

You might see it in an IRS letter, on a tax resolution website, or hear someone say, "Just file for an offer and settle your tax debt for pennies." That pitch leaves out a lot....

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

opt-out rights

Insurance companies and defense lawyers love to act like missing a form, deadline, or notice means a person willingly gave up a case forever. That spin hides the real point:...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

pain management program

You just got a letter that says your doctor is recommending a pain management program, or the insurance company is sending you for one after months of back, neck, or nerve...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

physical therapy

Bills, missed work, and the paper trail of recovery often turn on whether treatment like this was prescribed, completed, and shown to help. In an injury claim, physical therapy...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

plaintiff fact sheet

Like an intake form at a clinic after a workplace injury or a highway pileup, this document gathers the same core facts from every person making a claim so the case can be...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

settlement class

Defense lawyers and insurance-backed defendants may use this phrase to make a mass settlement sound routine, final, and already decided - something people should accept quietly...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

transferable skills analysis

You may see this phrase in a vocational report, a long-term disability denial letter, a workers' compensation file, or a conversation about whether someone can return to work...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

vocational rehabilitation

How am I supposed to work again if my body won't do what it used to? That is the basic point of vocational rehabilitation: services that help an injured or disabled person...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03