TWIA- Texas Windpool- now offers 5 additional Claims Adjuster workshops in August and September 2011

We have just received a notice that Texas Windpool is offering 5 additional claims adjuster certification workshops in August and September 2011.

I am glad to see they are offering some outside of TX for your convenience. The following link also contains the information that you must be registered with one of the firms handling their claims and provides a website link for each firm.

It is my hope that you will consider the adjusting firms on that list who are ClaimSmentor sponsors which are Eberl Claims  and Crawford and Company (their KMConDemand.com) is also one of our sponsors. Four other names on the list are proactive participants on ClaimSmentor to include CNC-Resource, Pacesetter Claims, Wardlaw Claims, and NCA group.

Click HERE for the workshop and adjusting firm contact information. Please be sure to tell them you heard about this through ClaimSmentor since they are members too! We appreciate it!

Bill Introduced in MS to have feds decide wind vs water on claim disputes- Your thoughts?

A bill has been introduced in Mississippi to have feds decide wind vs water on claim disputes on hurricane losses. I have shared this link with several Linkedin groups for opinions and would like to share it here as well. Feel free to post your comments in response to this story. Do you think it will pass? What effect if any do you see as to how this would impact insurance carriers willing to write coverage in MS?

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/05/bill_would_let_feds_decide_win.html

New Job Opportunities for Daily Adjusters in NJ and FL- Work from home as employee for Independent Adjusting firms

We have been requested to staff for additional daily adjuster opportunities. These are both for independent adjusting firms.

I.  Opening for adjuster to work daily claims in New Jersey for a long term client. The client is an independent adjusting firm. The position will be as an employee once candidate successfully proves they can meet adjusting firm requirements for quality work via a 30 day trial period as an independent. Once work is approved during this period, opportunity will transition to an employee versus independent on salary with full benefits to include 401k and health insurance. Client will also pay adjuster expenses in a work from home position along with field property inspections. Client needs a candidate proficient in Xactimate as well as two years experience. Must have a miniumum of two years of verifiable property adjusting experience. Candidate must also be a permanent resident of New Jersey and have reliable transportation to adjust claims through out the state.

If  interested, submit completed resume with pertinent information as to what carriers and prior adjusting firms you have worked claims for (or carrier as a staff adjuster) and what types of policies you have experience working with as long as types of perils you have adjusted (water, wind, fire, etc).

Resume should be submitted to dkmoroy@dimechimes.com. Please include your name in the subject area as well as the state you are applying for.

II.  Postion two is also for a position as an employee working daily claims. Postion contains an excellent salary, benefits, and company car. Position will be in Miami, Florida. Candidate must have a minimum of three years working daily claims to include all perils such as water, fire, theft, wind, hail, hurricane, etc. Liability experience as well will be a plus as will billingual skills. You must be a permanent resident of the area and have a permanent Florida resident adjuster license.

Please be sure resume includes years of experience, the names of the carriers and adjusting firms you have worked claims for, the perils and types of policies you have handled claims for as well as three professional references that can verify your claims experience.

Send resume to dkmoroy@dimechimes.com.

****UPDATE 2:30 PM ET- Client has withdrawn the Miami opening and we’ll update you at a later date if they re-open this position.

We will contact applicants that qualify within 48 hours of receipt of your resume. Specifics regarding salary and clients involved will only be provided to qualified candidates during interview for their consideration.

Note that candidates with continuing education designations such as AIC and CPCU, billingual skills, mulit line adjusting experience, and more than five years experience will receive the strongest consideration among applicants resumes received.

Please send resume and references in PDF format.

Mississippi River Flooding- Finding which insurance companies sell Flood insurance by state search

Here’s a link for the adjusting companies searching for which insurance companies write flood policies by state:

http://www.fema.gov/nfipInsurance/search.do;jsessionid=557F40DDAA89ECF0899EDD7DB6434E0C.Worker2Public2?action=Init

Our Prayers are with those in MS and LA flood zones this weekend- Articles says if spillway not opened that flooding in New Orleans could be worse than during Katrina

I had started to post a few humorous claim stories for some light hearted claim news this weekend but after checking on the status of the flooding expected in MS and LA and watching some news reports, I’d rather share this Reuters news story discussing projected flooding in MS and LA including the statement that should the spillway not be opened tomorrow that New Orleans will suffer more flooding than post Katrina:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110513/us_nm/us_flooding

I think when independent adjusters were hoping for assignments this year, no one ever could have asked for the severe amount of tornado damage and flooding damage which has happened just in the past few weeks.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims AND the adjusters and claims personnel working in these storm zones.

When it rains…..it pours! Minnesota gets golf ball size hail May 10, 2011

First we have fires, floods, and severe tornado damage….and now we have golf ball size hail in Minnesota which happened last night.

To read the news from the Star Tribune on the storm and to view photos just follow this link.

I worked hail losses in Roseville, MN for almost a year as a catastrophe team manager in the late 90’s. The folks up there were wonderful to work with as were the policyholders. The difficulty adjusters experienced there in closures was the fact there were so many prior losses due to multiple hail storms in the area at the time that is slowed production from the standpoint the prior losses all had to be reviewed prior to settlement to assure no duplication of damages were being claimed.

