Pennsylvania’s insurance system has a safety net most people discover only when they’ve fallen into the gap it covers: injured in a crash with no applicable insurance anywhere — no policy of your own, no household policy, no at-fault driver’s coverage. The Assigned Claims Plan exists for exactly that person.
Who the Plan Is For
- The classic candidates: pedestrians and cyclists with no auto policy in their household, struck by uninsured or hit-and-run drivers; passengers with no coverage path of their own.
- Who it isn’t for: anyone with an applicable policy anywhere in the priority chain — the Plan is last resort by design — and eligibility rules exclude, among others, uninsured owners of registered vehicles. Eligibility analysis comes first.
What It Pays — and Its Limits
The Plan provides statutorily limited benefits — medical benefits at the state’s baseline levels, with restrictions that make it a floor, not a substitute for real coverage. Deadlines and application procedures are specific and unforgiving, which is why gap cases should get legal eyes early. And the Plan doesn’t end the analysis: a liability claim against the at-fault driver personally and any missed coverage in the household chain still get explored — the Plan is what remains when everything else truly fails. The PA Insurance Department publishes the framework; the statute lives with the General Assembly.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m a cyclist with no car and no auto policy. A hit-and-run driver hit me. Is this my route?
Possibly — after checking the household-policy chain (a resident relative’s policy may cover you first). That priority analysis is exactly what a free consultation sorts out.
Are Plan benefits enough for serious injuries?
Rarely — the limits are modest by design, which is why the liability claim and every other coverage avenue get pursued alongside. The Plan floors the fall; it doesn’t make you whole.
What’s the deadline?
Plan applications carry their own strict timing rules alongside the general two-year lawsuit window — treat the clock as short and specific, and get the dates checked promptly. [ATTORNEY: confirm current Plan deadlines before publish.]
Questions about your own crash? Call (215) 464-4600 or contact us online — free, confidential consultations, contingency-fee representation.