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Insurance Abstract
In an exemplary embodiment, a server system provides a user interface
that allows users to submit a variety of claim data for an insurance
claim stemming from water damage to an insured property. The server
system utilizes the user-submitted claim data to generate additional
claim data. The user-submitted claim data and the generated claim
data together include (a) information on the damaged structural
materials within the insured property and (b) information on the
restoration of the damaged structural materials within the insured
property. The user interface of the server system presents multiple
web pages that display all of the claim data for the users so as
to enable management of the insurance claim. The users may comprise
an insurance carrier, a claim adjuster, an insurance agent, a claim
administrator, a contractor and/or a claimant.
Insurance Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for managing an insurance claim
relating to an insured property, comprising:receiving a plurality
of claim data from a plurality of users, wherein the claim data
comprises (a) information on the insured property, (b) information
on damaged structural materials of the insured property, (c) information
on the restoration of the damaged structural materials of the insured
property, and (d) information on a contractor assigned to the insurance
claim; andpresenting one or more web pages that display the claim
data for the users so as to enable management of the insurance claim.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of
the users comprises one of the following: an insurance carrier,
a claim adjuster, an insurance agent, a claim administrator, a contractor,
and a claimant.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the insurance
claim is processed by the claim administrator via access to the
web pages.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the insurance
claim is monitored by the claim adjuster via access to the web pages.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein at least
a portion of the claim data is submitted by the contractor via the
web pages.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of
the users is assigned a user identifier and a password for access
to the web pages.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the user
identifier and the password define the claim data that may be viewed
by the user.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:receiving
a user identifier and a password from one of the users;utilizing
the user identifier and the password to identify the claim data
that may be viewed by the user; andpresenting one or more web pages
that display the identified claim data.
9. A system for managing an insurance claim relating to an insured
property, comprising:a database server;a server system coupled to
the database server, wherein the server system:provides a user interface
that includes functionality for a plurality of users to submit a
plurality of claim data, wherein the claim data comprises (a) information
on the insured property, (b) information on damaged structural materials
of the insured property, (c) information on the restoration of the
damaged structural materials of the insured property, and (d) information
on a contractor assigned to the insurance claim;stores the claim
data in the database server in association with a claim identifier;
andwherein the user interface presents one or web pages that display
the claim data for the users so as to enable management of the insurance
claim.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the users comprises
one of the following: an insurance carrier, a claim adjuster, an
insurance agent, a claim administrator, a contractor, and a claimant.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the insurance claim is processed
by the claim administrator via the user interface of the server
system.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the insurance claim is monitored
by the claim adjuster via the user interface of the server system.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the claim
data is submitted by the contractor via the user interface of the
server system.
14. The system of claim 9, wherein the server system stores a user
identifier and a password for each of the users in the database
server.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user identifier and the
password define the claim data that may be viewed by the user.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user interface includes
functionality for a user to submit a user identifier and a password,
wherein the server system utilizes the user identifier and the password
to identify the claim data that may be viewed by the user, and wherein
the user interface presents one or more web pages that display the
identified claim data.
17. A computer-implemented method for managing an insurance claim
relating to an insured property, wherein the insurance claim stems
from water damage to the insured property and wherein at least one
drying chamber is established within the insured property, the method
comprising:receiving a plurality of claim data from a plurality
of users, wherein the claim data comprises (a) information on damaged
structural materials within the drying chamber and (b) information
on the restoration of the damaged structural materials within the
drying chamber; andpresenting one or more web pages that display
the claim data for the users so as to enable management of the insurance
claim.
18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein each of
the users comprises one of the following: an insurance carrier,
a claim adjuster, an insurance agent, a claim administrator, a contractor,
and a claimant.
19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the insurance
claim is processed by the claim administrator via access to the
web pages.
20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the insurance
claim is monitored by the claim adjuster via access to the web pages.
21. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein at least
a portion of the claim data is submitted by the contractor via access
to the web pages.
22. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the information
on the damaged structural materials comprises one or more of the
following: a description of the damaged structural materials, a
digital photograph of an origin of loss, a plurality of digital
photographs of the damaged structural materials prior to restoration,
and a plurality of thermal imaging photographs of the damaged structural
materials prior to restoration.
23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the information
on the damaged structural materials is submitted by a contractor
via access to the web pages.
24. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the information
on the restoration of the damaged structural materials comprises
one or more of the following: a list of restoration equipment, a
flooring diagram of the drying chamber, a category and a class of
water loss for the drying chamber, a plurality of dimension measurements
for one or more rooms within the drying chamber, a plurality of
inspection readings taken on a plurality of inspection dates, and
a plurality of target values for at least a portion of the inspection
readings.
25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the inspection
readings comprise one or more of the following: a plurality of temperature
readings taken at a plurality of inspection locations, a plurality
of relative humidity readings taken at a plurality of inspection
locations, and a plurality of moisture content readings of the damaged
structural materials.
26. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the data
submitted by the contractor further comprises a plurality of photographs
taken on a plurality of inspection dates, wherein each of the photographs
comprises one or more of the following: a digital photograph of
the damaged structural materials during restoration, a thermal imaging
photograph of the damaged structural materials during restoration,
a digital photograph of the restoration equipment, a digital photograph
of the restoration equipment implemented within the drying chamber,
a digital photograph evidencing one of the inspection readings.
27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the information
on the restoration of the damaged structural materials is submitted
by a contractor via access to the web pages.
28. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising
utilizing the claim data to generate a plurality of additional claim
data, wherein the additional claim data comprises one or more of
the following: air movement requirements for the drying chamber,
dehumidification requirements for the drying chamber, a history
of restoration equipment implemented within the drying chamber,
a plurality of specific humidity values for a plurality of inspection
dates, a graph plotting the specific humidity values in relation
to the inspection dates, a plurality of grain depression values
for a plurality of inspection dates, a graph plotting the grain
depression values in relation to the inspection dates, a plurality
of temperature values for a plurality of inspection dates, and a
graph plotting the temperature values in relation to the inspection
dates.
29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, wherein the web
pages also display the additional claim data for the users so as
to enable management of the insurance claim.
30. A system for managing an insurance claim relating to an insured
property, wherein the insurance claim stems from water damage to
the insured property and wherein at least one drying chamber is
established within the insured property, the system comprising:a
database server;a server system coupled to the database server,
wherein the server system:provides a user interface that includes
functionality for a plurality of users to submit a plurality of
claim data, wherein the claim data comprises (a) information on
damaged structural materials within the drying chamber and (b) information
on the restoration of the damaged structural materials within the
drying chamber;stores the claim data in the database server in association
with a claim identifier; andwherein the user interface presents
one or web pages that display the claim data for the users so as
to enable management of the insurance claim.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein each of the users comprises
one of the following: an insurance carrier, a claim adjuster, an
insurance agent, a claim administrator, a contractor, and a claimant.
