Claims Reporting Procedures
By Carter McAuley, Brokerage Service Manager
My insured has a claim, now what?
No insured wants to go through the stress of having a claim, or even face a condition that may lead to a claim. But in the unfortunate event that a claim is made or a possible incident occurs, it is extremely important to follow correct claims reporting procedures to protect your insured.
How to report a claim
Claims should be reported directly to the carrier. This serves to protect your insured’s interests, as reporting claims to an agent or broker may not meet the policy condition to report “all losses to the carrier in a timely manner,” a requirement of insurance carriers. In addition, reporting claims directly to the carrier helps minimize the time and number of people involved in the filing procedures, which can help streamline claims processing and avoid confusion. The carrier can then work directly with the insured to collect additional documentation and provide status updates.
When reporting a claim or incident to the carrier, it is best to include as much written/documented information as possible; in fact, this is also part of the claims reporting conditions on most policies. The more information that can be provided up front, the better the carrier is able to assess the claim situation and determine handling.
Every carrier has their own claim reporting procedures and these are listed in the insured’s policy. Beacon Hill also has claim contact information for our carriers on file and we can give you that upon request. If you do report a claim to Beacon Hill, we will always forward that information on to the carrier(s), but all of our carriers have twenty-four hour claim hotlines for insureds or agents to contact directly, which help ensure a faster response time.
While we do recommend that claims be reported directly to the carrier, Beacon Hill is happy to help with any claim situations that require special attention. We will always work with you and with the carrier to the best of our ability to help resolve any confusion or clarify questions you or the insured may have that go beyond the carrier’s claims adjusters.
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