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AbouttheRoadmaptoRecovery™Program:TheRoadmaptoRecovery™programimprovesdisasterrecoverythroughtips,toolsandguidancefrompreviousdisastersurvivorsandfromexpertsoninsuranceclaims,repairsandrebuildingandlegalmatters.ItoperatesthroughUnitedPolicyholders(UP,www.UPHELP.org),anon-profitorganizationthathasbeeneducatingandadvocatingfordisastervictimssince1991.RoadmaptoRecoveryservicesincludeeducationalworkshopsandlong-termrecoveryworkinregionsimpactedbydisasters(subjecttofundingandcommunitysupport).UPisdedicatedtohelpinginsuranceconsumers.TheRoadmaptoRecoveryprogramisfundedbygrants,donationsandbooksales–notinsurancecompanies.

©2017UnitedPolicyholders,Allrightsreserved.

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DearFriends,Howdoyoubegintherecoveryprocesswhenyourhomehasbeendamagedordestroyedinadisaster?Thatisadifficultquestiontoanswer,andifyouarereadingthis,Iamsorryitisoneyouarefacing.Thekeywordtofocusonisprocess,andyoubeginitonestepatatime.Ourhomeandallmyfamily’spossessionsburnedtothegroundinthelargestwildfireinCaliforniahistory.OneofthefewpositiveaspectsoftheexperienceistheknowledgeIgainedintherecoveryprocessandthevolunteerworkInowdoonUP’sRoadmaptoRecoveryteam.Yourinsuranceisavehicletoputyoubackwhereyouwerebeforealoss,butitwon’tdriveitself.UP’sRoadmaptoRecovery(R2R)programoffersresourcestohelpyou.Weofferourservicestoyourcommunityandlookforwardtohelpingyounavigatetowardthelightattheendofthetunnel.Nomatterwhatkindofeventdamagedordestroyedyourhome,youwillfindanswers,tipsandsupportthroughournon-profitorganization.Pleasevisitourwebsite:uphelp.orgWarmregards,KarenReimusSurvivor,2003CedarFire,SanDiego,CAandUPVolunteer

WhenI’mofferingguidancetootherdisastersurvivorsasIdidhereatUP’stableinaFEMADisasterAssistanceCenterafterawildfire,I’msharinglessonslearnedandpayingitforwardtoeasetheirpath.

Whetheraflood,wildfire,earthquake,hurricane,tornado,orexplosiondamagedordestroyedyourhome,UP’sRoadmaptoRecoveryprogramprovidesstep-by-stepguidanceongettingfullvaluefrominsurancepolicies.

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FirstStepsAfteraWildfireThischecklistwillhelpkeepyouontrackduringthisstressfultime.We’rerootingforyou…ü Takecareofyouroryourfamily’simmediateneedsfirst.

ü Findingtemporaryhousingisapriority.Yourinsurancecompanyshouldhelpyoufindaplaceof

similarsize.

ü Startarecoverydiary.Anynotebookwilldo.Takenoteson:whoyoutalkedto,thenumberyoucalled,dateandtime,whatwassaid.Keepyourpaperworkorganized.

ü Askyourinsurancecompanyforcashadvancesfor:o Livingexpenseso Replacingpersonalproperty

ü Keepallreceiptswhileyouaredisplaced.Hotelbills,clothesandpetboardingmaybe

reimbursedbutrequirereceipts.

ü Takephotosofyourpropertybeforeanycleanupordebrisremovalhappens.

ü Donotrushintosigningcontracts.GetcopiesofALLpaperworkyoudosign.

ü Aninsuranceadjusterwilleventuallycomeandinspectyourhome.Iftheymakeyouasettlementofferonthespot,geta2ndopiniononwhatyou’reentitledto.

ü Inventoryingyourdamagedanddestroyedpropertyistime-consumingandunpleasant.UPofferstipsandtoolsforgettingthisdone.Visitwww.uphelp.org/contents

ü Giveyourinsurerachancetodotherightthing,butbepreparedtostandupforyourrightsandgethelpifyou’renotbeingtreatedfairly.

ü Registerwitha“CaseManager”–theycanhelpmakereferralstoresources.

ü RegisterwithFEMA(federallydeclareddisaster)andtheSBA(statedisasterdeclarationsneeded)

ü Formorespecificsandguidanceontheinsuranceclaimprocess,visitwww.uphelp.org/NorthBayFires

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HomeInsuranceFAQsforWildfireSurvivors

1.Ifadisasterdestroysordamagesmyhome,whatdoIneedtoknowaboutinsurance?