32. The system of claim 31, wherein the insurance claim is processed
by the claim administrator via the user interface of the server
system.
33. The system of claim 31, wherein the insurance claim is monitored
by the claim adjuster via the user interface of the server system.
34. The system of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the claim
data is submitted by the contractor via the user interface of the
server system.
35. The system of claim 30, wherein the information on the damaged
structural materials comprises one or more of the following: a description
of the damaged structural materials, a digital photograph of an
origin of loss, a plurality of digital photographs of the damaged
structural materials prior to restoration, and a plurality of thermal
imaging photographs of the damaged structural materials prior to
restoration.
36. The system of claim 35, wherein the information on the damaged
structural materials is submitted by a contractor via the user interface
of the server system.
37. The system of claim 30, wherein the information on the restoration
of the damaged structural materials comprises one or more of the
following: a list of restoration equipment, a flooring diagram of
the drying chamber, a category and a class of water loss for the
drying chamber, a plurality of dimension measurements for one or
more rooms within the drying chamber, a plurality of inspection
readings taken on a plurality of inspection dates, and a plurality
of target values for at least a portion of the inspection readings.
38. The system of claim 37, wherein the inspection readings comprise
one or more of the following: a plurality of temperature readings
taken at a plurality of inspection locations, a plurality of relative
humidity readings taken at a plurality of inspection locations,
and a plurality of moisture content readings of the damaged structural
materials.
39. The system of claim 37, wherein the information on the restoration
of the damaged structural materials further comprises a plurality
of photographs taken on a plurality of inspection dates, wherein
each of the photographs comprises one or more of the following:
a digital photograph of the damaged structural materials during
restoration, a thermal imaging photograph of the damaged structural
materials during restoration, a digital photograph of the restoration
equipment, a digital photograph of the restoration equipment implemented
within the drying chamber, a digital photograph evidencing one of
the inspection readings.
40. The system of claim 39, wherein the information on the restoration
of the damaged structural materials is submitted by a contractor
via the user interface of the server system.
41. The system of claim 30, wherein the server system utilizes
the claim data to generate a plurality of additional claim data,
wherein the additional claim data comprises one or more of the following:
air movement requirements for the drying chamber, dehumidification
requirements for the drying chamber, a history of restoration equipment
implemented within the drying chamber, a plurality of specific humidity
values for a plurality of inspection dates, a graph plotting the
specific humidity values in relation to the inspection dates, a
plurality of grain depression values for a plurality of inspection
dates, a graph plotting the grain depression values in relation
to the inspection dates, a plurality of temperature values for a
plurality of inspection dates, and a graph plotting the temperature
values in relation to the inspection dates.
42. The system of claim 41, wherein the web pages also display
the additional claim data for the users so as to enable management
of the insurance claim.
43. A computer-implemented method for managing an insurance claim
relating to an insured property, wherein the insurance claim stems
from water damage to the insured property and wherein at least one
drying chamber is established within the insured property, the method
comprising:receiving a plurality of claim data from a contractor,
wherein the claim data comprises one or more of the following: a
description of damaged structural materials, a digital photograph
of an origin of loss, a digital photograph of the damaged structural
materials prior to restoration, a thermal imaging photograph of
the damaged structural materials prior to restoration, a list of
restoration equipment, a flooring diagram of the drying chamber,
a class of water loss for the drying chamber, a plurality of dimension
measurements for one or more rooms within the drying chamber, a
plurality of temperature readings taken at a plurality of inspection
locations on a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality of relative
humidity readings taken at a plurality of inspection locations on
a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality of moisture content
readings of the damaged structural materials taken on a plurality
of inspection dates, a plurality of target values for the moisture
content readings, a plurality of digital photographs of the damaged
structural materials on a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality
of thermal imaging photographs of the damaged structural materials
on a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality of digital photographs
of the restoration equipment, a plurality of digital photographs
of the restoration equipment implemented within the drying chamber,
a plurality of digital photographs evidencing the temperature readings,
a plurality of digital photographs evidencing the relative humidity
readings, and a plurality of digital photographs evidencing the
moisture content readings;utilizing at least a portion of the claim
data received from the contractor to generate a plurality of additional
claim data, wherein the additional claim data comprises one or more
of the following: air movement requirements for the drying chamber,
dehumidification requirements for the drying chamber, a history
of restoration equipment implemented within the drying chamber,
a plurality of specific humidity values for a plurality of inspection
dates, a graph plotting the specific humidity values in relation
to the inspection dates, a plurality of grain depression values
for a plurality of inspection dates, a graph plotting the grain
depression values in relation to the inspection dates, a plurality
of temperature values for a plurality of inspection dates, and a
graph plotting the temperature values in relation to the inspection
dates; andpresenting one or more web pages that display the claim
data and the additional claim data for a plurality of users so as
to enable management of the insurance claim.
44. The computer-implemented method of claim 43, wherein each of
the users comprises one of the following: an insurance carrier,
a claim adjuster, an insurance agent, a claim administrator, a contractor,
and a claimant.
45. The computer-implemented method of claim 44, wherein the insurance
claim is processed by the claim administrator via access to the
web pages.
46. The computer-implemented method of claim 44, wherein the insurance
claim is monitored by the claim adjuster via access to the web pages.
47. The computer-implemented method of claim 43, wherein each of
the users is assigned a user identifier and a password for access
to the web pages.
48. The computer-implemented method of claim 47, wherein the user
identifier and the password define the claim data and/or the additional
claim data that may be viewed by the user.
49. The computer-implemented method of claim 48, further comprising:receiving
a user identifier and a password from one of the users;utilizing
the user identifier and the password to identify the claim data
and/or the additional claim data that may be viewed by the user;
andpresenting one or more web pages that display the identified
claim data and/or the identified additional claim data.
