BENEFITS OF HIRING A PA (cont)

Business owners experiencing property damage or loss often find themselves in a very stressful situation. A major property loss can have a paralyzing effect on the day to day operations of your business and personal life. We have found that even the most efficiently run businesses can become overwhelmed with the requirements and burdens a large insurance loss can place on them. Most business owners do not typically possess the experience and knowledge required to prepare and negotiate a large complex insurance claim nor do they have the time.

When you experience a property loss, the insurance company will assign an adjuster to handle the claims process on their end. This adjuster is either a staff adjuster who works directly for the insurance carrier or an independent claims adjuster who is contracted by the insurance carrier on a claim by claim basis. You should be aware that both the staff and independent claims adjuster strictly represent and serve the best interest of the insurance company. As a public insurance adjuster, we work directly and solely for the policyholder to protect their best interests and ensure the insurance company settles the claim in a fair and expeditious manner.

There are many advantages of hiring a public insurance adjuster as your advocate after a large insurance loss. They include:

• Public adjusters study and understand complex insurance policy language. Insurance policies can be complex documents and can easily be misinterpreted. Having someone on your side that is familiar with both the language of the insurance policy and how those policies are enforced can mean a great deal in how your claim gets settled.
• Public adjusters manage the claims process ensuring time sensitive documentation is delivered by all parties. Public adjusters organize and manage your claim and help minimize the time you need to spend dealing with all the claim issues.
• Public adjusters typically receive higher settlements. According to the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study conducted in January 2010. Public Adjusters helped their client’s receive payments that were 74% higher.
• Public adjusters are experts in estimating property damage.
• Having an expert public adjuster who understands the insurance company’s expectations, when documenting and valuing your claim gives you an advantage if your claim is denied. It also gives you a third party resource who can act as a witness in case more aggressive action is required to obtain a just recovery.