Youneedtogetabasicunderstandingofthecategoriesandmaximumamountsofbenefitsthat

areavailabletoyouunderyourhomeinsurancepolicy.Youneedtoapplyallinflationand

otherformulasthatmayincreaseyouravailablecoverage.Yourneedtounderstandthat

collectingfullinsurancebenefitsonalargedollarlossrequiresyoutobepro-activeinvaluing

whatyoulostandassertingyourrightstoareasonablyprompt,fairandfullclaimsettlement.

Getacurrentandcompletecopyofyourinsurancepolicy.Reviewyourhomeinsurance

“declarationspage”toseehowmuchyourDWELLINGisinsuredfor.Checkyourcoveragefor

CONTENTS,ADDITIONALLIVINGEXPENSES,OTHERSTRUCTURES,BUILDINGCODE

COMPLIANCE,DEBRISREMOVAL,TREES,SHRUBSANDLANDSCAPING.

Hereisasampleofadeclarationspage.Yourdeclarationspagemaynotlooklikethis,butit

shouldhavethesamebasiccategoriesandinfo.

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2.Willmytemporary/additionallivingexpensesbecovered?

Mosthomeinsurancepoliciesprovidecoverageforexpensesyouhaveduetolosingtheuseof

yourhome.Somepoliciescallthis“AdditionalLivingExpense”(ALE)coverage.Otherscallthis

“LossofUse”.Sometimesthisisadollaramount(i.e.$50,000)andsometimesitisatimelimit

(i.e.24months).UnderCalifornialaw,ALEbenefitsfordisasterlossesmustbeavailablefora

minimumof24months.

TofigureoutifanexpensequalifiesforALEcoverageaskyourself:IsthisanexpenseIincurred

becauseofthelossevent?Iftheanswerisyes,itisreasonableforyoutoseekreimbursement

underALE/LossofUsecoverage.

Hereisalistoftypicallyreimbursableitemsthatmaybeavailabletoyou:

• Rentfortemporaryhousing• Insurancepolicyoncontentsintemporaryrentalhouse• Creditcheckfeefortemporarylodging• Mileageto/fromatemporaryrentalhouseforrebuild-relatedbusiness• Mileageforincreaseddistancetraveledfromtemporaryrentalhometo:

o Placeofemploymento Adultandchildren’sactivities(school/sports/clubs/lessons)o Yourhouseofworship

• ITfeechargedtoset-upnewcomputersystemattemporaryrentalhome• Sewerfeeattemporaryrentalproperty• Newaccountor“setup”feesforutilitiesattemporaryrentalhome• Photocopiesandmailingexpensesrelatedtoclaim• Costoffencingtosecuredamaged/destroyedhouseand/orpool• Movingcostsincurredtomovefromthetemporaryrentalhomebackintothe

repaired/rebuilthome(movingcompany;boxes;packingpaperandtape)• Reconnectionfeesforsettingupservices(cable/telephone/utility)• Carpetcleaningwhenmovingoutofrentalhome• Petboardingcost• Increasedvetbillsforpetsduetoillness/symptomsresultingfromthelossevent

Ifyourhomeinsurersaysyourdamageisnotcoveredbecauseofanexclusioninthepolicy,

theymostlikelywon’tcoveryourtemporary/additionallivingexpenseseither.

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3.HowcanIgetafairsettlementonatotallydestroyedhome?

Documenteverythingthatwasdestroyed,fileatimelyclaim,learnyourrights,andgethelp

whenyouneedit.Giveyourinsurancecompanyandtheiradjusterachancetodotheright

thing,butdon’tbeapushover.Yoursettlementonatotallossclaimshouldbeatorcloseto

yourpolicylimitsineverycategory.Thebiggestchallengeformosttotallossfiresurvivorsis

documentingwhatitwouldcosttoreplacethedestroyedhomewithoneoflikekindand

quality,andreachingafairandpromptclaimsettlementthat’sascloseaspossibletothat

amount.

Manypeoplefinditimpossibletonavigateasevereortotallossinsuranceclaimontheirown.

Optionsforgettinghelpinclude:

-FilingacomplaintwiththeDepartmentofInsurance(1800927-HELP)

-Hiringalicensedpublicadjusterwithgoodreferences(www.uphelp.org/help-directory)

-Hiringanattorneywithinsuranceexpertise/goodreferences(www.uphelp.org/help-directory)

4.Whoisresponsibleforclearingthedebrisfrommylotandisthatcoveredundermypolicy?