50. A system for managing an insurance claim relating to an insured
property, wherein the insurance claim stems from water damage to
the insured property and wherein at least one drying chamber is
established within the insured property, the method comprising:a
database server;a server system coupled to the database server,
wherein the server system:provides a user interface that includes
functionality for a contractor to submit a plurality of claim data,
wherein the claim data comprises one or more of the following: a
description of damaged structural materials, a digital photograph
of an origin of loss, a digital photograph of the damaged structural
materials prior to restoration, a thermal imaging photograph of
the damaged structural materials prior to restoration, a list of
restoration equipment, a flooring diagram of the drying chamber,
a category and a class of water loss for the drying chamber, a plurality
of dimension measurements for one or more rooms within the drying
chamber, a plurality of temperature readings taken at a plurality
of inspection locations on a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality
of relative humidity readings taken at a plurality of inspection
locations on a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality of moisture
content readings of the damaged structural materials taken on a
plurality of inspection dates, a plurality of target values for
the moisture content readings, a plurality of digital photographs
of the damaged structural materials on a plurality of inspection
dates, a plurality of thermal imaging photographs of the damaged
structural materials on a plurality of inspection dates, a plurality
of digital photographs of the restoration equipment, a plurality
of digital photographs of the restoration equipment implemented
within the drying chamber, a plurality of digital photographs evidencing
the temperature readings, a plurality of digital photographs evidencing
the relative humidity readings, and a plurality of digital photographs
evidencing the moisture content readings;utilizes at least a portion
of the claim data received from the contractor to generate a plurality
of additional claim data, wherein the additional claim data comprises
one or more of the following: air movement requirements for the
drying chamber, dehumidification requirements for the drying chamber,
a history of restoration equipment implemented within the drying
chamber, a plurality of specific humidity values for a plurality
of inspection dates, a graph plotting the specific humidity values
in relation to the inspection dates, a plurality of grain depression
values for a plurality of inspection dates, a graph plotting the
grain depression values in relation to the inspection dates, a plurality
of temperature values for a plurality of inspection dates, and a
graph plotting the temperature values in relation to the inspection
dates;stores the claim data and the additional claim data in the
database server in association with a claim identifier; andwherein
the user interface presents one or web pages that display the claim
data and the additional claim data for a plurality of users so as
to enable management of the insurance claim.
51. The system of claim 50, wherein each of the users comprises
one of the following: an insurance carrier, a claim adjuster, an
insurance agent, a claim administrator, a contractor, and a claimant.
52. The system of claim 51, wherein the insurance claim is processed
by the claim administrator via the user interface of the server
system.
53. The system of claim 51, wherein the insurance claim is monitored
by the claim adjuster via the user interface of the server system.
54. The system of claim 50, wherein the server system stores a
user identifier and a password for each of the users in the database
server.
55. The system of claim 54, wherein the user identifier and the
password define the claim data and/or the additional claim data
that may be viewed by the user.
56. The system of claim 55, wherein the user interface includes
functionality for a user to submit a user identifier and a password,
wherein the server system utilizes the user identifier and the password
to identify the claim data and/or the additional claim data that
may be viewed by the user, and wherein the user interface presents
one or more web pages that display the identified claim data and/or
the identified additional claim data.
Insurance Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001]Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002]Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003]In the property insurance industry, water loss claims have
traditionally posed significant problems for insurance carriers.
For example, it is common for contractors to unnecessarily demolish
and replace damaged structural materials (e.g., flooring and drywall),
which has greatly affected the severity of water loss claims. This
is caused in part by the fact that some contractors do not arrive
at the job site in a timely fashion to begin mitigation of the water
damage. Also, some contractors are not qualified and do not realize
that the damaged structural materials may be restored rather than
replaced. Even when contractors elect to restore damaged structural
materials, they frequently do not use the appropriate type or quantity
of restoration equipment and, as a result, the insurance carrier
may pay an excessive amount to the contractor for the restoration
services. In addition, if the damaged structural materials are not
sufficiently dried and restored, mold can be a problem both for
the claimant (from a health standpoint) and for the insurance carrier
(from a liability standpoint). Another problem is that some insurance
adjusters are not adequately trained to monitor the restoration
process and/or are simply overloaded with water loss claims. As
a result, there are large volumes of water loss claims that are
not properly evaluated and are paid out simply to close the claims.
Yet another problem is that a substantial amount of money is paid
to claimants for the replacement of contents affected by water damage
with little or no salvage value received for the damaged contents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system for processing
and monitoring insurance claims in accordance with the present invention.
[0005]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the claims administration
web site of FIG. 1.
[0006]FIGS. 3A and 3B show a process flow diagram of an exemplary
method for processing and monitoring insurance claims in accordance
with the present invention.
[0007]FIG. 4 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"New Search" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0008]FIG. 5 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Info" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0009]FIG. 6 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Details" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0010]FIG. 7 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Dates" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0011]FIG. 8 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Contact List" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0012]FIG. 9 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Building Info" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0013]FIGS. 10A and 10B show "screen capture" depictions
of a "Select Contractor" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0014]FIG. 11 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Contractor Contacts" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0015]FIG. 12 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Forms" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0016]FIG. 13 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Room Dimensions" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0017]FIG. 14 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Equipment Validation" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0018]FIG. 15 shows a "screen capture" depiction of an
"Equipment History" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0019]FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C and 16D show "screen capture"
depictions of a "Daily Humidity" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0020]FIG. 17 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Moisture Map" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0021]FIG. 18 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Flooring Diagrams" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0022]FIG. 19 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Photos & Docs" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0023]FIG. 20 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Notes" page for the claims administration web site of
FIG. 2.
[0024]FIGS. 21A and 21B show "screen capture" depictions
of a "Survey" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0025]FIG. 22 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system for
managing the sale of salvage items in accordance with the present
invention.
[0026]FIG. 23 shows a process flow diagram of an exemplary method
for managing the sale of salvage items in accordance with the present
invention.
[0027]FIG. 24 shows an "Insurance Submission Form" for
recording detailed information on salvage items for subsequent entry
into the salvage management web site shown in FIG. 22.
[0028]FIG. 25 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Create Claim" page for the salvage management web site
shown in FIG. 22.
[0029]FIG. 26 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Information" page for the salvage management web
site shown in FIG. 22.
[0030]FIG. 27 shows a "screen capture" depiction of an
"Items For Sale" page for the salvage management web site
shown in FIG. 22.
[0031]FIG. 28 shows a "Contractor Assignment Form" for
recording detailed information on salvage items for subsequent entry
into the salvage management web site shown in FIG. 22.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0032]The present invention is directed to a system and method
for processing and monitoring insurance claims and/or managing the
sale of items salvaged from insured properties. While the invention
will be described in detail below with reference to an exemplary
embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited
to the specific system configurations or methodologies of this embodiment.
