09/01/2013
PROPERTY INSURANCE CLAIMS
General Liability Claims
September 1, 2013
A General Liability claim is any incident involving injury or personal property loss to a resident(s), team member or visitor to the community.
Examples:
· Resident loses balance and falls on wobbly step.
· Resident’s vehicle is damaged or stolen.
Whenever you are faced with an incident involving general liability, please take the following steps (see Safety Manual for further detail):
· Community Managers complete the Benchmark General Liability Incident Report (Benchmark Intranet).
- Provide as much information and documentation concerning the potential claim as possible. Be sure to include the address and telephone number(s) of the claimant. Indicate whether or not you believe a claim will be filed.
· Take pictures if appropriate (i.e. broken step, crack in sidewalk). Copy pictures to CD ROM for permanent archival.
· Notify the Regional Manager immediately by telephone if the incident involves a potential litigation (serious accident, assault).
· As part of the incident report follow-up, respond to the incident report recipients with pertinent information such as witness statements, police and weather reports, logs, pictures, etc.
NOTE: Timing of the notification can be CRITICAL. DO NOT delay sending information.
· Often times a representative of the insurance carrier/broker will contact you directly. Do not at any time speak with anyone or provide any information or documentation unless you PREVIOUSLY received notification from a Benchmark representative that such individual would be contacting you. Please cooperate with their requests. Most requests are via email. ALWAYS REPLY TO ALL when responding.
· Often, a settlement will be negotiated by the corporate office or carrier/broker. You may be asked to assist with this settlement. If settlement is reached, a check will be sent to the Community Manager along with a Release of all Claims form.
Have the claimant sign the Release in front of a witness and notary public before releasing the check. Send the original Release to the Insurance Coordinator or corporate representative, as you are instructed at the time.
· If it is not possible to settle the claim in-house, the Insurance Coordinator will forward all information to the insurance company for handling.
· If initial questions on Benchmark intranet conclude a General Liability Report as well as Property Damage Report are required, please ensure when you complete one you go back and complete the other. These go to different carriers, so it is very important to ensure both are done.
Any additional information you receive regarding any claim or potential claim should be forwarded to all original recipients.
If you have any questions concerning this process or submitting a claim, please contact Benchmark’s Insurance Coordinator first. However, if contacted by Benchmark’s claim representative at First Niagara, you are authorized to discuss the incident.
PROPERTY INSURANCE CLAIMS
Property Damage Claims
September 1, 2013
A Property Damage claim is any incident involving damage, theft or loss of property belonging to or leased by Benchmark.
Examples:
· A resident leaves his apartment with a pot burning on the stove. The pot begins to burn causing the stove and vent hood to catch fire.
· Damage to roofs from Mother Nature.
Whenever you are faced with an incident involving property damage, please take the following steps:
· Community Managers complete the Benchmark Property Damage Report (Benchmark Intranet).
- Be sure to include the date of loss, date of report, estimate of damages and full description of loss.
· Take pictures. Copy pictures to CD ROM for permanent archival.
· As part of the incident report follow-up, respond to the incident report recipients with pertinent information such as witness statements, police and weather reports, logs, pictures, etc.
· Often times a representative of the insurance carrier/broker will contact you directly. Do not at any time speak with anyone or provide any information or documentation unless you PREVIOUSLY received notification from a Benchmark representative that such individual would be contacting you. Please cooperate with their requests. Any correspondence regarding this claim is often done via email. ALWAYS REPLY TO ALL when responding.
· If initial questions on Benchmark intranet conclude a General Liability Report as well as a Property Damage Report are required, please ensure when you complete one you go back and complete the other. These go to different carriers, so it is very important to ensure bother are done.
Restoration efforts will be handled by Construction Division if scope warrants.
If you have any questions concerning this process or submitting a claim, please contact Benchmark’s Insurance Coordinator first. However, if contacted by Benchmark’s claim representative at M & T Insurance Agency, you are authorized to discuss incident.
PROPERTY INSURANCE CLAIMS
Automobile Claims
September 1, 2013
An Automobile claim is any incident involving an accident with a Benchmark owned or leased vehicle or employee owned or leased vehicle being used for Benchmark business which results in injury to another person, damage to the vehicle and/or damage to Benchmark’s vehicle.
Examples:
· Service Team member, while transporting a snow blower from one area of the community to another, slips on a patch of ice and runs into a resident’s parked car.
· Assistant Manager, on a work related bank run, makes a blind turn and accidentally hits a pedestrian.
Whenever one of Benchmark’s vehicles is involved in an accident, please take the following steps:
· Call the police immediately.
· If anyone is injured, call for medical attention.
· Get the names, addresses and insurance information of people involved, including any witnesses.
· Complete the Benchmark Incident Report (Benchmark Intranet).
· As part of the incident report follow-up, respond to the incident report recipients with pertinent information such as witness statements, police and weather reports, logs, pictures, etc.
· Send any additional documentation (bills, correspondence, etc.) to the Insurance Coordinator.
· For incidents involving injury to a team member, follow the Workers’ Compensation claims reporting procedure in the Human Resource Manual.
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