Thehomeownerisresponsibleforclearingdebrisandthecostshouldbecoveredifthelossis

insured.Yourinsurancebenefitsfordebrisremovalwilleitherbeasetdollaramountora

percentageofyourdwelling/structurecoverage.Policiesvary,soreadyourDeclarationsPage

andpolicy.Checkwithyourlocalgovernmentofficialstoseeifthey'recoordinatingadebris

removalprogram.Ifyouhavetheoptionofhavingyourdebrisremovedthroughacoordinated

program,workwithyouradjuster/insurertohaveyourbenefitscoverthecostofparticipating.

5.HowcanIgetafairsettlementformydamagedordestroyedcontents/personalproperty?

Bylistingandvaluingasdetailedaninventoryasyourinsurerrequires.Useoursamples,tools

andsuggestedstrategiesforminimizingthepainandtimeofcreatingyourcontentsinventory.

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6.WherecanIfindmoredetailsandhelpnavigatingafairinsurancesettlement?

VisittheRoadmaptoRecoveryHelpLibraryatwww.uphelp.org/NorthbayFiresand

www.uphelp.orgasoftenasyouneedto.Weareanon-profitwith25yearsofexpertiseand

empathyontheemotional,financial,legalandpracticalchallengesofrecoveringfroma

catastrophicloss.Weoffertips,short-cuts,strategiesandmuchmore:

• DwellingClaimTips:www.uphelp.org/dwelling

• ContentsClaimTips:www.uphelp.org/contents

• SampleLettersandClaimForms:www.uphelp.org/samples

• Informationonresolvingclaimdisputes

• Linkstogovernmentandprofessionalhelp

Ifyouworkfull-time,haveyoungchildren,healthchallenges,orjustcan’tfaceputtinginthe

timeandenergytohandleyourlargeortotallossinsuranceclaim,professionalclaimandlegal

helpisavailableonacontingency/commissionfeebasisinmoststates.

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AdditionalFAQsforPartialLossWildfireSurvivors

1.WhatthingsdoIneedtoknowaboutafirethatdamages(notdestroys)myhome?

Theseclaimsareknownas“partiallosses”becausethehomehasonlybeenpartiallydestroyed.

Thingstowatchoutforwithpartiallossesinclude:

• Hiddendamage(water,smoke,ash,mold,airquality,ducts)

• Inadequateorimpropercleaningandrepairmethods

• Delays:Particularlyafterdisasters,partiallossescanbelowpriorityforoverworked

insuranceadjusters

• Disputesover“matching”andlineofsight:Repairsshouldreturnyourpropertytoa

“uniformandconsistentappearance”evenifthatmeansreplacingundamageditems

suchasrooftilesorcarpeting.

2.Myneighbor’shomeburneddownbutmineseemsundamaged--whatshouldIdo?

Evenifthereisnoobviousdamagetoyourhome,itmayhavebeenimpactedbyextremeheat,

smokeorfireretardant,soyoustillneedtohaveitthoroughlyinspectedbyanexperiencedand

qualifiedprofessional.

Licensed,experiencedprofessionals.ContractorsandStructuralEngineersarequalifiedto

evaluatedamage(andthestructuralintegrityofyourroof/remainingbeams,etc.)andestimate

thecostofrepairs.ACertifiedIndustrialHygienistisqualifiedtotesttheairquality.Itisrarely

enoughtohaveyourhome’sconditionevaluatedonlybyaclaimadjuster.Itisalmostalways

necessarytohavequalifiedprofessionalsinadditiontotheadjuster’sinspection.Ifyour

insurerrefusestoconductorpayforproperinspections,askagaininwriting,politelyremind

themoftheirlegaldutytothoroughlyinvestigatealldamage,includinghiddendamage.Ifa

disputearises,it’sworthfindingandpayingforyourowninspectionbyanindependent

specialist.

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3.Whatdoesa“thoroughinspection”include?

Athoroughinspectionwillcoverthefollowingareas:

• Roof:Yourroofshouldbeinspectedfordamagefromburningembers.Ifheatwas

extreme,theroofstructuremaybecompromised.Woodundertheroofingmaterial

maybewaterstainedandmoldy.Aroofingexpertcanverifydamage.

• StructuralSteel,Iron:Steelandironstructuresmaytransferheatanddestabilizea

foundationorretainingwall.

• Stucco,SidingandConcrete:Stuccomayspallandcrackduetodehydrationandbaking.