For example, although the exemplary embodiment is described primarily
in the context of a residential property insurance claim stemming
from water damage to the insured property, the invention could be
used in connection with other types of property (such as commercial
property) or involving other types of losses (such as fire and smoke
damage, wind damage, and impact damage). In addition, although the
exemplary embodiment is described as embodying several different
inventive features, one skilled in the art will appreciate that
any one of these features could be implemented without the others
in accordance with the invention.
System Configuration of Claims Administration Web Site
[0033]Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for processing and
monitoring insurance claims in accordance with the present invention
is shown generally as reference numeral 10. The system 10 includes
a claims administration web site 12 that implements the basic World
Wide Web standards for the coding and transmission of hypertextural
documents. These standards currently include HTML (hypertext mark
up language) and HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol). The site 12
is operated by a claims administrator 14 that is responsible for
processing and monitoring insurance claims. The site 12 is accessible
by a plurality of different users via the Internet, although other
communication networks known in the art could also be used. It will
be seen that the site 12 provides a "one stop shop" for
users to access comprehensive claim files on hundreds or thousands
of insurance claims.
[0034]Users of the claims administration web site 12 generally
include the claims administrator 14 (i.e., the operator of the site),
a plurality of claimants 16 (i.e., the owners or occupiers of insured
properties), a plurality of insurance carriers 18 (i.e., the issuers
of insurance policies), and a plurality of contractors 20 (i.e.,
vendors and/or shops responsible for performing all or part of the
restoration services at the insured properties). Each of these users
may include a plurality of individual users. For example, the claims
administrator 14 may include claims processors, claims representatives,
and claims specialists. An insurance carrier 18 may include insurance
adjusters, insurance agents, claims processors, and management personnel.
A contractor 20 may include technicians, office staff and accounting
personnel. These users are exemplary of the users involved in the
processing and monitoring of a typical insurance claim. Of course,
it should be understood that a particular insurance claim may not
involve all of these users or may involve users other than those
depicted in FIG. 1.
[0035]FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the claims administration
web site 12. The site 12 includes a server system 22 comprising
a web server 24 coupled to four application servers 26a, 26b, 26c,
26d. The web server 24 is connected to the Internet and includes
a user interface that presents various web pages to the users, and,
includes functionality for the users to submit claim data into various
data input fields displayed on the web pages (which will be described
in greater detail below). The web server also acts as a load balancer
to distribute user traffic among the application servers 26a, 26b,
26c, 26d. While four application servers are depicted in FIG. 2,
it should be understood that more or fewer application servers may
be implemented depending on the number of users accessing the site
12.
[0036]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d runs a
claim processing software application (shown in phantom lines) that
provides various insurance claim processing and monitoring capabilities
to the users. In this embodiment, the claim processing software
application comprises a single computer program written in the Visual
Studio C#.net programming language. Of course, a suite of computer
programs and/or other programming languages could also be used.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that users are able to utilize
the capabilities of the claim processing software application via
the user interface of the web server 24.
[0037]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is coupled
to a claims database server 28, which stores claim data for a plurality
of insurance claims. Preferably, the claim data for each insurance
claim is stored in the claims database server 28 in association
with a claim identifier that is unique to that insurance claim.
A variety of different types of claim data may be stored for each
insurance claim, including data related to the claimant, data related
to the insurance carrier, data related to the insurance policy,
data related to the contractor assigned to the insurance claim,
data related to the insured property, data related to the damage
incurred at the insured property, and data related to the restoration
of any damaged property (which may comprise damaged structural materials
and/or damaged contents). It should be understood that the server
system 22 controls the storage of the various claim data in the
claims database server 28.
[0038]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is also
coupled to a photos/documents database server 30, which stores additional
claim data for a plurality of insurance claims. Specifically, the
photos/documents database server 30 stores a variety of photographs
and documents related to the insured property, the damage incurred
at the insured property, and the restoration of any damaged property
(which again may comprise damaged structural materials and/or damaged
contents). Preferably, the photographs and documents for each insurance
claim are stored in the photos/documents database server 30 in association
with a claim identifier that is unique to that insurance claim.
It should be understood that the server system 22 controls the storage
of the photographs and documents in the photos/documents database
server 30.
[0039]In this embodiment, the photographs and documents are stored
separately in the photos/documents database server 30 (rather than
being stored with the other claim data in the claims database server
28) in order to allow for the storage of the photographs and documents
in a higher-capacity storage medium, and, to permit faster access
to the other claim data stored in the claims database server 28.
Of course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that all claim
data could be stored in a single database server or could be stored
in more than two database servers.
[0040]It should be noted that the claims database server 28 also
stores data related to various users of the site, including insurance
carriers and contractors available to perform restoration services.
Preferably, contractors are required to submit detailed information
about their services and capabilities in order to become a member
of the "restoration contractor network." All of this detailed
information is stored in the claims database server 28 and is used
to select the appropriate contractor for a particular insurance
claim, as will be described in greater detail below.
[0041]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is also
coupled to a notification server 32. The notification server 32
runs a software application that receives a .wav file and a telephone
number from one of the application servers and automatically dials
the telephone number through an interface with the public telephone
network. The software application monitors the status of the call
and plays the .wav file when the call is answered so as to transmit
a voice message to the recipient. Preferably, the application server
generates the .wav file by retrieving a desired textual script from
the claims database server 28 (which stores a plurality of textual
scripts) and converting the textual script to the .wav file. In
this manner, the application server functions as a text-to-speech
generator. It will be seen that this feature is used in connection
with the transmission of automated reminder messages to contractors
as part of the management of the insurance claims.
[0042]In this embodiment, the web server 24, the application servers
26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, the claims database server 28, the photos/documents
database server 30, and the notification server 32 are all co-located
in the same geographic location. It should be understood, however,
that one or more of these servers could be located in a different
geographic location with appropriate connections to the other servers.
[0043]Referring still to FIG. 2, the claims administration site
12 is preferably a secure web site wherein each user is assigned
a user identifier (e.g., a user name) and password upon registration
with the site 12. The user identifier and password for each of the
users is stored in the claims database server 28 and defines the
claim data and/or web pages that may be accessed by the user. For
example, a claims specialist at the claims administrator may have
full access to all of the claim data and web pages, while a claimant
may have restricted access to only portions of the claim data and/or
web pages. Access rights may be granted or restricted based on claim
data, web pages, or a combination of both. For example, a claimant
may be granted access to a particular web page, but not have rights
to view all of the claim data available for display on that web
page. By contrast, a claims specialist at the claims administrator
may be able view all of the claim data on that same web page.
