2014-13 Electronic Appointment Procedures for Temporary Adjusters

TO: FROM: RE: DATE: South Carolina Department of Insurance Capitol Cenler 1201 Main Street, Suite 1000 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Moiling Address: P.O. Box 100105, Columbia, S.C. 29202·3105 Telephone: (1103) 737.6160 BULLETIN NUMBER 2014-13 NIKKI R. HALEY Governor RAYMOND G. FARMER Director ALL LICENSED INSURERS AND PRODUCERS TRANSACTING BUSINESS IN SOUTH CAROLINA RaymondG. Farmer I~ ).4(;~",,~ .... --- Director of Insurance ~. Electronic Appointment Procedures for Temporary Adjusters September 26, 2014 The South Carolina Department of Insurance (Department) is a member of the state's emergency response team charged with the responsibility of coordinating South Carolina's disaster preparation, response, and recovery efforts. When a disaster occurs, the Department provides the Governor and South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) with critical information about the amount and extent of property losses as well as other damage assessments. The Department and SCEMD recognize that the sooner insurers have information about the extent of damage caused by a disaster, the quicker they can marshal their resources and deploy adjusters to the field to assist policyholders and process claims checks. South Carolina law allows insurers to bring in adjusters to assist with the claims assessment process provided they comply with the temporary licensing procedures established under South Carolina law. The Department issues temporary permits to these adjusters and assists with the entry and re-entry process to impacted areas. The Department is in the process of automating the licensing process for temporary or emergency adjusters to enhance the state's recovery efforts. The licensing procedures for emergency or temporary adjusters may be accessed on the Department's website at http://www.doi.sc.gov. Set forth below is additional information about the automation of this licensing process and the plans for testing and deployment of this electronic licensing system. A. Deployment Date On July 1, 2014, the Department deployed an electronic system for Emergency Adjuster appointments. B. Submitting Appointment Information Insurers (users) will be able to register the temporary adjusters who will be appointed by their companies and deployed to impacted areas if necessary. Users will be able to electronically enter and save data for multiple adjusters through a fillable Excel spreadsheet which will be saved as a CSV file in order to electronically submit the data via a web upload process. To view the record layout, instructions, and the Department Emergency Adjuster Template for this process, please go to http://www.doi.sc.gov/357/Emergency-Adjuster. The template can be created before the emergency is declared and we urge insurers to obtain the user ID and password in advance by contacting IRMMAIL@doLsc.gov. When an emergency has been declared, please follow the upload procedure below: Procedure for Upload 1. Go to the Department Home Page at www.doLsc.gov. 2. On the right side ofthe Home Page, select "$ Online Services." 3. Under Registered Company Users scroll down and select "Emergency Adjuster & Disaster Insurance Adjuster Re-entry Permit." 4. Once the next page appears, enter your company's user ID and password and select "Login." 5. The Login Successful page will appear. Select "Emergency Adjuster Appointment & Disaster Insurance Adjuster Re-entry Permit." The "Terms of Use" page will display. After reading the "Terms of Use," enter the Company Contact Name and Company Contact Phone Number located at the bottom of the page. Select "I Agree." If this is not the first time you are uploading, the Company Contact Name and Company Contact Phone Number will be populated with the information that was provided during the last upload. Please edit if necessary and select "I Agree." 6. The "Upload Adjuster Information" page will appear. c. Printing Reentry Permits Upon successful upload you will be provided with the reentry permit(s). You may either save or print reentry permits by selecting the appropriate button that is available on the page. The system will allow users to reprint reentry permits up to 120 days from the initial appointment. If an extension is granted, the system will allow users to reprint the reentry permits with a new expiration date. Procedure for Reprinting Reentry Permits 1. Go to the Department Home Page at www.doi.sc.gov. 2. On the right side of the Home Page, select "$ Online Services." 3. Under Registered Company Users scroll down and select "RePrint ReEntry Permits." 4. Once the next page appears, enter your company's user ID and password and select "Login." 5. The Login Successful page will appear. Select "RePrint ReEntry Permits." 6. You will be provided with the list of "Appointed Emergency Adjusters submitted by Company." 7. By each name is an "Image Button." Select this button to print. You may also print the permits for all Emergency Adjusters by selecting "Print All" button. Please direct any questions or concerns to Christine Lanigan, Manager of Individual Licensing and Education Services, at clanigan@doi.sc.gov.