We can post job opportunities for property adjusters in all of our social media outlets and on ClaimSmentor if your firm needs additional personnel due to all of the current losses nationwide. Just email me at dkmoroy@dimechimes.com if interested in this job posting service to carriers and adjusting firms.

With used auto prices on the rise how is this impacting auto claim settlements?

You will find an interesting article in the WSJ about the shrinking bargains to be found on used cars in this article. 

This raises an interesting question about what impact this is having on auto claim settlements. Are auto insurance companies still using NADA book prices and or Kelly Blue book pricing to determine ACV? Do those auto valuation tools keep up on a month to month basis to keep up with the market or are they updated only annually?

We’d love to see your comments on this in reply to this blog post, One comment received already says this article is “right on” with the exception it didn’t mention last years Cash for Clunkers program and what additional impact that has had on used car prices.

Update 5/10/11- Here’s an article just put out by Kelley Blue Book giving actual examples of changes in book values due to the rising cost of used vehicles

Claim numbers reported thus far as a result of April 2011 Tornado damage

AIR is reporting 65,000 claims reported thus far in Alabama as a result of the April 2011 tornado damage with an estimated 3.7 to 5.5B in damages according to this  PropertyCasualty360 report. There is also a May 6, 2011 Press Release from the Alabama Department of insurance verifying these numbers and indicating that 2,000 adjusters had already arrived in their state with more expeced.

The comments made by Jim Loveland, President and CEO of Xactware Solutions  in this April 28, 2011 CEO  blog also indicate access to XactAnalysis is up to an all time high record up 60% over 2010 numbers due to the April storms. View his complete blog post here.

Missouri Insurance Regulators are quoted as stating 7,000 homeowner and auto claims had been filed as of May 2, 2011 as a result of the tornado in St Louis, MO in this article which provides a breakdown on the claims reported there.

One of the most interesting updates on the tornado damage is found in this May 9, 2011 report by NOAA updating the April 2011 tornado and fatality numbers. You will also find this Huffington Post article excellent as far as providing historical information on US history and indicating these twisters were the 2nd deadliest in US history.

We were not able to locate numbers on the TN claims and MS claims but will update the blog as numbers come in.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the adjusters working these claims full of emotional issues for homeowners and residents who have suffered severe damage and loss of life in their communities and families.

Update Tuesday 5/10/2011: Georgia and Mississippi Claim Statistic info is now added in this link.

” Adjusters ” handling BP Claims file a Class Action lawsuit on two issues- Overtime pay and failure to receive 65% of daily fee per contract

Roy Cupps over at CADO posted this link in the forums there regarding a Class Action lawsuit filed by MS Attorney JP Hughes  (I could not locate a website for him but I’m working on it through network connections )on behalf of the adjusters handling the BP claims regarding two issues:

1) Overtime pay- working more than 40 hours per week and not receiving over time pay (they were on daily rate)

2) Alleged failure of adjusting firm to pay adjusters their 65% of the daily rate they were paid by the BP Fund

For complete details, here is the link:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/02/09/34026.htm

This is definitely a case to watch as it is standard for independent adjusters to receive a daily rate of pay for each day worked on a catastrophe or daily assignment where they agree to work for a stipulated daily rate for a given split of the daily rate. The rate these adjusters were paid is on the high end of the daily rate independents normally receive. I have no idea why this alleged adjuster would feel entitled to time and a half for hours worked over 40 hours unless the contract indicated the daily rate was for a given 40 hours which is unheard of in the claims industry for independents working on assignment.

I am very curious if this person was actually one of the actually non claim folks working on BP claims. I have actually been told by several were working in field offices that BP Csar Ken Feinburg changed adjuster job titles to “evaluators” when he took over. If that is true, do you think that the prior findings of the Fair Labor Standards commission would differ on findings on this class action?

If you missed our prior several blogs on overtime issues and adjusters, here are links to prior blogs on the topics and prior decisions on some of these cases:

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/?s=Overtime

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/supplemental-info-on-geico-auto-adjuster-overtime-issues/

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/fenton-et-al-v-farmers-insurance-exchange-no-07-4864-dc-mn-2009-mn-staff-claims-adjuster-overtime-decision/

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/geico-wins-case-on-overtime-issues-for-auto-adjusters-view-washington-post-article/

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/adjuster-overtime-issues-supplemental-info-from-none-other-than-attorney-gloria-allreds-current-news-letter/

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/insurance-adjuster-overtime-pay-issues-and-complaints-in-the-news/

Regarding the second issue of alleged failure of  Worley Adjusting firm to pay the agreed 65% split of the daily rate, I find that very hard to believe as they have such an excellent reputation for paying adjusters fairly in the claim industry which is remarkable considering the number of adjusters who have gone unpaid by unprofessional firms since Katrina. I assume we’ll be able to view the contract when documents are filed during discovery on the case to show first of all the daily fee Worley was receiving per “adjuster” as well as the independent contract terms they were using on this assignment. I’ll keep an eye out for those to make the records in the coming months.

There were many experienced adjusters who would gladly have deployed for the given rate of pay. In addition, adjusters working out of town at BP assignments were given daily per diem while working which is unheard of for independent adjusters working for insurance carriers so those who were lucky enough to be deployed were most thankful for the assignment.

