Press Release: Last Day to Submit Hurricane Sandy Claims for Review is 9/15/15

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Telephone 202-646-3444
Private Sector Advisory
July 21, 2015

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is reminding National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders, who filed a claim as a result of Hurricane Sandy, that they have 60 days to register to have their claim files reviewed if they believe their claims were underpaid. FEMA set a Sept. 15, 2015 as the last day for policyholders to register.

FEMA is committed to ensuring every NFIP policyholder who filed a claim as a result of Hurricane Sandy receives every dollar they are due under their policy. The NFIP established a process for Hurricane Sandy survivors to have their claims reviewed. Where warranted, additional payments will be made to those policyholders.
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 atwww.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 call800-462-7585 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 highly 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.

If you have questions, please contact FEMA's Intergovernmental Affairs Division at (202) 646-3444 or at FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema,www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.

Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities
at www.twitter.com/craigatfema The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.