[0044]To gain access to the claims administration site 12, a user
accesses a login-in page presented by the server system 22 and enters
a user identifier and password into appropriate data input fields
displayed on the log-in page. The server system 22 authenticates
the user identifier and password (i.e., verifies that the user identifier
and password are stored in the claims database server 28) and determines
the access rights for the user. The user is then able to access
various web pages of the site 12 in accordance with the access rights
for that user.
[0045]FIGS. 4-21 show "screen capture" depictions of
the various web pages of the claims administration site 12. As can
be seen, each of these web pages displays a variety of data input
fields, selection buttons, hyperlinks and various textual information.
For example, the "New Search" page shown in FIG. 4 includes
a plurality of data input fields labeled "Client," "Client
Contact," "Contractor," "Phone #," "Policyholder
First Name," "Policyholder Last Name," "Policyholder
Company," "Policy #," "Claim #," "HSG
Control #," and "Claim Status," as well as two selection
buttons labeled "New" and "Search." In the case
of an existing claim, a user enters data into one or more of the
data input fields and selects the "Search" button. The
claims matching the search criteria are displayed in a list format
so that the user may select a particular claim and access the web
pages shown in FIGS. 5-21. At this point, the user may simply view
one or more of these web pages, or, may submit additional claim
data via the data input fields displayed on these web pages (depending
on the user's access rights). In the case of a new claim, a user
selects the "New" button whereby the user proceeds to
submit various claim data via the data input fields displayed on
the web pages shown in FIGS. 5-21.
[0046]The web pages shown in FIGS. 5-21 display claim data relating
to a particular insurance claim (wherein the data may be submitted
by one user or a plurality of users). As can be seen, each of these
web pages displays a columnar list along the left-hand side of the
page titled "Claim Menu." The "Claim Menu" list
includes hyperlinks to all of the web pages, namely, "Claim
Info," "Claim Details," "Claim Dates,"
"Claim Contact List," "Building Info," "Select
Contractor," "Contractor Contacts," "Claim Forms,"
"Water-Room Dimensions," "Water-Equipment Validation,"
"Water-Equipment History," "Water-Daily Humidity,"
"Water-Moisture Map," "Water-Flooring Diagrams,"
"Photos & Docs," "Notes" and "Survey."
A selection of any of these hyperlinks causes the corresponding
web page to be displayed, thus allowing a user to easily navigate
between the various web pages of the site. An arrow icon indicates
the web page that is currently being displayed.
[0047]It can be seen that each of the web pages shown in FIGS.
5-21 displays four selection buttons labeled "<<prev,"
"Reset," "Save," and "next>>"
along the top of the page (just below the title of the page). The
"<<prev" and "next>>" buttons allow
navigation to the previous and next web pages in the "Claim
Menu" list. A selection of the "Reset" button clears
all of the data entered in the data input fields for that particular
web page. A selection of the "Save" button saves all the
data entered in the data input fields for that particular web page.
The "Reset" and "Save" buttons may be inaccessible
(or greyed-out) when the user does not have access rights that permit
these actions. Other data input fields and selection buttons displayed
on these web pages will be described below.
[0048]It should be understood that the web pages shown in FIGS.
4-21 are merely examples of the type of web pages that may be used
to implement the various features of the invention. Other web pages
could be used that display the claim data in a different format
and/or that display different types of claim data. For example,
in an extreme case, all of the claim data could be displayed on
a single web page. As such, throughout the following description
(including in the claims), the terms "web pages" and "web
page" are used interchangeably to refer to either a single
web page or a plurality of web pages that collectively display a
variety of different types of claim data.
Methodology of Processing and Monitoring Insurance Claims
[0049]An exemplary method for processing and monitoring insurance
claims in accordance with the present invention will now be described
with reference to blocks 110 to 154 of the process flow diagram
shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In conjunction with the process flow diagram
of FIGS. 3A and 3B, reference will be made to the various web pages
depicted in FIGS. 5-21. It should be noted that various "sample"
claim data has been entered into the data input fields of these
web pages in order to illustrate the processing and monitoring of
an insurance claim in accordance with the exemplary embodiment.
However, as discussed above, the invention is not limited to the
exemplary embodiment (let alone the "sample" claim data
of the exemplary embodiment). As such, it should be understood that
the "sample" claim data does not in any way limit the
scope of the present invention.
Receive First Notice of Loss
[0050]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 110, a claimant reports damage
or loss at an insured property as a "first notice of loss."
The claims administrator may receive the first notice of loss in
a number of different ways. Preferably, when the claimant calls
a claims reporting telephone number provided by the insurance carrier,
the call is routed directly to the claims administrator, or, is
routed directly to the insurance carrier whereby the call is automatically
and transparently transferred to the claims administrator. In either
case, the claims administrator answers the call with "Insurance
Carrier" such that the claimant is unaware that a party other
than the insurance carrier is receiving the first notice of loss.
Other ways in which the claims administrator may receive the first
notice of loss will be described below.
[0051]In the exemplary embodiment, upon answering the call from
the claimant, the claims administrator begins entry of the new claim
by accessing the "New Search" page (FIG. 4) of the claims
administration web site 12. The claims administrator selects the
"New" button at the bottom of the "New Search"
page (FIG. 4) whereby the "Claim Info" page (FIG. 5) is
displayed.
[0052]The "Claim Info" page includes various data input
fields that must be completed by the claims administrator. For example,
the "Clients" field includes a drop-down menu from which
the claims administrator selects the insurance carrier responsible
for insuring the damaged property. The insurance carrier options
in the drop-down menu are pre-populated based on client (i.e., insurance
carrier) information stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator may receive the insurance carrier information
from the claimant, or, this information may be known based on the
telephone number used by the claimant to report the loss. The "Client
Contact" field includes a drop-down menu from which the claims
administrator selects the names and telephone numbers of contact
people at the selected insurance carrier. The contact options in
the drop-down menu are pre-populated based on contact information
stored in the claims database server 28 in association with the
selected insurance carrier. The claims administrator selects the
contact at the insurance carrier who is responsible for the new
claim. The "HSG Control #" field and the "Claim #"
field are claim identifiers assigned by the claims administrator
and insurance carrier, respectively, to identify and monitor the
new claim. The information in the "HSG Control #" field
is automatically generated upon saving the new claim data to the
claims database server 28. The information in the "Claim #"
field is typically entered by the insurance carrier at a later time.
