By Wade Shuler, SVP of Reinsurance and Special Products
As hailstorm season is in full swing for the summer, we would like to provide a few tips and reminders about submitting crop insurance claims, including Crop Hail claims. Feel free to share this information with your producers and contact your AgriSompo representative with any questions.
When is a claim submitted for a Crop Hail policy?
AgriSompo's Crop Hail program protects against loss to a crop caused by hail, fire or vandalism. During transport to the first place of storage, collision, overturn, and collapse of bridges, docks and culverts are also covered.
Optional Crop Hail endorsements are available which may provide additional coverage. For example:
-
The Wind Endorsement provides additional coverage for direct damage from wind, including Green Snap, to a growing corn crop.
-
The Extra Harvest Expense (EHE) Endorsement covers additional harvest expenses incurred due to wind.
-
The Fodder Endorsement covers leaf defoliation to field corn as a direct result of hail. This coverage will help our farmers and ranchers who depend on the leaf area to provide silage feed.
-
The Replant Endorsement covers potential replanting costs.
How to file a crop insurance claim
To initiate a claim for a damaged crop, policyholders should first contact their crop insurance agent.
The policyholder must notify their agent within 72 hours of the initial discovery of damage to the crop or loss of production (but not later than 15 days after the end of the insurance period, even if the crop has not been harvested).
The agent should then notify AgriSompo of the claim no later than the first business day following the policyholder's loss notification. AgriNet Connect, our mobile application, allows agents to submit a notice of loss right from their phone. Both agents and policyholders may then use the app to track the status of the claim at any time. Click here to get started with AgriNet Connect.
Claim adjustment
An AgriSompo claims adjuster will make an appointment to inspect the damaged crop as soon as possible – usually within seven to 10 business days for crop hail claims. The adjuster will determine whether the damage to the crop is such that a claim will be paid.
While waiting for the adjuster to inspect the crop, it is very important that the policyholder DOES NOT:
-
Destroy any of the crop.
-
Disk or plow the field.
-
Replant the crop.
What to expect during adjustment
Once an adjuster is assigned, the policyholder will be contacted directly by that adjuster, normally within 24 hours. An appointment will be made for an inspection.
The farmer is expected and welcome to be present during this inspection; the adjuster needs to hear what they found and when they found it.
If available, Farm Service Agency (FSA) or Precision Farming documents should be provided to the adjuster to show the number of acres and the locations of the insured crops.
Why you can trust AgriSompo's claims team
Adjusting a crop insurance claim is not guesswork; it is a precise and disciplined process. AgriSompo’s adjusters have extensive classroom and field training, and each adjuster is required to re-certify every year. Our adjusters spend a great deal of time studying and attending additional trainings to maintain this certification.
Our adjusters carefully prepare for each claim before contacting the policyholder. When they arrive at the field, they will be familiar with the farmer's policy and will be ready to explain their options.
After the adjustment is done, the rest of our claims team will work to ensure that any claim is paid accurately and as quickly as possible. Most claims are paid within 72 hours of the adjuster's review.