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What is the claims process for disaster victims?

The five steps to get your life back after your home and life have been destroyed

Why use a Public Insurance Adjuster?

1. Read everything carefully before you sign anything. Representatives from your insurance company will first give you emergency money for immediate needs and shelter. The second round of payments is where you need to be careful. Do not sign anything that limits your rights to seek additional earnings.

2. Find a copy of your insurance policy. If it is destroyed or not accessible, you should be able to obtain a complete copy of the original insurance policy with all of its endorsements from the agent who sold you the coverage.

3. Make sure your family is safe. Most insurance policies include language that allows you to find a residence similar to the one you already have. Find a hotel or rental house near your children’s work or school that is adequate in size, clean, and comfortable. Find a place similar in size and accommodations to your previous residence.

4. Get professional help. Insurance companies hire and train their adjusters to represent the interests of the insurance company and, ultimately, its investors. In many cases, those adjusters do a great job of helping their policyholders. However, sometimes their adjusters focus too much on the insurance company’s bottom line instead of paying the policyholder what they are entitled to under the terms of their insurance policy. If you have questions about what your insurance company is telling you, or simply don’t have enough time and experience to fully assess and resolve your claim, contact a professional who will work for you and only represent your best interests.

5. If you’re doing it alone, go slowly and take your time. The insurance company may pressure you to speed up the process; You may be itching to put this all behind you as quickly as possible to get back to your life, but you need to resist that urge. In these types of cases, especially with houses that have many improvements and reforms, or with families with many possessions, the rush definitely makes waste. Take your time and carefully review each and every document before you sign anything. If you disagree with the repair or replacement estimates provided by your insurance provider, fight back.

Why use a Public Insurance Adjuster?

In many cases, the Public Adjuster can get more money from the Insurance Company than you could get on your own. Even after deducting the small percentage of the Public Adjuster’s fee (much less than using an attorney), you’ll probably come out ahead.

For most families affected by a disaster, the biggest advantage of using a public insurance adjuster is that they can get back to living their lives while a professional takes care of all the details. Instead of spending 20 or more hours a week researching replacement and rebuild costs, analyzing and filling out various forms, and negotiating with insurance company adjusters and restoration experts, the Public Adjuster can do all of that. This means that you can return to your family life. Normalcy and a return to a routine schedule will go a long way in helping you and your family adjust and move on.

For many, the time savings and emotional satisfaction of having a professional handle the minutiae and painful negotiations far outweighs the additional funds the adjuster can obtain for them. It’s more than just the money.

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