[0053]The "Claim Info" page also includes a "Policy
Information" heading under which appears data input fields
for "Building Limit," "Contents Limit," "Policy
#," "Effective Date," and "Expiration Date."
In the "Policy #" field, the claims administrator enters
the claimant's insurance policy number for the damaged property.
The "Building Limit" and "Contents Limit" fields
allow entry of the insurance policy's limits on coverage for the
structure and contents, respectively, of the damaged property. The
"Effective Date" and "Expiration Date" fields
allow entry of the insurance policy's effective and expiration dates.
The information in the latter four fields is typically entered by
the insurance carrier at a later time.
[0054]The "Claim Info" page also includes data input
fields under a "Policyholder" heading in which the claims
administrator enters personal and contact information (e.g., name,
address, telephone number) for the policyholder (i.e., claimant).
The page also includes data input fields under a "Loss Address"
heading in which the claims administrator enters personal and contact
information (e.g., name, address, telephone number) for the resident
of the damaged property. In a typical case in which the "Loss
Address" information is the same as the "Policyholder"
information, the claims administrator may select the "Same
As Policyholder" button whereby the "Loss Address"
fields are automatically populated with the information entered
into the "Policyholder" fields.
[0055]The "Claim Info" page also includes three selection
buttons located in the upper right portion of the page, namely,
the "Create New Client" button, the "Create Associate
Claim" button, and the "Show Associate Claim" button.
The "Create New Client" button allows the claims administrator
to add a new client (i.e., insurance carrier) to the claims database
server 28, the "Create Associate Claim" button allows
the claims administrator to identify the current claim as being
associated with another existing claim in the claims database server
28, and the "Show Associate Claim" button allows the claims
administrator to display any other claims in the claims database
server 28 that are already associated with the current claim.
[0056]Upon completion of data entry on the "Claim Info"
page, the claims administrator selects the "Save" button
whereby the data is stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator then selects the "next>>" button
to navigate to the "Claim Details" page (FIG. 6). It should
be noted that the "Claim Details" page, as well as all
subsequent pages described below, includes a read-only "Reference"
field that displays the claims administrator's claim identifier,
the insurance carrier's claim identifier, and the name of the policyholder.
This "Reference" field provides an easy reference for
a user to confirm that the page relates to a particular claim.
[0057]The "Claim Details" page includes data input fields
for "Claim Type," "Type of Loss," "Secondary
Type of Loss," "Received By," "Reported By,"
"Deductible," "Loss Description," "Loss
Directions," "Detailed Findings/Job Scope," "Source
of Damage and Steps Taken to Contain," "Selected Contractor,"
"Primary Contact," and "Secondary Contact,"
as well as checkbox input fields for "Electricity," "Water,"
"Mitigation Accepted," and "Collected."
[0058]The "Claim Type" field includes a drop-down menu
from which the claims administrator selects the type of claim. In
this embodiment, the claim type options in the drop-down menu are
"Property Fire," "Property Power Outage," "Property
Vandalism," "Property Vehicle Impact," "Property
Water," "Property Weight of Ice or Snow," and "Property
Wind." In this sample claim, the claims administrator selects
the "Property Water" option.
[0059]Based on the selected claim type, the drop-down menu for
the "Type of Loss" field is populated with various types
of losses corresponding to the selected claim type. For example,
with a claim type of "Property Water," the drop-down menu
for the "Type of Loss" field is populated with "Frozen
Pipes," "Furnace Malfunction," "Hail,"
"Heavy Load," "Hurricane," "Ice Dam,"
"Miscellaneous," "Mold," "Occupant Accidental
Fire," "Occupant Left Water Running," "Sewage
Backup," "Skunk Odor," "Structural Collapse,"
"Toilet Backup/Category 2," "Toilet Backup/Sewage/Category
3," "Toilet Tank Break Category 1," "Tornado,"
"Tub or Shower Backup Category 2," "Vandalism,"
"Vehicle Impact," "Water Entering From Basement Walls,"
"Water Entering From Roof," "Water Entering From
Sump," "Water Entering From Wall," "Water Entering
From Window," "Water From Miscellaneous," "Water
From Ruptured Plumbing," "Water From Sprinkler System,"
"Water From Undefined Sources," and "Wind Storm."
In this sample claim, the claims administrator selects the "Water
from ruptured plumbing" option.
[0060]Based on the selected type of loss, the drop-down menu for
the "Secondary Type of Loss" field is populated with various
types of secondary losses corresponding to the selected type of
loss. For example, with a type of loss of "Water from ruptured
plumbing," the drop-down menu for the "Secondary Type
of Loss" field is populated with "Broken Hardware (Faucets,
etc.)," "Burst Pipe," "Ceiling," "City
Sewer Backup," "Clothes Washer Overflow or Leak,"
"Dishwasher Overflow or Leak," "Entering Through
Wall," "Entering Through Window," "Flood,"
"Humidity," "Leakage," "Refrigerator Icemaker
Sink Drain Leak," "Sprinkler System," "Tub or
Toilet Overflow," "Undefined Sources," and "Water
Entered Through Window or Door Seal" (although other options
could be added as desired). In this sample claim, the claims administrator
selects the "Burst Pipe" option.
[0061]The "Received By" field indicates the name of the
person at the claims administrator (or other person) entering the
details of the claim. The "Reported By" field indicates
the name or other identification of the person reporting the claim.
Typically, the "Reported By" field would identify the
claimant. However, as will be described in more detail below, in
some cases the claim may be reported by the insurance carrier in
which case the "Reported By" field would identify the
insurance carrier.
[0062]The "Deductible" field and associated "Collected"
checkbox allow entry of the claimant's insurance policy deductible
amount and an indication as to whether that deductible has been
collected from the claimant. This information is typically entered
by the insurance carrier at a later time.
[0063]The "Electricity" and "Water" checkboxes
allow an indication as to whether the insured property has working
electrical and water service available. The "Loss Description,"
"Loss Directions," and "Source of damage & steps
taken to contain" fields allow entry of the claimant's description
of the damage to the insured property, directions to the insured
property, and steps already taken to control or repair the damage
to the insured property, respectively. The "Mitigation accepted?"
checkbox allows an indication as to whether the claimant has agreed
to allow a contractor to perform initial mitigation steps to prevent
further damage to the insured property.
[0064]The "Detailed Findings/Job Scope" field allows
entry of detailed findings of the cause and extent of the damage
to the insured property. The information entered into this field
is typically not received from the claimant, but is entered by a
contractor after arrival at the insured property or by the claims
processor based on input from the contractor.
