Glossary
Maximum medical improvement (MMI)
The point at which doctors expect no further recovery. Claims are often valued once you reach it.
General information, not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state.
Quick answer
Maximum medical improvement, or MMI, is the point at which doctors expect no further meaningful recovery. It does not mean you are fully healed; it means your condition has leveled off. Injury claims are often valued once you reach it.
In a car accident claim#
The term comes from workers' compensation. Texas workers' compensation law, for example, defines it in part as the earliest date after which, based on reasonable medical probability, further material recovery from or lasting improvement to an injury can no longer reasonably be anticipated. In car accident claims it is used more loosely, but the idea is the same.
Before MMI, nobody knows the full cost of an injury: whether you will need surgery, how long therapy will last or what limits will remain. Settling earlier risks leaving out costs you have not had yet, because a signed Release. The document you sign when you settle. It usually ends your right to claim more for the same crash, so read it carefully. Glossary usually ends the claim. That is why a Demand letter. A letter that lays out the facts, injuries and losses in a claim and asks the insurer to pay a stated amount. Glossary is often sent once treatment ends or MMI is reached. After MMI, a doctor may give an Impairment rating. A doctor's measure, usually a percentage, of the lasting loss of function an injury left once recovery has leveled off. It describes the body, not the value of a claim. Glossary, often using the AMA Guides, which more than 40 states rely on. Future care still counts.
The filing deadline does not wait for MMI. Our guides to the demand letter and how long a claim takes explain the timing.
Example#
Related terms#
Questions people ask
Does maximum medical improvement mean I am healed?
No. It means your condition is not expected to improve much more. You may still have pain or limits or need ongoing care, and those can be part of a claim.
What if the deadline to sue comes before I reach MMI?
The deadline does not wait for treatment to end. A lawsuit can be filed before MMI and the claim valued later; a licensed attorney in your state can explain the timing.
Sources
- Texas Legislature, Labor Code § 401.011 — definitions of maximum medical improvement and impairment rating
- American Medical Association, AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment: an overview — as of October 2026
Last reviewed October 29, 2026 by the Accident Claim Facts editorial team. Found an error? Tell us.
Keep reading
- GlossaryGlossaryShort, plain-English definitions of the legal and insurance terms that come up after a crash, each with an example, related terms and the sources behind it.
- The claim processDemand letterWhen a demand letter is usually sent, what goes into it, the documents that support it, state rules on policy-limits disclosure and time-limited demands, and…
- The claim processHow long a claim takesThere is no official average for how long a car accident claim takes. Here are the phases, the insurer deadlines, the court timelines and the things that slow…
- Injury typesBroken bonesA fracture can bring surgery, time off work and follow-up care. This guide explains how those losses, your medical records and any impairment rating fit into…
- GlossaryMediationA meeting led by a neutral mediator who helps both sides try to reach a settlement. Nothing is decided unless both agree.
- GlossaryConditional paymentA payment Medicare makes for care that another payer, such as a liability insurer, may owe. It must be repaid when a settlement, judgment or award is paid.