Michigan No-Fault Law, section by section › MCL 500.3112
Persons to whom personal protection insurance benefits payable; claim to recover overdue benefits; discharge of insurer's liability.
In plain terms
PIP benefits are paid to or for the injured person, or to the dependents after death. Since 2019 a health care provider may make its own claim and sue the insurer, or the assigned claims plan, directly for overdue benefits for its services. An insurer that pays in good faith is discharged to the extent of the payment unless it has written notice of a competing claim, and the circuit court can apportion benefits when there is doubt about the proper payee.
How this section works in practice
PIP benefits are paid to or for the injured person, and after death to or for the dependents. The 2019 amendment added the sentence that changed provider litigation: a health care provider listed in section 3157 may make its own claim and sue the insurer, or the assigned claims plan, directly to recover overdue benefits for its services. That restored the provider direct action after the Michigan Supreme Court held in 2017 that providers had no independent right to sue.
The rest of the section protects insurers that pay in good faith. Payment to a person the insurer reasonably believes is entitled discharges the insurer's liability to the extent of the payment, unless it has been notified in writing of a competing claim. Providers therefore give written notice of their claims, and a patient who has paid a bill out of pocket should tell the insurer in writing before a provider is paid for the same service. When it is unclear who should be paid, the insurer, the claimant or any interested person may ask the circuit court to apportion the benefits.
Text of MCL 500.3112
Sec. 3112.
Personal protection insurance benefits are payable to or for the benefit of an injured person or, in case of his or her death, to or for the benefit of his or her dependents. A health care provider listed in section 3157 may make a claim and assert a direct cause of action against an insurer, or under the assigned claims plan under sections 3171 to 3175, to recover overdue benefits payable for charges for products, services, or accommodations provided to an injured person. Payment by an insurer in good faith of personal protection insurance benefits, to or for the benefit of a person who it believes is entitled to the benefits, discharges the insurer's liability to the extent of the payments unless the insurer has been notified in writing of the claim of some other person. If there is doubt about the proper person to receive the benefits or the proper apportionment among the persons entitled to the benefits, the insurer, the claimant, or any other interested person may apply to the circuit court for an appropriate order. The court may designate the payees and make an equitable apportionment, taking into account the relationship of the payees to the injured person and other factors as the court considers appropriate. In the absence of a court order directing otherwise the insurer may pay:
(a) To the dependents of the injured person, the personal protection insurance benefits accrued before his or her death without appointment of an administrator or executor.
(b) To the surviving spouse, the personal protection insurance benefits due any dependent children living with the spouse.
History: Add. 1972, Act 294, Eff. Mar. 30, 1973 ;-- Am. 2019, Act 21, Imd. Eff. June 11, 2019
Source: MCL 500.3112 at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 15, 2026.
Sections this one refers to
- MCL 500.3157: Medical Fee Schedule and Attendant Care
- MCL 500.3171: The Assigned Claims Plan and the MAIPF
- MCL 500.3175: Assignment, Reimbursement and Recovery
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
This article is general information about Michigan personal injury law. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Michigan attorney about your specific situation. The laws, deadlines, procedures, and frameworks here are general guidelines that may or may not apply to your case.
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