California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner recently hosteda roundtable meeting with high-level insurance executives todiscuss how to improve the recovery process for victims of thesouthern California wildfires.

Poizner called the meeting after collecting feedback fromsurvivors and announced plans to reform the claim-handling processfor the disaster. The summit also served as an arena for Poizner tocall insurers to action by adopting his proposed, voluntary reformsto provide claim-handling practices that will benefit wildfiresurvivors and respond appropriately to their needs.

Minimum standards were proposed at the meeting in an attempt tocreate a uniform system for handling the claims of those affectedby the wildfires. According to the California Department ofInsurance, many of the larger insurance companies have agreed tocomply with Poizner's recommendations, which include:

Billing leniency for fire victims in disaster areas

Inventory process simplification

Expedite processing of additional living expense payments

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