I think this case will be closely watched by all insurance carriers who use independent adjusters on daily rates. I know I will be closely following it. You can as well by subscribing to this blog to watch for updates as we post them.

If you also want to follow this discussion going on over at CADO where Roy Cupps posted this information, here is the link to that topic forum discussion there:

http://www.catadjuster.org/Forums/tabid/60/aft/11695/Default.aspx#22348

Update on FL Claim Litigation and Appraisal provision on Citizens of FL Case 2/2011- Just a ClaimSmentor Moment Update

Here’s a great blog entry  by the Florida Legal Blog you may want to read about a court decision on the Appraisal provision in Florida. The case involved a Citizens of Florida case:

http://www.floridalegalblog.org/2011/02/insurance-appraisal-not-appropriate-if.html

Must see video of BP’s Ken Feinburg at AL Townhall meeting yesterday- Hope to meet many of you this morning at the Fort Walton Beach Townhall Meeting

Here is some must see video footage of the Orange Beach, Alabama townhall meeting held yesterday with BP’s Ken Feinburg:

http://wkrg.com/1204118/

We will be attending today’s townhall meeting along with other independent adjusters in the Florida panhandle this morning being held here today in Fort Walton Beach, FL along with the founder of the Pensacola, FL Gulf Coast Claims Association and several other independent adjusters in the area. I’ll blog on that either later today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, I am putting together an article on the fruitless efforts made by hundreds if not thousands of adjusters like myself who applied to work these BP claims jobs from TX to FL  and were not utilized to work these claims. I have heard from hundreds who have applied and were not used being told that they were saving the experienced adjusters for hurricane season which never did cause damage in 2010. Information I’ve learned from many adjusters who were in the operation says that Ken Feinburg had changed the job title to “evaluator” from “adjuster” when he took over. Why? Is that so non adjusters could work the claims?

We’d like to piece together our side of the BP claims story by hearing from the many of you who applied and did or did not work claims. You can reply to this blog and I’ll approve the comments or if you wish to remain anonymous you can email me at dkmoroy@dimechimes.com and I will not use your name in any article or upcoming blog on the subject.

Thanks!

BP Claims Townhall Meetings This Week in LA, AL, FL panhandle M-W

Here is Ken Feinburg’s BP Claims Townhall meetings schedule for meetings scheduled today-Wednesay in LA, AL, and MS. Several of us from the Gulf Coast Claims Assn will be attending the Fort Walton Beach townhall meeting Wednesday:

http://www.pnj.com/article/20110113/NEWS01/110113017/1056/news10/Feinberg-returning-to-Florida

We hope to meet many other Florida claims adjusters and claims managers there! Email me at dkmoroy@dimechimes.com if you want to meet up with us over there so we can network while there!

#in #claims #adjusters #insurance #BP Oil Spill #GCCF #Ken Feinburg

Claim Litigation Update Re: Florida decision on Collateral Source Rule when dealing with a HO and Flood claims

Found this blog post over at Merlin’s Law Group blog  today- a must read for all adjusters handling flood claims and homeowner claim in Florida:

http://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2011/01/articles/insurance/more-on-the-collateral-source-rule/

Special Announcement- KMConDemand Announces Release of the Property Technical Certification I Program for all Property Claims Adjusters

I am very excited to release the following announcement from KMConDemand executive, Colm Keenan announcing the release of the PTC1 designation program -Property Technical Certification I-now available to all property adjusters. I highly endorse this program and am a firm believer that all independent adjusting firms should require any adjuster they deploy to take and successfully complete this program to set your firm apart from others by having TESTED adjusters on assignments. I cannot express how highly I believe in this after being involved in ClaimSmentor and working with thousands of adjusters. It is far past time independents have an opportunity to not just attend seminars and obtain CE’s but to test to prove their competency to handle claims.

Without further comment- here is the complete announcement released with the permission of KMConDemand:

KMC On Demand^SM, Advisory Committee Roll Out Property Technical Certification

 

Crawford KMC On Demand, a leading online provider of continuing online education and CE credits for insurance claims adjusters, in collaboration with  a key insurance industry advisory committee have released the first Property Technical Certification (PTC) course to the insurance industry.

PTC is designed to fill a gap in validation of expertise among property claims adjusters. The launch of PTC I – Elements of Property Loss follows the successful conclusion of a pilot program conducted during summer 2010. “The PTC pilot participants gave high marks to the content and relevance of the courses,” said Colm Keenan, vice president of knowledge management for KMC On Demand.

A Property Advisory Committee (PAC) made up of high-level professionals from insurance companies, independent adjusting companies and contractor networks has been working together for more than two years to establish the PTC. The pilot program included an industry-wide collaboration on technical content.

The PAC members include:

Allstate, Ace, Alacrity, Assurant, Aviva Canada, Claims Mentor, Contractor Connection, Crawford, Custard Insurance Adjusters, Cypress Insurance, Dri-Eaz, Fireman’s Fund, Fox Valley Technical College, Liberty Mutual, Metlife, Nationwide, Pilot Cat,  and SimSol.

