Commissioner of Insurance State of Louisiana Jim Donelon
Last year the Louisiana Department of Insurance collected more than 22 million dollars for insurance policyholders who filed complaints against their insurers for underpayments.
About 19 million of that was related to Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said that’s more than triple what was collected in 2019.
“Because of the avalanche of claims we had coming out of Laura, Delta, and Zeta, almost 1,000 as a result of the record hurricane year,” said Donelon.
The three storms combined to cause 7.7 billion dollars in paid claims by insurers in Louisiana.
Donelon explained what a typical complaint looks like.
“The policyholder will say they get a roofer, the roofer will come out and say you need a new roof. The adjuster will get a roofer and they will come out and say no we can patch this for a fraction of the cost of a new roof,” said Donelon who adds once that impasse is reached and the insurer refuses to pay for the new roof, the policyholder is encouraged to talk to their agent first, but afterwards can file a complaint with LDI.
Donelon says they don’t have the authority to force companies to pay you a certain amount, but they can help you reach a mediated settlement. If you’d like to file a complaint visit their website.
“It is a one page complaint form, a small paragraph of what your issue is, and information like name, address, and importantly, your policy number,” said Donelon.
The Office of Consumer Services, which handles the complaints, was formed in 2015.
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