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What to expect in a major claim

Five things you should expect from our SECURA claims team.

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SECURA claims team delivers genuine compassion, care, and service

It’s a heart-stopping moment when you realize your property has been destroyed.

Adrenaline and emotions are in overdrive, and it’s difficult to think clearly. You are so overwhelmed, but thankfully, if you have insurance coverage from SECURA, you won’t have to go through this alone.

What should you do? What should you expect? Here are five things you should expect from our SECURA claims team if you face a disaster.

Step 1: Call SECURA’s 24/7 claims number

No matter when you call, you’ll get a live person who is going to help you through your claim.

On nights and weekends, our answering service puts you in touch with one of our experienced claims supervisors or large loss professionals, who are trained in assessing and addressing a variety of claims. They’ll walk you through what you need to do immediately and let you know when you can expect a follow-up call from SECURA.

If the claim has the potential to be a “large loss”, something like a barn fire or a tornado that ripped a building off the foundation, a claims representative will call the policyholder within an hour of first notice.

Step 2: Identify immediate needs and concerns

The on-call claims representative will help as much as possible by phone and assign a remote claims associate near you.

“It’s not unusual for our claims representatives to get there while a fire’s still smoldering or the dust is still settling,” said Devin O’Brien, Claims Supervisor. “We’re there to address immediate needs and alleviate concerns whether that’s securing the site, or even setting up a place for a dairy farmer to milk their cows.”

As traumatic as it can be for policyholders, our claims team has extensive experience in helping handle these immediate needs. Usually, within a day or two, the policyholder receives an advance payment to help cover immediate needs.

Step 3: Investigate the cause of the loss

It’s important to understand what caused the loss.

“We find that our customers want to know how a fire, for example, started. It offers some peace of mind and can help them avoid a recurrence,” Devin said. “It’s important from our standpoint as well because the coverage applies differently depending on the cause.”

See what other SECURA customers say about their claims experiences

After the immediate needs are addressed, SECURA will investigate large claims, and in some cases, brings in an outside expert. According to Devin, “We don’t want the loss to happen to you again or to anyone else, so we would like to understand the cause. In some cases, we’re able to use the information to help our other policyholders be safer.”

Step 4: Coverage meeting to discuss ways to make the policyholder “whole”

Within a few days, the SECURA claims representative sits down with a policyholder for a coverage meeting. At this meeting, they look over the policy coverage with you and the limits you selected with your agent.

“We also talk about the damage, the value, next steps, and a host of other things, so that you have a good understanding of how your SECURA policy will work for you,” Devin said. “Policy language can be tough to understand, so we answer any questions as we look for ways to cover your claim within the policy. Thankfully, our underwriters and agents do a great job of assessing risk and property values, so policyholders usually have the coverage they need.”

Afterward, the policyholder receives a recap by mail or email, so they can refer to it as they continue to recover.

Step 5: Payments and continued service

After the coverage meeting, we process the claim, so you get a check for the actual cash value of the lost property. Most SECURA policies also include replacement cost coverage, and the claims process continues as the policyholder rebuilds or replaces the insured property.

When the work is complete, the policyholder receives another payment, marking the end of the claim.

Compassionate claims service

Genuine isn’t some kind of buzz word at SECURA, and our Claims department is nothing if not genuine. “Honestly, I hope you never need to work with a member of our large loss team,” Devin said. “But if you do, I want you to know how much we care. We will be there to assist you, to help you recover, and to do everything we can to help you get back to the life you had before the claim.”

If you would like to learn more about the quality of our claims service with SECURA, ask your independent agent or read our reviews online.

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