State Officials Visiting Toms River Monday to Help With Sandy Insurance Claims

Locals continuing to navigate the Superstorm Sandy recovery process are invited to meet with state representatives for help Monday in Toms River.

Staff from the Department of Banking and Insurance, the American Arbitration Association, and the operator of the state’s mediation program will be in town hall’s Hirshblond Meeting Room, 33 Washington St., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the governor’s office.

There, officials will answer questions, explain and answer questions about the mediation program, and assist property owners with Sandy insurance claims.

Launched in May, the mediation program allows property owners to submit unresolved automobile and commercial property claims to independent mediator who will review the case and assist in settlement discussions free of charge, the governor’s office said.

The Sandy Mediation Program does not currently include flood claims which are administered by the National Flood Insurance Program, though the state continues to invite the NFIP to include disputed claims in the mediation program, officials said.

According to officials, 96 percent of the non-flood insurance claims related to Sandy in New Jersey are closed, though more than 17,000 must be settled.

Ocean County has the largest number of unsettled non-flood, Sandy-related claims with 4,020, officials said.

In Toms River, 614 non-flood Sandy-related claims have not been closed. To date, there have been 465 requests for mediation, including 193 from Ocean County property owners, according to the governor’s office.

Property owners are asked to bring their insurance policy and any claim information to the mobile office, officials said.

More information on mediation is available by contacting insurance companies directly, contacting the American Arbitration Association at www.adr.org/njsandy, or by calling 855-366-9774, according to officials.

The state has already conducted mobile cabinets in Atlantic, Bergen, Cumberland, Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean counties.