Sidingmaymeltafterexposuretoheatandmoldmaybepresentunderneath.Heatmay

alsodamageananchoredfoundationorfootingandmayrequiretestingaswellas

concretecoresampling.Structuralengineersmaydox-raytestingandother

miscellaneousforensicwork.

• Windows:Windowframesmaymelt,blisterordiscolorduetoheat.Glasscan

experiencewarpinganddiscolorationandmaylosesomeofitstransparentclarity.

Warpedwindowscanleadtomoistureproblemsand/oramoldproblem.

• PlumbingandHeatingSystems:Checkpipes,connectorsandductsfordamage.

• InteriorWalls/Framing:Acontractorconductingathoroughinspectionofyourhome’s

interiormayneedtoopenupwallstocheckfordamagetotheframing,ortouncover

potentiallydangerousmold.It’sbettertouncoverdamagesoonerratherthanlater.Be

politelyassertiveinclaimnegotiationstomakesureyourhomeisrestoredtoa“uniform

andconsistent”appearanceasopposedtoa“patchworkquilt”ofunmatchednewand

oldmaterials.Readmoreinformationbelowabout“matching.”

4.Myinsurerdoesnotwanttopaytomatchthenewsidingtotheoldsidingonmyhome’s

exteriorwalls.WhatcanIdo?

Inmoststatesandundermostpolicies,youareentitledtobepaidforthecostofrestoringyour

hometoa“uniformandconsistent”appearance,exteriorandinterior.Ifyouhaveonlyapartial

lossandyourinsurerwon’tpaytomatchpaintcolors,rooftilematerials,carpeting,orany

othervisiblematerials,checktomakesurethereisaclearandunambiguousexclusioninyour

policy(andverifywhetherthatexclusionislegal)beforeyouagreetoacceptlessthanwhatyou

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needtomakeproperrepairs.Gethelpfromyourstateinsurancedepartmentoraqualified

claimorlegalprofessionalbeforeyoutakenoforananswer.

5.Willmyinsurancepolicypayforcleaningsmokeandash?

Smokedamageisacoveredperilinmosthomeowner’spolicies.Itwill(temporarilyor

permanently)damageporousmaterialssuchasfabrics,rugs,curtainsandunfinishedwood.

Someitemscanbecleaned,othersneedtobereplaced.

6.Myyardisamess.Willmyinsurancepayfordamagedplantsandtrees?

Coverageforthecostoflandscapingreplacementistypicallyasetamountorapercentageof

yourdwellingcoverageamount.Makesureyoudoyourownmathtocalculatethemaximum

amountyoucanrecover.Landscaping,treeandshrublossesoftenexceedcoveragelimits–

maturetreescanbevaluedashighas$5,000yetmanypoliciescontaina$500pertreelimit.

Extremeheatandsmokewillkillmostplantsandmaycontaminatesoil,makingreplanting

difficult.Damagedplantsmaynotdierightaway.Keepyourclaimopenforatleastsixmonths

andfilesupplementalclaimsifnecessary.

Ifyouliveonahillside,lossoffoliagefromafirecanleadtolandslidesand/ormudslidesin

rainyconditions.Replantyourpropertywithnativetreesandgrassestostabilizethelandscape.

Sandbagscanprovidetemporarylandscapeprotectionuntilyournewplantshaveachanceto

mature.

7.Idon’thaveenoughinsurancetocoverallthedamage,whatcanIdo?

Approximately2/3ofpeoplewholosehomesincatastrophicdisastersfindthemselves

underinsuredby50%ormore,soifthatstatisticincludesyou–manypeoplehavewalkedin

yourshoesbeforeandcanofferhelpfulstrategies.

Unreimbursedlossescanoffsetyourtaxobligationswhenyouclaimthemasacasualtyloss

deduction.Readaboutyouroptionsinthe“UnderinsuranceHelp”sectionofourClaimTips

Library:www.uphelp.org/underinsurance

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Insurancelingo

ActualCashValue–Theamountawillingbuyerwouldhavepaidawillingsellerforanitemimmediatelybeforeitwasdamagedordestroyed.Alsosometimescalled“FairMarket”or“Depreciated”value.

AdditionalLivingExpense–Oneofthemain“buckets”ofcoverageinahomeorrenterspolicy.Sometimeslabeledas“TemporaryLivingExpenses”or“LossofUse.”Coversadditionalrent,furniturerental,laundry,extragasandotherexpensesyouincurbecauseyou’reoutofyourhome.NFIPpoliciesdonotcontaincoverageforAdditionalLivingExpenses.

