Editorial policy
This page covers how a number gets onto this site, how often we check it's still accurate, and what happens when someone tells us we got it wrong. For who we are, see about. For the actual formulas, see methodology.
Before a number is published
Every statistic, multiplier, state rule, or settlement range on this site must trace to a named, linkable source before it goes live — a government agency (NHTSA, IRS, BJS), an industry research body (IRC, NCCI, III), a state statute, or a recognized practitioner reference (Nolo, the AAA negotiation toolkit, Jury Verdict Research). If we can't find the source, the number doesn't get published — it gets marked as a placeholder internally and held back.
We don't commission new statistics, run surveys, or extrapolate figures that no source has published. When ranges vary by source, we show the range and name both sources rather than averaging them into a single invented number.
Review before publication
Every page is checked against the on-page SEO and sourcing checklist before it's published, and a build fails automatically if required elements — citation links, disclaimers, structured data — are missing. That catches structural gaps. Factual accuracy is checked by a second person reading the page against its cited sources before it goes live.
We do not publish attorney-reviewed badges or named legal reviewers who haven't actually reviewed the page. Where a page shows "Reviewed by," that means a named person with relevant background reviewed that specific page. Where it doesn't, the page shows only the author attribution and a last-updated date — we'd rather show nothing than invent a reviewer.
How often data gets re-checked
- State-specific figures (workers' comp weekly caps, statutes of limitations, comparative negligence rules) — reviewed annually at minimum, since several change every January 1 with the state average weekly wage. Each figure carries a "last verified" date.
- National averages (median settlement, multiplier bands, contingency fee norms) — reviewed whenever the underlying source publishes a new edition (IRC, NCCI, and BJS publish on multi-year cycles, not annually).
- Calculator logic — covered by an automated test suite that runs before every change ships. A change that breaks a documented formula fails the build.
Reporting an error
Email editor@claimcalc.app or use the contact page with the page URL and what looks wrong. We read every message. If the correction is factual (a stale state cap, a broken source link, a dead citation), we fix it and update the page's "last updated" date. If it's a disagreement about methodology rather than a factual error, we'll explain the reasoning or, if the critique holds up, change the approach and say so.