PTC II will be released in the fall of 2011 with PTC III following in 2012. There are 12 courses in PTC I which consists of 38 modules. Each module costs $15 if purchased individually while the whole first designation can be bought for $425, a 25% savings. All courses have been approved for ce credits in all states that mandate adjuster ce’s. Courses are accessed and completed at www.kmcondemand.com/ptc .

Why PTC? Simply put, PTC fulfills a pressing need in the property and casualty industry. Everyone who has touched this project, from the largest insurers to the small independents, agrees on this one point: it’s about time.

First, it is very difficult to determine the expertise of adjusters, and even harder to predict their future performance. But though having knowledge is no guarantee of performance, not having knowledge is a guarantee of failure. It is impossible to perform well in our industry without the proper technical knowledge. Industry post-Katrina performance reviews were lukewarm at best, due in great part to a lack of property claim-handling knowledge. Though some companies might have commendable training, as an industry, we do not.  

Patrick Milone, vice president of the Property Services Division of Custard Insurance Adjusters Inc., sees the PTC “as a way to keep adjusters current in all property aspects of the claims arena via training by an accredited resource.” Milone also considers the compliance aspect of PTC to be important, as all courses have been approved in every state that requires adjuster continuing education.

The resource Milone refers to above is KMC On Demand^SM, part of Crawford & Company, which has a long history of claims training. KMC technology enables the PTC to record user completions and provides an attractive interface for the learner. Each course in the PTC has a corresponding performance support file that is easily accessible and has vital information to assist the adjuster long after the course is completed. Performance support files will be regularly updated as they become the industry technical resource of record. Passing an exam becomes the beginning, rather than the end, of the PTC experience. 

The next advent in the progression to industry certification is individual insurance company certification. The first insurance company in line to do this with KMC/PTC is MetLife. This will enable independent adjuster’s online industry certification, PTC, and individual carrier certification. More insurance carriers will added to this list throughout 2011.

To purchase PTC I go to www.kmcondemand.com/ptc or contact Elise Quadrozzi at elise_quadrozzi@us.crawco.com .

FEMA sets the 2011 NFIP Adjuster Workshop Schedule- Released 12/31/2010

I received the following information via email from FEMA today with the schedule for the 2011 NFIP certification workshops. I used the link to the training website and they are not yet up on the website so here is the info:

	2011 Adjuster Seminar Schedule Registration for the 2011 NFIP Adjuster Certification Workshops is now open. Adjusters seeking to renew certification must attend an NFIP Adjuster Certification Workshop. Adjusters seeking to become certified or upgrading their certification must attend the certification workshop and also submit an Adjuster Certification Application, (FF81-110). This form can be found at www.fema.gov. Below please find this year’s workshop schedule with links to each sponsor’s registration site. Please direct questions related to registration to the appropriate sponsor for your chosen workshop. Contact information for the sponsors can be found by following the registration links listed here. To be notified of additional workshops that may be scheduled, please sign to up receive email Bulletins at www.govdelivery.com. Seminars are from 8:30am-4:30pm. Sign-in begins at 8:00am.
	DATE CITY VENUE NAME REGISTRATION Jan 10 Daytona Beach, FL 35th Annual NACA Convention Convention Registration Required Register Here Jan 27 Houston, TX 2011 Windstorm Insurance Conference Convention Registration Required Register Here Feb 3 Tampa, FL Tampa Convention Center Register Here Feb 9 Sunrise, FL Holiday Inn Suites Register Here Mar 3 Syracuse, NY Oncenter Complex Register Here Mar 8 Stamford, CT Holiday Inn Register Here Mar 17 Humble, TX Humble Civic Center Register Here Mar 21 Des Moines, IA Embassy Suites on the River Register Here Mar 31 Southaven, MS Desoto Civic Center Register Here Apr 6 O’Fallon IL The Regency Conference Center Register Here Apr 8 Pittsburgh, PA Doubletree Hotel, City Center Register Here Apr 11 Lexington, KY Kentucky Theater Register Here Apr 13 Cayce, SC South Carolina Farm Bureau Register Here Apr 19 Kenner, LA The Ponchartrain Center Register Here Apr 21 Virginia Beach, VA Doubletree Hotel, Virginia Beach Register Here Apr 26 Hammond, IN Ramada Conference Center Register Here May 4 Orlando, FL Loews Portofino Bay Hotel Register Here May 9 Jacksonville, FL Marriott Jacksonville Register Here May 17 Sacramento, CA Radisson Hotel, Sacramento Register Here May 19 San Diego, CA San Diego Conference Center Register Here May 21 Waco, TX Wardlaw Claims Service Register Here May 23 Seattle, WA Embassy Suites, Tacoma Airport Register Here May 25 Mobile, AL Mobile Convention Center Register Here

January 2011 classes for Property and Casualty Adjusters to begin soon! Register now!

We are hosting the following classes in January 2011. Registration information and full class syllabus info is now posted in our ClaimSmentor forums for the following courses:

1) Introduction to Claims Careers for newly licensed independent adjusters:

We will host a two night session on January 4, 2011 and January 6, 2011 live online at ClaimSmentor for those newly licensed adjusters who need to further their knowledge about opportunities in Property and Casualty claim training. We cover salary information for staff adjuster postions and fee schedules types and samples for independent adjusters. We cover resume requirements and how they differ in the claims industry as well as providing resume templates. We cover the differences in staff and independent adjuster careers, the differences in inside adjusting and field adjusting as well as information on catastrophe versus daily adjusting. These will be held from 6-9pm CST on the nights listed above.

