How to File a Fire or Flood Claim

Notify EH&S Risk Management, (858) 534-2454. Risk Management will:

• Determine if the incident is covered
• Send you a claim form.
  The paperwork and evidence you collect in the following steps will eventually be submitted with the claim form.
  

  OR

  Call the university's third-party administrator directly at 1-800-416-4029 to report a claim.

• Make a list of damaged or destroyed items.
• Take pictures of all damage to the building and property.

• Read Basic Property Insurance to find out which items and costs are covered.
• Note these exclusions:
  • Personal property is not covered unless officially loaned to the university.
  • Research is not reimbursable.
  • Moving costs are not covered.
  • Repair or replacement of the source of the damage is not reimbursable.
  • The cost of material only — not the time put into it — is covered.
• Keep track of covered costs that are incurred after the fire or flood, including (but not limited to):
  • Overtime pay (regular time is not covered)
  • Storage fees
  • Demolition costs

• Collect the following paperwork:
  • Original purchase orders
  • Inventory listings
• Write a statement describing the effort to locate purchase orders or inventory listings that can't be found.

• Repair the item:
  • Obtain a repair quote from a vendor.
    Note: Contact EH&S Risk Management, (858) 534-2454, before authorizing the repair if repairing will cost more than a new item.
  • Have the item repaired.
• Follow these steps if an item can't be repaired:
  • Request a letter from the vendor verifying that the property is too damaged to be repaired.
    Note: Only items that can't be repaired will be replaced.
  • Replace the item with equivalent property. If the replacement is of better quality, the department must pay the difference.
• If property is not replaced or repaired, the department will receive the item's actual cash value. Values are determined by Risk Management and adjusted for depreciation.
• Note the following costs:
  • Departments are responsible for a deductible of $5,000 per fire or flood. Prorated deductibles apply when several departments are involved.
  • For claims worth more than $50,000, the department must pay 10% of costs over $50,000. These expenses can be split with other departments affected by the loss.

• Send your claim form and paperwork to Risk Management within 45 days of claim initiation:
  • Mail Code: 0925
  • Fax: (858) 534-5202
• Contact EH&S Risk Management to request an extension if you can't meet the 45-day deadline.
• Expect claim processing to take a few months because of the following factors:
  • Several departments are usually involved; final costs and paperwork from all parties must be submitted to Risk Management before the claim can be processed.
  • After review by Risk Management, the claim is sent to the Office of the President – Risk Management for review within 30 days. If approved, funding occurs within 2 months.
  • If an outside vendor is responsible, funding could be delayed even longer.

• Obtain approval from Risk Management before disposing of damaged items.
• Notify Equipment Management if damaged items qualify as equipment and learn Ways to Dispose of Inventorial Equipment for more information.