What is a Hurricane?
According to NOAA , a hurricane occurs when a storm’s maximum sustained winds exceed 74 mph. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale further qualifies hurricanes by breaking them down into categories. The higher the category, the more destructive the hurricane can be. Ranging from category 1–5, hurricanes categorized as 3 and up are considered “major hurricanes”. To keep track of severe storms and hurricanes, NOAA follows a naming system set out by the World Meteorological Organization. Tropical storms exceeding 39 mph are named, beginning with A-names through the rest of the alphabet until the end of hurricane season. The names circulate every six years and names of the most severe hurricanes are permanently retired.
Our Experience Responding to Hurricane Claims
ICAT Boulder Claims has responded to over 67 named storms and handled over 41,000 claims for our policyholders. We’ve paid out over $3.4 billion dollars in claims, working to ensure our clients can quickly recover from losses.
What to Expect During the Claims Process
The Who’s Who:
There are a few different people that will communicate with you during the claims process, so it’s important to understand who you can contact at what stage of your claim to receive the best service possible.
- Claims Examiner: This is your key point of contact and the person that will guide you through the process over the phone. The claims examiner is also responsible for determining your policy’s coverage and explaining the details.
- Field Adjuster: This is the contact you will meet with in person when they inspect the damaged property and help estimate the cost of repairs required for the property.
- Experts: Experts are contacts that may be consulted for their specialized knowledge on a claim. They can be individuals such as architects, engineers, accountants or any number of outside specialists. It’s important to note that experts are third parties and cannot answer specific questions about your claim or coverage. Any claim specific questions must be directed to your claims examiner.
What The Step-by-Step Process Will Look Like:
Each claim is unique, even if there are multiple claims resulting from the same event. This step-by-step process gives you an idea of where to start and what to expect as you move through the claims reporting process.
- Step 1: Either you or your insurance agent will submit the loss to iCAT Boulder Claims online or over the phone. Claims reporting information is available online or on your policy. New claims can be reported 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week.
- Step 2: You’ll receive an acknowledgement letter from us with necessary contact information.
- Step 3: You’ll receive a call from the claims examiner where they will introduce themselves and begin collecting information about the claim.
- Step 4: The field adjuster will schedule an inspection at the damaged property.
- Step 5: The field adjuster will report back to ICAT Boulder Claims
- Step 6: The claims examiner will then determine coverage in place based on your policy.
- Step 7: You will be contacted by the claims examiner to review your claim with you.
- Step 8: Your claims examiner may have additional inquires.
- Step 9: The process of repairing damages will begin.
Download and print out our Understanding the Claims Process brochure to keep this process handy at all times.
Who to Call:
If at any time you need to get in touch regarding your claim your first point of contact should be your claims examiner or directly at Boulder Claims: 866-789-4228
Best-in-Class Claims Handling
When a loss occurs, we want you to feel supported throughout the entire process. Here are some of the comments our team has received from real policyholders about their claims experience.
Couldn’t have been any easier and our claim was resolved completely, fairly and quickly! Very pleased with the result.
Their attention to detail really helped us in measuring and collecting our claim.
Both Torrey Hicks and Glenna Cook were extremely helpful during this long process. They were compassionate, knowledgeable and timely with their responses. I was very pleased with both during this process!
Working with ICAT was easy. We had only one point of contact, Kim Perkins, who was extremely professional, responsive and easy to work with.
Just as my novel was about to debut, a building I own was damaged. It’s home to four people as well as a shop that welcomes hundreds of customers. And so the loss not only touched my life, but the lives of many other people who depended on me to take care of this unexpected event. ICAT Boulder Claims acted swiftly, professionally and, most importantly, with kind understanding, as they assessed the damage, documented the loss and compensated me fairly. Without their prompt and courteous attention, it would have been a different story. Instead, thanks to ICAT Boulder Claims, I was able to help the residents, the shop owner and her customers get their daily lives back to normal. And I could celebrate the publication of my novel. Thank you so much.
Bringing It All Together
At the end of the day, our mission remains the same—to help our policyholders rebuild after a disaster. If and when the time comes that loss to your property occurs, you can rest assured we have your back, every step of the way. For a condensed version of the claims process, check out this video.