[0065]Upon completion of data entry on the "Claim Details"
page, the claims administrator selects the "Save" button
whereby the data is stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator then navigates to the "Building Info"
page (FIG. 9).
[0066]The "Building Info" page includes data input fields
labeled "Building Style," "Year Built," "Square
Feet," "Siding," "Roofing," "Year
Roof Installed," "Basement," "Garage,"
"Outbuilding," and "Owner Notes." If the claimant
has information for the "Year Built," "Square Feet,"
"Year Roof Installed," and "Owner Notes" fields,
the claims processor enters this information into the appropriate
fields. The remaining data input fields include drop-down menus
that are automatically populated with typical options for each of
those fields. The claims administrator selects the appropriate option
for those fields from the drop-down menus. Of course, if the claimant
does not have all (or any) of the information for the data input
fields on the "Building Info" page, the information may
be entered later by either the claims administrator, the contractor
(who may enter the information after arriving at the insured property),
or the insurance carrier (who may enter the information based on
records related to the insured property).
[0067]Upon completion of data entry on the "Building Info"
page, the claims administrator selects the "Save" button
whereby the data is stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator then navigates to the "Claim Dates"
page (FIG. 7).
[0068]The "Claim Dates" page includes data input fields
labeled "First Notice of Loss," "Date of Loss,"
"Shop Placement Date," "Date Insured Contacted,"
"Date Inspected," "Date Started," "Date
Target Completion," "Date Completed," and "Date
Closed." Each of these data input fields allows entry of a
date and a time. Preferably, a pop-up calendar is provided for easy
entry of the desired date. Adjacent to each date/time data input
field are selection buttons labeled "Current Date" and
"Delete." Selection of the "Current Date" button
causes the current date and time to be entered into the date/time
data input fields. Selection of the "Delete" button causes
the date/time data input fields to be cleared.
[0069]The date and time for some of the data input fields on the
"Claim Dates" page will be entered by the claims administrator
during the call with the claimant. For example, the "First
Notice of Loss" field allows entry of the date and time that
the claims administrator receives and enters the claim data. The
"Date of Loss" field allows entry of the date and time
that the loss occurred, which is typically provided by the claimant
and may be a "best estimate" as to the actual time and
date that the loss occurred. The "Date Insured Contacted"
field allows entry of the date and time that the claims administrator
contacts (e.g., telephones) the claimant. In the case where the
claimant's call is routed to the claims administrator, this field
will reflect a date and time that is substantially the same as the
"First Notice of Loss" date and time. In other cases,
as will be described in greater detail below, the claims administrator
may receive the first notice of loss through other means and then
contact the claimant at a later date and time.
[0070]The date and time for other data input fields on the "Claim
Dates" page will be entered at a later time by either the claims
administrator or a contractor assigned to the claim (as discussed
in greater detail below). For example, the "Shop Placement
Date" field allows entry of the date and time that a contractor
is dispatched to the insured property. The "Date Inspected"
field allows entry of the date and time that the contractor arrives
at the insured property. The "Date Started" field allows
entry of the date and time that the contractor begins restoration
services at the insured property. The "Date Completed"
field allows entry of the date and time that the restoration of
the damaged property is determined to be complete. The "Date
Closed" field allows entry of the date and time that the claim
is considered closed (based on the receipt of all required documentation
from the insurance carrier, the contractor and the claimant, and
the transmission of all required documentation to the insurance
carrier, the contractor, and the claimant).
[0071]The "Claim Dates" page also includes three read-only
fields titled "Target" next to the "Shop Placement
Date" field, the "Date Insured Contacted" field,
and the "Date Inspected" field. The dates and times in
these "Target" fields are automatically calculated (as
will be described below) and represent the desired dates and times
by which the associated action should be completed. For example,
the "Target" date and time for the "Shop Placement
Date" field is calculated as thirty minutes from the date and
time entered in the "First Notice of Loss" field. This
target sets a goal of dispatching a contractor to the insured property
(i.e., the "shop placement") within thirty minutes from
receipt of the first notice of loss. The "Target" date
and time for the "Date Insured Contacted" field is calculated
as fifteen minutes from the date and time entered in the "First
Notice of Loss" field. This target accounts for cases in which
the first notice of loss is not received directly from the claimant
(as will be described below). In those cases, the goal is to have
the claims administrator contact the claimant within fifteen minutes
of receipt of the first notice of loss. The "Target" date
and time for the "Date Inspected" field is calculated
as two hours from the date and time entered in the "Shop Placement
Date" field. This sets a goal for the contractor to arrive
at the insured property within two hours from the time of dispatch.
[0072]The "Claim Contact List" page (FIG. 8) displays
a contact list of various parties involved in the claim process.
In this embodiment, the contact list is automatically populated
with data entered into the "Policyholder" and "Loss
Address" fields of the "Claim Info" page (FIG. 5).
The "Edit" and "Delete" buttons allow a user
to edit or delete a party from the contact list. In addition, the
"Add New Contact" button allows a user to enter additional
parties to the contact list as desired.
[0073]As discussed above, the claims administrator may not receive
the first notice of loss directly from the claimant. For example,
the claimant may call a claims reporting telephone number provided
by the insurance carrier whereby the call is routed to a call-answering
service contracted by the insurance carrier. The routing of the
call to the call-answering service may or may not be transparent
to the claimant and, thus, the claimant may be aware that the first
notice of loss is being received by someone other than the insurance
carrier. A claims processor at the call-answering service collects
initial claim information from the claimant and, in accordance with
guidelines provided by the insurance carrier, assesses whether the
claimed loss is covered by the claimant's insurance policy. If so,
the claims processor at the call-answering service initiates a "warm
transfer" of the call to the claims administrator (i.e., the
claimant's call is forwarded to the claims administrator without
the claimant having to hang-up and call back). The claims administrator
then collects information from the claimant and enters the information
into the appropriate web pages (as described above) to complete
the first notice of loss.
[0074]As another example, a claimant may call the insurance carrier
directly whereby the call is answered by a claims processor at the
insurance carrier. The claims processor at the insurance carrier
collects initial claim information from the claimant, and then calls
the claims administrator and provides that information for entry
into the web pages (as described above). Alternatively, the insurance
carrier may provide the initial claim information to the claims
administrator via e-mail or other type of communication system.
As yet another example, the insurance carrier may connect to the
claims administration web site 12 through the Internet and directly
enter the initial claim information into the web pages (as described
above).