For complete details send request to join ClaimSmentor to DkMoroy@Dimechimes.com as you must be a registered member of ClaimSmentor to sign up for the classes and to login to the forums for complete details.

2) Eight session Fundamentals of Property Adjusting course held Monday and Thursday nights beginning January 17, 2011 from 6-9pm CST live online. It is recommended you begin with the Claims Career Introductory courses in #1 above before taking this course. Course covers Additional living expense claim handling, contents claim handling, disaster mass file assignment handling, coverage question handling, all claim forms and samples, night spent with live claim management system to learn how to work with CMS assignments, file requirements and file order, and much much more. Same instructions apply about registering for ClaimSmentor to view complete syllabus and details on this course.

3) Liability claims handling for homeowner policies. Course covers medical bill review, liability claim reporting, recorded statement outlines and instructions, CPT and ICD-9 billing applicable to all medical payment and liability files. This is followed by sessions covering dog bite liability investigations and claim file requirements, premises liability claim handling, and dangerous instrumentality and intentional act claim handling. These liability classes will take place once each week for 5 weeks on Tuesday evenings or Tuesday day sessions. Complete details can be accessed once you follow instructions above to get registered for ClaimSmentor!

TWIA to settle 2400 Hurricane Ike Slabbed Claims for $189M

While I’ve been off for a few weeks enjoying company over the July 4th holidays there has been lots of important claims news I need to catch up on. Here is one of the most important developments indicating settlement negotiations resulting in planned settlement of hundreds of TWIA hurricane Ike claims.

The Mostlyn law firm has several media releases from 7/13-7/16/10 here:

http://www.mostynlaw.com/media/media-news.asp

The Merlin Law group has a new blog up with more details here:

http://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2010/07/articles/hurricane-ike/texas-windstorm-insurer-settles-2400-hurricane-ike-slab-claims/

BP Claim Information Updates through Sunday June 20, 2010

The national news is just full of information regarding the status on BP oil claims so I wanted to take a few minutes tonight to post links to some information independent claims adjusters and adjusting firms will be interested in tonight.

First, Worley Adjusting Company  now has information posted on their website that due to the overwhelming number of applications they received, they are temporarily no longer accepting any new applications. View their complete statement here.

Second, the rumor throughout independent adjusting circles is that a second adjusting company has now been deploying adjusters for BP assignments. Here is a link to the GAB Robins website. We have not been able to confirm this directly over the weekend but have heard  this from numerous adjusters. ***Update Monday 6/21/2010- GAB has now confirmed that they are handling and the contact there is the Columbia, SC office- Mr Hubbard. There is a link on their site to office locations for specific info there.

It is our understanding that both firms are paying independent adjusters ( and others with experience unknown) on a daily rate PLUS per diem on an incurred basis for temporary housing. This is a great thing on the housing allowance as insurance companies make no consideration for temporary housing for independents. They provide temporary housing only for staff adjusters. The long term experienced adjusters say the amount of the daily rate is not enough as far as they are concerned in comparison to billing on catastrophe large losses and commercial claims so they are telling me they would not be interested in these BP assignments. Rumor also has it that GAB is paying on an hourly rate plus per diem. The amount I’ve seen would come to slightly more than the daily rate Worley is paying if the amount I was told is accurate.

We will all see how they feel after a major catastrophe as most independents are very displeased with insurance companies reducing fee schedules while at the same time drastically increasing file requirements which I’m hearing on the average take an experienced independent adjusters on average about two more hours per claim to close a file and get management approval.

Should this be the case. this is a good indication that possibly many more independent adjusters will be deployed to assist with the now 61,000 claims of which BP is stating they now have while only about 31,000 of these BP claimants have now been issued an advance.  Here is a link to the June 19, 2010 BP report advising they now have 33 claim offices set up with 1,000 people working in the claims offices. I’d like to say they are all licensed adjusters but I can’t verify that and have heard from some of the adjusters who are deployed that there were unlicensed people in their induction meetings. In CEO Tony Haywards prepared testimony to Congress on page 8 he stated as of that date that 700 adjusters had been deployed and states 600 of those were experienced.

  To compare this assigned adjuster response to hurricane season, I wrote a blog the other day showing that over 12,000 emergency adjuster licenses had been issued in 2005 and over 17,000 in 2004 in FL alone. This does not take into account the regular permanent licensed adjusters and the non resident adjusters who worked those 2 hurricane seasons in FL. Here is also a link to an article post Hurricane Ike on the number of claims adjusters assigned in TX.

The same 6.19.2010 BP update above also states BP has received about 84,000 calls into their call center. Now compare this to news coming out of Houston where the BP call center is set up quoting them as having received over 200,000  calls about claims and quoting some of the 100 BP phone operators as saying the call center is just a diversion and the calls go nowhere . See this second article  by Huffington Post with video quoting a BP operator  as well saying the call center is just a diversion.

