In recognition of the declared state of emergency issued by the governor on August 18, the commissioner is calling on all P&C companies to implement emergency expedited claims handling procedures and billing grace periods to help the area recover more quickly.

Insurers should grant billing leniency for at least 60 days for those in designated wildfire disaster areas. Renewal notices and bills for any type of policy may have been lost or destroyed, and mail forwarding may not be possible.

Insurers should adopt a standard ALE advance payment of at least 4 months, and additional ALE beyond that should be available upon proper documentation of additional expenses upon policyholder request. Advance payment is necessary during a disaster for emergency lodging, food, clothing and other necessities.