If you think you were underpaid by your flood insurance after Sandy, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) reminds you that there are only 60 days left for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders who filed a claim as a result of Hurricane Sandy to register to have their claim files reviewed.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) set Sept. 15, 2015 as the last day for policyholders to register.

The NFIP review came after CongressmanSmith led a NJ congressional delegation meeting with FEMA’s Brad Kieserman, then-Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance, in March of this year to address charges of fraud and underpayments of flood insurance claims to Sandy victims and discuss the reopening of claims. As a result of that meeting, Kieserman pledged to establish a robust and thorough claims process to review all potential Sandy-related underpayments.

“Sandy victims insured through the NFIP are now being given the due consideration and comprehensive analysis they have been entitled to all along.  I hope everyone who feels they were under-compensated will take advantage of this opportunity to have their claims reviewed,” said Smith.

 “The current process is designed to provide New Jersey residents who were subject to systemic underpayments and fraudulent operators in the aftermath of the storm with a review done by fresh eyes and in a transparent, accountable and fair manner. I will continue to work with my colleagues in our Delegation to ensure the administration delivers for Sandy victims who have yet to be made whole.”

Smith said that FEMA has expressed its commitment to ensuring every NFIP policyholder who filed a claim as a result of Hurricane Sandy receives every dollar they are due under their policy. Where warranted, additional payments may be made to those policyholders.

He added that FEMA sent letters to approximately 142,000 NFIP policyholders who filed claims post-Sandy, offering them an opportunity to have their files reviewed. To date, more than 8,900 policyholders have joined the process.

Establishing this review is just one step in the plan to ensure that the NFIP is survivor-centric and helps policyholders recover from flooding in a fair, transparent, and expeditious way. The Sandy claims review process is intended to be simple, navigable by the policyholder and does not require paid legal assistance. Additionally, there are several nonprofit service providers ready to offer free advice and answer questions policyholders may have. A list of these advocacy groups can be found on the claims review website at www.fema.gov/sandyclaims.

To be eligible for the review, policyholders must have experienced flood damage between Oct. 27, 2012 and Nov. 6, 2012 as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Policyholders can call the NFIP’s Hurricane Sandy claims center at 1-866-337-4262 to request a review.

Alternately, policyholders can go online to www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-nfip-claims to download a form requesting a review. The downloaded form may be filled out and emailed to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov to start the review process. 

For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability using 711 or VRS, please call 866-337-4262.  For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585 to begin the review process.  Before contacting the claim center, policyholders are asked to have their flood insurance carrier name and policy number at hand.  

FEMA will request the policyholder’s claim file from their insurance company and forward it to the NFIP review office within two business days. Files will be assigned to a skilled, NFIP-certified adjuster who will serve as a caseworker for the insured. The entire process should take less than 90 days. Caseworkers will contact policyholders to guide them through the review process.

Policyholders who have already registered for the Hurricane Sandy claims review do not need to take any additional action and can expect to be contacted by their caseworker.

To view frequently asked questions and answers about the claims process, go to http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1437153881341-24e015243cb94ae2e15cb565cb70ac34/Hurricane-Sandy-Policyholders-Request-Third-Party-Reviewer-FAQs.pdf

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