Florida Insurance Commissioner, Alex Sink, who is currently running for Florida Governor also jumped into the act on BP claims per these articles  here and here coming out of the Pensacola, FL area where she went into the Pensacola, FL BP claims office with a claimant and news camera in tow. The part I surely do not understand about that is that BP is self insured first of all but secondly that the article says the claimant was attorney represented so I am not sure why the claims manager even talked to the claimant if his attorney was not present. She next met with a group of business owners in Pensacola to discuss their problems with the BP claims office. I do in fact hope that the insurance commissioners do get involved and that only licensed independent adjusters are able to handle these claims. It is a disservice to all BP claimants to have to work with “claims processors” as Tony Hayward called them when testifying to Congress yet I am not sure that these “claims processors” must be licensed if  BP is self insured.

According to an article about Katie Couric’s interview with Ken Feinburg, it states that $600M in claims have been filed and $71M has been paid out. Friday he promised legitimate claims would be paid within 30-60 days:

“Kenneth Feinberg was chosen to oversee the $20-billion compensation fund promised Friday to pay all legitimate claims quickly – in 30 to 60 days. He spoke with CBS News anchor Katie Couric from Baton Rouge, La.”

For those of you in the claims industry….wouldn’t that be quite a feat? Lawsuits still are being filed in TX over hurricane IKE weekly and we are just approaching the statute of limitiations ( deadline period to file lawsuits on property damage) in FL from hurricane Wilma. The part especially misunderstood about this is how in the world can claims be settled within 60-90 days as stated when they do not even expect the escaping oil to finally be capped until sometime in August and by all reports that is a BIG if !  

Most importantly is that you see this Katie Couric video interviewing the newly appointed Ken Feinburg  who will oversee the $20B BP escrow account announced last week by President Obama. It is very helpful for understanding their planned claims process between the BP escrow account and the 1990 Pollution Act claims process these claims were originally solely being processed under. Also view this CBS news article outlining important other traumatic disaster cases Ken Feinburg has handled to include settlements with the victims family for 9/11 and the Virginia Tech shooting case settlements.

This next Bloomberg article  gives the case citations which says in part:

“The multidistrict case is In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, MDL-2179, Washington. The dispersants case is Parker v. Nalco Co., 2:10- cv-01749, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans).”

CNN tonight was interviewing a gentleman providing warning about BP job scams and other warnings about firms showing up to offer to help you for a fee which is not necessary. I in fact ran across something that really bothered me tonight just researching for this claims update. To see it for yourself, go to www.bp.com/claims which is the official site for BP announcements. Remembering the exact website for this incorrectly, I first entered www.bpclaims.com and to my surprise it is a public adjusting firm website that defaults and moves you seamlessly to www.publicadjuster.com . I didn’t even bother to read the public adjuster site but my thinking was how bad that is that some innocent claimant would think that they were designated to handle BP claims which is not the case or atleast I have not heard that BP has hired any public adjusters to handle their claims.

**Additional info added  6/21/2010- I meant to include the following link to a Bloomberg article explaining the 232 class action lawsuits on BP claims will be moved/handled by 1 appointed judge:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=aljqY7Nv_AzA

Well, I intended to spend a few minutes updating on the claims status as of 6/20/2010 and now hours later I’ll wrap it up with a  link  to my blog with a prayer and a song to all Gulf Coast residents and recovery workers and adjusters working these claims as promised that I would end every BP blog with this prayer for them:

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/eternal-father-strong-to-save-a-prayer-for-americans-during-the-bp-gulf-coast-oil-spill-recovery-open-letter-3-to-president-obama-and-admiral-thad-allen/

To my friends, family, and claims community members- News on the BP Oil spill from the Florida Panhandle

Words are useless to express the devastation and sorrow about  how we are all feeling about the approaching oil in the Florida panhandle and the horror we feel for the states preceding us with the oil spill in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama so I will publish this as is updating you on activities that took place with the Okaloosa County Florida Commissioners  meeting this week.

 First, a link to a blog post by Attorney Chip Merlin  who is being extremely proactive in the Destin, FL area where my friends and family are , staying in tune with what is going on and trying to help consumers in that area. Second , is a copy of an email that I got from a very beloved friend in Destin who is and always has been very interested in the beaches and wildlife there. I hope this post helps bring attention to the plight there and helps even one friend in the area find direction in this unspeakable horror.

To my nephew Ryan in Pensacola, my niece Pam in Ft Walton and family,  my nephew Billy and family in Panama City, and to my husband Don’s relatives in Grayton beach and Walton counties,  and to my sister Diana and family who own rental property in Destin, FL- our hearts and prayers are with you all daily as well as to all gulf coast residents, displaced workers, and restoration workers trying to save our beaches. Please read on:

Consumer Attorney Chip Merlin’s blog  about his visit and participation in the Okaloosa County meetings this week:

*Note- yes I recommend first trying to work with the BP claims process but when all else fails, I do highly recommend Chip Merlin be the attorney you resort to to pursue your losses if you are unsuccessful with BP. I have followed his actions- not just his words- since Katrina.

http://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2010/06/articles/insurance/oil-and-hurricanes-here-comes-the-one-two-punch/