Adjuster–Apersontaskedwithinvestigatingandsettlinganinsuranceclaim.Therearethreetypes:Staff,Independent,andPublic.StaffandIndependentadjustersworkonlyforinsurancecompanies.PublicAdjustersworkonlyforpolicyholders/consumers.

Declarations(“Dec”)Page–Usuallythecoverorfirstpageofapolicy.Statesthenamesofthepeople,location,vehicleoritemsinsured,thebasicandextracoverages,limitsanddeductibles,andwhetheralenderorotherentityisnamedonthepolicy.

Deductible-Anamounttheinsurerwilldeductfromitspaymentonaloss.Adeductiblecanbeaflatdollar(e.g.$500)orapercentage(e.g.2%oftheinsuredvalueofthedwelling).Youwillnotcollectinsurancebenefitsonalossthatfallsbelowyourdeductible.

Let’ssayyouchoosea$1,000deductibleforyourhomeinsurance.Apipeburstsandcauses$3,000indamage.Ifyourpolicycoverstheloss,theinsurancecompanydeductsthe$1,000andowesyou$2,000towardtherepairs.Ifthedamageisonly$800,yourecovernobenefits.Apolicywitha$1,000deductiblewillbecheaper–usuallyalotcheaper-thanonewitha$250deductible.

Depreciation–Aprocessthroughwhichthevalueofanitemgetsreducedtoaccountforitsageandcondition.Depreciationisnegotiableandsubjectiveinmostcases.

DifferenceinConditions(“DIC”)-Apolicythatfillsgapscausedbyexclusions.Sometimescalleda“wrap”or“wraparound”policyorrider.

Dwelling–Aresidenceorhome.Alsoreferredtoininsurancelingoasa“Structure.”

Endorsement–Anadd-onorchangeattachedtoyourbasicpolicycontractthateithertakesawayoraddscoverageorotherwisechangesthecontract.Alsoreferredtoasa“rider”ora“floater”.

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ExclusionsandLimitations–Thefineprintlegaleseininsurancepoliciesthatlimitsthecircumstanceswheretheinsurerwillpayaclaimandthetimingandamountsoftheirpayments.

Insured–Thepersonorpersonscoveredbyaninsurancepolicy.

Insurer–Acompanythathasagreedtotakeonriskinexchangeforpaymentofapremium.

Limits–Themostyoucancollectundereachcoveragecategoryinapolicy.Inflationformulasandendorsementsthatchangethebasicpolicycanchangethelimits.Mostpolicieshaveseveraldifferentcategoriesofcoverage,eachwithitsownlimit.

LossofUse–See“AdditionalLivingExpense.”

Policy–Acontractspecifyingtheamounts,limitsandconditionsofinsurancecoverage.

Policyholder–Apersonnamedinaninsurancepolicyastheinsured.

Premiums–Paymentsmadetoaninsurancecompanytokeepapolicyinforce.Premiumscanbepaidupfront,monthly,annuallyoroverthelifeofthepolicy.

ProofofLoss–Anofficialdocumentyousignthatconfirms/certifiesyourloss/claim.

ReplacementValue-Thecosttorepairorreplaceayourhomeorstuffwithoutadeductionfordepreciation.

Rider-Addedorsubtractedcoverageorconditions.See“Endorsement.”

RiskExposure:Therangeofloss/damagepossibilitiesassociatedwithaperson,eventorpropertybasedonthecharacteristicsofthatperson,eventorproperty.Insurancepricingisgenerallybasedonriskexposure(suchaslosshistory,location,age,andforautoinsurance,typeofvehicleandyourdrivingrecord).

Surcharge–Apriceincreaseaddedtoabasicratebecauseofaspecificconditionorchangeinconditionassociatedwithaninsuredrisk.Example:Abrushsurchargeisoftenappliedtohomesinwildfire-proneareas.

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The information presented in this guide is for general informational purposes, and is not asubstitutefor legaladvice. Ifyouhaveaspecific legal issueorproblem,UnitedPolicyholdersrecommendsthatyouconsultwithanattorney. Guidanceonhiringprofessionalhelpcanbefound in the “Find Help” section of www.uphelp.org. United Policyholders does not sellinsuranceorcertify,endorseorwarrantanyoftheinsuranceproducts,vendorsorprofessionalsidentifiedatourwebsite.

Howto“SpeakUP”

Strongaspossible Paperworkorganized Empowered Assertivebutpolite Keepingaclaimdiary Insuranceeducated Networkingwithothers Gettingprofessionalhelpifneeded

Unwillingtobeshort-changed Pro-active

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RoadmaptoRecoveryDiary