UPDATE: On April 18, 2018, the deadline for TWIA policyholders to request appraisal on their Harvey claim was extended. The new deadline is 180 days from the day a policyholder received their most recent Notice of Claim Acceptance (in full or in part) letter.  

Note: Some commercial policies have a 150-day deadline. For more details, please refer to www.twia.org/extensionletter.

Dear Agent,

If you have a client with a Hurricane Harvey claim, we want you to be aware of the TWIA policy appraisal process and the deadlines for requesting appraisal. If a policyholder does not request appraisal by the deadline, they waive the right to dispute the amount TWIA has agreed to pay for the covered portion of their loss.

What is the Deadline to Demand Appraisal? 

For Hurricane Harvey claims, the deadline to demand appraisal is 120 days from the date the policyholder receives their most recent claims notice letter - "Notice of Claim Acceptance" or "Notice of Claim Acceptance in Part and Denial in Part" - from TWIA stating we accept their claim in part of in full. As a reminder, the deadline to demand appraisal for non-Harvey claims is 60 days from receipt of the claims notice letter.

TWIA uses the most recently sent letter to mark the beginning of the appraisal deadline. For example, if TWIA sent a Notice of Claim Acceptance letter in September, followed by another Notice of Claim Acceptance letter (after a supplemental payment was made) in November, the deadline to demand appraisal would start the day the policyholder received the second notice letter in November.

Need More Time?

Insurance Code §2210.574(c) allows the policyholder to request an additional 30 days to demand appraisal, if the request is made within 15 days of the end of their appraisal deadline.

If the policyholder is at risk of missing the appraisal deadline, they can contact TWIA, demand appraisal, and ask us to postpone the appraisal process while we work with them directly to resolve the dispute. If we are unable to resolve the dispute, we can still proceed with the formal appraisal process at the policyholders' direction.

Three Options to Dispute Claims: Working with TWIA, Appraisal, Litigation

Appraisal is the process to dispute the amount TWIA has agreed to pay for the covered portion of a loss. Litigation is the process to dispute whether a loss is covered by TWIA or not. The policyholder has two years from the date they receive their Notice of Claim Acceptance in Part and Denial in Part, or Notice of Claim Denial letter to notify TWIA that they intend to file a lawsuit.

If your client is contemplating either the appraisal or litigation process, please remind them they can contact TWIA at any time so we may attempt to address any unmet needs and provide a timely resolution. If they are contemplating appraisal, working with TWIA may also prevent them from incurring any out-of-pocket or additional costs associated with that process.

Learn More

You may visit our website to learn more about the process and conditions for appraisal and litigation. The full rules for these options are outlined in all TWIA policies.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 800-788-8247, Option 1, or email claims@twia.org.

Sincerely,

Texas Windstorm Insurance Association