Second, a most heartening email request from a very dear long term friend in Destin, Donna Minton , also emailing her distribution list requesting we support the Okaloosa County Commissioners which I definitely do in their position to take matters into their own hands to protect our way of life in Destin and the Florida panhandle. Her email is copied below with her knowledge and consent. Donna has given a voice to how we are all feeling in her most special way  :

 

 

 

Dear family and friends:

 

This morning while I was listening to the local news, I caught a TV segment on the Okaloosa County Commissioners here making a decision to move forward with taking action to protect our bays and beaches from the oil spill without waiting for the required governmental permission to do so. I thought that action was kind of gutsy for a governmental org and wanted to show support for their decision  and encourage them in this vein of thinking and action.  So, I called and spoke with the secretary at the Okaloosa County Commissioner office and told her that I just wanted to write a letter/send an email to the Board of County Commissioner further encouraging them.  She was very kind and receptive to my call and told me that the Commissioners are getting flooded with emails on the situation, but very few “old-fashioned” letters are being rec’d. She felt like a letter would be great and assured me that she would personally see that each County Commissioner got a copy of it and she knew they all would appreciate words of support in their “maverick” actions to move forward. She said that a written letter would actually garner some better attention rather than one lone email among so many rec’d. It would get lost in the masses, so to speak. So, I wrote my letter.

 

I know that so many of you feel that same love and adoration as I do. I’m not alone in these feelings. This situation is a nightmare to my consciousness as I know it is for all of you.  Since returning from Great Britain and Ireland 10 days ago and learning how the situation has gotten worse and closer to my own beloved beaches, I have not been able to talk much about the  tuition since returning home –  the pain of it just runs so deep in my heart. This may sound strange to many of you – but the way I feel is very similar to the feelings I experienced in the months following my Mom’s passing.  An incredible feeling of deep and heavy sadness and heartfelt longing for life to return back to normal before the tragic event happened.  I worry about all the marine life and wildlife creatures that live in the oceans and on our beaches.  It’s more than a dark cloud on my head….it’s a torrential downpour of grief over what is happening. I limit how watch much of the news on the TV/internet I watch or read  because it just makes me weep and deepens feelings of depression and hopelessness. Does this sound and feel familiar to any of you? I’m working hard to stay positive, upbeat, and optimistic and praying for that “silver lining” in this situation and the greater “good” that has to come out of even the most tragic of situations.  It’s very hard to stay on that optimistic path these days, but definitely the better choice for us all.  

 

So this email is a gentle request of my family friends to consider taking a few minutes of your time and writing a short letter of thanks, support, and encouragement to the Okaloosa County Commissioners office for their decision to move forward  – come hell or high water. I hope they truly “walk the talk” they are broadcasting out to the public. Please join me in encouraging them to do so. A positive word of encouragement is so much better than anger, judgment, and criticism. It does not matter whether you live in Okaloosa County or not  – or even in Florida. Please consider writing a letter anyway.

A very wise person – very  near and dear to my heart – often reminds me to “create love in every situation” so I’m hoping this letter creates a bit of love in this situation. 🙂  If writing a letter resonates with you, ask your family, friends, and colleagues to do so the same. It just takes a few minutes, some paper, envelope and a stamp. And it may make you feel a bit more hopeful..just the act of writing the letter lifted my spirits a bit.  The more folks that write, the better. As my friend, Jano, just wrote me in an email this week – It takes a village.

 

 So, I’m asking that perhaps each of you consider writing your own letter of support to the County with the thought that the more positive reinforcement they get from the community on their action, the better it will be for the situation and encourage them to continue to move forward and not wait around for approvals.

 

 I’m not a person that airs my political beliefs willy-nilly and this email is not meant to be a political email in any way (there’s enough of those going around) but you all know how passionate I am about the marine and beach wildlife, our beloved ocean and beaches,and the health of our planet. As with many of you, I have grown up with these beaches in all phases of my life  from Gulf Shores,Alabama to Pensacola Beach and now Destin, and Okaloosa Island.  I often tell folks that I have Gulf water running through my veins, quartz crystal sand between my toes, the salty smell of the ocean in my nostrils, and the sound of the surf in my heart.  I love the beach in all of its varied conditions – be it a soft gentle spring rain, a fierce storm during hurricane season, the bright hot sunshine of July, the solitude quietness of winter, or a peaceful foggy mist in the fall. It is beautiful to me no matter the season or time of day. I have solved many a heartache in my life  in long walks and talks with God and the ocean on Okaloosa Island beach, had fun with Sonny on our “date” Sunday beach days snorkeling and swimming, experienced the thrill of finding a “gift from the sea’ on the beaches after a storm, enjoyed the feel of the ocean on my skin while skinny-dipping(surprised you with that one, didn’t I?) and felt the surge of love and admiration in my heart watching herons, pelicans, dolphins, sea gulls,manatees, sea turtle, sandpipers, and crabs make their home here (to name just a few). It’s a boundless love- my love of this area.  I’m a proud coastal girl born and bred and hopefully will be one to my last days.  I have also honored that love of the ocean and beach in my home and office.

