Emergency Flexibilities Announced
The RMA Announces Emergency Flexibilities for Louisiana Policyholders Affected by Ida
Due to infrastructure damage in Louisiana caused by Hurricane Ida, the RMA announced on September 27 that it will allow AIPs to extend the deadline to increase coverage levels on policies and applicable endorsements (such as HIP-WI and SCO) until October 29, 2021 for certain producers.
Hurricane damage impacting transportation, electricity, communications, and other utilities, in addition to ongoing pandemic restrictions, have made it difficult for some policyholders to meet with their agents and discuss their crop insurance needs. These flexiblities were creating in order to allow such policyholders the opportunity to safely meet with their agent before making a final decision regarding their insurance coverage levels.
Specifically, as stated in Manager's Bulletin MGR-21-011, Approved Insurance Providers may elect to allow:
- Carryover insureds to increase coverage levels for crop policies on or before October 29, 2021. All other requirements regarding changes in coverage level continue to apply and this flexibility does not extend the sales closing date or otherwise change any duty of the policy which uses the sales closing date as a deadline.
- New insureds who submitted an application by the sales closing date to increase the coverage level for crop policies on or before October 29, 2021. This does not modify any other requirement for new insureds and does not extend the sales closing date or otherwise change any duty of the policy which uses the sales closing date as a deadline.
- New and carryover insureds to increase the coverage level for applicable endorsements (e.g. Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index (HIP-WI) or the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO)) on or before October 29, 2021. All other applicable endorsement requirements must be met.
This extension is available for crops with a September 30, 2021 sales closing date. The extension will be limited to regions in which HIP-WI indemnities were triggered and which are located in the parishes of Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermillion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.
These flexibilities are in addition to those announced in RMA bulletin MGR-21-010.