SACRAMENTO, Calif. Dec. 13, 2018 – Helping survivors of the devastating Camp and Woolsey wildfires begin the recovery and rebuilding process as soon as possible led Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones to request residential insurers to pay at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of personal property or contents coverage in the event of a total loss without requiring policyholders to provide detailed personal property inventories.
“Requiring thousands of wildfire survivors, who’ve suffered through such heartbreaking loss to create detailed inventories of their belongings and other property is adding insult to injury,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “I am asking insurers to follow the lead taken by some companies that have already made the call to waive the inventory requirement and begun paying policyholders.”
Commissioner Jones issued a number of orders following the fires, which destroyed more than 14,000 homes across the state and killed at least 90 people, designed to help expedite claims payments and protect consumers as out-of-state claims adjusters arrive to help process the huge volume of claims to settle.
Jones also mobilized the department’s resources to make sure consumers have access to the assistance and support the department provides to help them navigate the insurance claims process, including deploying the department’s Consumer Services team to the Disaster Recovery Centers servicing both the Camp and Woolsey fires to answer consumer questions and help them with their insurance claim needs.
Policyholders should contact their insurance company and insurance agent to begin the claims process. They may also contact the Department of Insurance Consumer hotline at 800-927-4357 to seek assistance or visit the Department’s website for tips and advice.