 

by Donna Minton, Destin, FL

I will continue to post a link to my prayer and song as long as this gulf coast recovery effort is going on:

Should you wish to send this link on this post to your friends just copy and paste this link:

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/to-my-friends-family-and-claims-community-members-news-from-the-florida-panhandle/

To add to Donna’s contact information above,  here’s the link to the Okaloosa Commissioners. If you don’t know what to say to the Commisioners, here is a link to their website which has additional updates from the June 16, 2010 meeting and their fax number so if you do nothing else, print this blog out and fax it to them at 850-651-7142  and add a note to tell them you do support their efforts.

http://www.co.okaloosa.fl.us/bcc_contact.html

Or forward the following link to your friends and family and to the commissioners by email:

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/to-my-friends-family-and-claims-community-members-news-from-the-florida-panhandle/

Each and every day until this oil spill is cleaned up, I intend to  close each blog with the following prayer and song for oil spill victims, especially the families of those who lost their family members in the Deep Water Horizon explosion: 

 

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/eternal-father-strong-to-save-a-prayer-for-americans-during-the-bp-gulf-coast-oil-spill-recovery-open-letter-3-to-president-obama-and-admiral-thad-allen/

 

We appreciate all comments you make to this post if you support the Okaloosa County Commissioners so please post your comments and I will approve them. Let’s  use this blog comments section to keep each updated on what is happening in and around the Florida panhandle to give Donna’s voice further wings to  help the Florida panhandle and keep those of us living outside of the area news on the developments and progress in the Florida panhandle.

 

Here is also a link to another blog I wrote last week with all of the BP claim forms should you need them. You can also follow all blogs I’ve posted about BP by just entering BP in the search field on the right column of this blog to read them all to keep up with the information I am updating on the BP claims status. 

 

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/bp-gulf-oil-spill-claims-update-claims-process-claims-manual-claims-forms-and-much-more/

 

We also ask that you help those of us in the claims industry help you by passing along our plight trying to get assigned to work these claims. It is just a tragedy that only one adjusting firm has been assigned to handle these claims. As of last Friday, BP had only assigned 600 adjusters between Louisiana and Florida to handle these claims and we do not even know if they are experienced adjusters entirely. Compare those numbers to the following numbers required in the 2004 and 2005 hurricane season:

 

https://dimechimes.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/lets-compare-floridas-2004-2005-bad-hurricane-seasons-with-the-current-number-of-bp-claims-as-of-6122010-and-currently-deployed-claims-adjusters-part-ii-open-letter-to-obama-and-admiral-allen/

 

 

Eternal Father Strong to Save- A prayer for Americans during the BP Gulf Coast Oil Spill Recovery- Open Letter 3 to President Obama and Admiral Thad Allen

President Obama is speaking from NAS Pensacola, FL as I write this. It is the most support I have seen him express to the brave men and woman serving in the US Armed Forces  since he began his Presidency. I am taking this particular speech very personally as my father, my brother, and my brother in law are all buried at Barrancas National Cemetary at NAS Pensacola.  I cannot bear the thought of the memories of our childhood being destroyed with the gulf oil tar nor of disturbing the area so others can  grow up with the same wonderful memories our family shares from the area during our youth when my father was stationed there.

I still  have family in the area including my nephew Ryan who is attending college at the University of West Florida  following in the foot steps of my wonderful father and brother who also attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. His degree is going to be in the marine industry. He too is watching his dreams disturbed by the worst environmental disaster in Amercian history as he faces unemployment working part time in the beach restaurant industry as a means of income to help cover his expenses while in college.

President Obama- thank you for doing us proud with your military speech in Pensacola and for finally showing our military of all branches the respect and honor they so much deserve. As a military brat as us military children are known as, we do know the sacrifices having watched our fathers depart on Naval aircraft carriers, departing for war, and the fear and sadness we experience as we support our brothers, sisters, neices, nephews, sons, daughters, and our fathers as they protect Amercians at assignments both at home and have to regularly leave us to go abroad to protect us around the world.

I’ll end this thanks with the words of my very favorite navy hymn heard every Sunday growing up on military bases and attending church at military chapels where our father was stationed.  If you really listen and read the words, I think you will agree this song represents all of our prayers for our military, our national guard members, our claims adjusters who will have to work in these coastal environments during hurricane season, and our BP responders constantly exposed to the oil spill tar and disperants as they clean up our beaches and marshlands and experiencing illness as a result. We also extend this as a prayer to all gulf coast residents suffering from this oil spill :

             Eternal Father Strong to Save – Original Version

             The original words are:

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard

And hushed their raging at Thy word,

Who walkedst on the foaming deep,

And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood

Upon the chaos dark and rude,

And bid its angry tumult cease,

And give, for wild confusion, peace;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!

Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect them wheresoe’er they go;

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee 

Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

For links to the origins and history and other more modern versions of this song, visit this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Father,_Strong_to_Save#Lyrics

**Note the Episcopal version is also very appropriate and shown on the link above

I find the following musical version very comforting at times like these and hope you will enjoy the music and pictorial vision as well:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/e/t/eternalf.htm

Please pass this on in hope it brings a focus to the faith that God will protect us and keep us safe. Especially for the families of the victims killed in this BP Oil explosion. Our prayers are with you every single day. Just click on the title to this blog today and you can then copy and paste it into an email to your friends and family suffering through this disaster or serving in recovery efforts.

Respectfully,

Debbie Moroy, AIC,IIA  ClaimSmentor Founder www.claimSmentor.com