[0075]As yet a further example, a claimant may call, e-mail, or
otherwise notify the insurance carrier of a loss to the insured
property. The insurance carrier then notifies the claims administrator
of the claimed loss, and the claims administrator calls the claimant
to collect and enter the initial claim information into the web
pages (as described above). Finally, the insurance carrier may receive
initial claim information from the claimant and enter the information
into an insurance carrier database. The claims administrator then
retrieves the information from the insurance carrier database, either
directly or using a screen-scraper to collect the information from
a computer screen, and transfers that information to the appropriate
data input fields of the web pages (as described above).
Select Contractor
[0076]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 112, the claims administrator
selects a contractor to perform restoration services at the insured
property. In the exemplary embodiment, with the claimant still on
the telephone, the claims administrator navigates to the "Select
Contractor" page (as shown on FIG. 10A), which displays a list
of the top three contractors in the claims database server 28 who
are available to provide restoration services within the zip code
of the insured property, as entered on the "Claim Info"
page (FIG. 5). To obtain the "top three" list, each of
these contractors is evaluated in accordance with a plurality of
weighted factors.
[0077]Some of these factors relate to the contractor's capabilities
regardless of past performance, including: (1) the contractor's
ability to provide certified technicians to perform the restoration
services; (2) the contractor's ability to use preferred restoration
equipment and measurement equipment; and (3) the experience level
of the technicians performing the restoration services. Other factors
relate to the past performance of the contractor in providing restoration
services at other insured properties, including: (1) information
received on the contractor from claimant surveys; (2) the average
time to arrive at the insured property from the time of dispatch;
(3) the availability of the contractor at the time of assignment;
(4) the completeness of the contractor's daily documentation (e.g.,
temperature readings, humidity readings, moisture content readings,
etc.); (5) the timeliness of the contractor's submission of documentation;
(6) the average time to bill after completion of the restoration
services; (7) the average number of days to complete the restoration
services; and (8) the average total expense of past invoices. Of
course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that other factors
could also be considered in accordance with the invention. Based
on this evaluation, the contractors are ranked and the top three
contractors are listed on the "Select Contractor" page.
[0078]Next, the claims administrator contacts the first-listed
contractor to determine whether the contractor is able to perform
the restoration services. If the first-listed contractor cannot
be reached or is not able to perform the restoration services, the
claims administrator contacts the second-listed contractor and then
the third-listed contractor until a contractor is reached who agrees
to perform the restoration services. If none of the listed contractors
can be reached or agree to perform the restoration services, the
claims administrator selects the "More" button whereby
additional contractors are displayed on the "Select Contractor"
page. When a contractor is reached who agrees to perform the restoration
services, the claims administrator selects the "Select"
button for that contractor whereby the selected contractor is associated
with that particular claim in the claims database server 28.
[0079]Alternatively, if the claimant has a preferred contractor,
the claims administrator may select that particular contractor to
perform the restoration services (or enter information on that particular
contractor into the claims database server 28 if not yet entered).
Likewise, an insurance carrier may have its own network of contractors
or may provide the claims administrator with a list of preferred
contractors. In that case, the claims administrator may select a
contractor from that insurance carrier's list for assignment to
the claim.
[0080]Upon selection of a contractor, contact information for the
contractor is retrieved from the claims database server 28 and populated
into the "Select Contractor" page (as shown on FIG. 10B)
and the "Contractor Contacts" page (FIG. 11). The "Select
Contractor" page is also populated with a history of the selection
of the contractor. The "Contractor Contacts" page also
includes an "Add" button that allows a user to add additional
contact information for the selected contractor whereby the added
contact information will be stored in the claims database server
28.
Dispatch Contractor
[0081]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 114, the claims administrator
dispatches the selected contractor to the insured property. In the
exemplary embodiment, with the claimant still on the telephone,
the claims administrator establishes a three-way telephone conference
between the claims administrator, the claimant and the contractor.
The claimant and the contractor, facilitated by the claims administrator,
exchange further information about the origin of loss and the damage
to the insured property. Based on the additional information received
during this three-way telephone conference, the claims administrator
may enter additional information into the "Claim Info"
page (FIG. 5) and/or the "Claim Details" page (FIG. 6).
Preferably, the claimant and the contractor also reach an agreement
as to when the contractor will arrive at the insured property. Most
preferably, the contractor agrees to arrive at the insured property
within two hours. While still on the phone with the claimant, the
claims administrator preferably provides the claimant with a telephone
number and contractor arrival code that may be used by the claimant
to report the contractor's arrival at the insured property. Upon
dispatching the contractor to the insured property, the claims administrator
navigates to the "Claim Dates" page (FIG. 7) and enters
the date and time that the contractor was dispatched to the insured
property in the "Shop Placement Date" field.
[0082]As described above, in some cases the claims administrator
may not receive the first notice of loss directly from the claimant.
In those cases, upon receiving the first notice of loss, the claims
administrator preferably calls the claimant and proceeds to select
and dispatch a contractor to the insured property (as described
above). If the claimant cannot be reached, the claims administrator
will preferably select and dispatch a contractor to the insured
property in order to mitigate damage to the insured property.
Monitoring Contractor's Arrival at Insured Property
[0083]Referring to FIG. 3A, at blocks 116 and 118, the contractor's
arrival at the insured property is monitored so that one or more
automated reminder messages may be transmitted to the contractor
if the contractor has not reported his arrival at the insured property
in a specified period of time from either receipt of the notice
of loss (block 110) or dispatch of the contractor to the insured
property (block 114). Each reminder message is preferably a textual
or audio alert notifying the contractor of an obligation to arrive
at the insured property and/or complete a description of damage
to the insured property. These reminder messages may comprise either
a voice message or a text message transmitted to the contractor's
telephone, an e-mail or instant message transmitted to the contractor's
computer or handheld communication device (e.g., PDA), or a combination
of any of the foregoing. One skilled in the art will appreciate
the importance of monitoring a contractor's arrival at the insured
property to verify that the contractor has arrived and begun the
process of mitigating damage to the insured property in a timely
manner.
[0084]In the exemplary embodiment, when the contractor arrives
at the insured property, he calls the claims administrator and reports
his date and time of arrival. The claims administrator then enters
the reported date and time of arrival into the "Date Inspected"
field on the "Claim Dates" page (FIG. 7). Alternatively,
the contractor may directly access the "Claim Dates" page
using a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or laptop computer
and then directly enter his arrival date and time into the "Date
Inspected" field. Preferably, the claimant also verifies the
contractor's date and time of arrival by calling the telephone number
provided by the claims administrator at the time of reporting the
first notice of loss and entering the provided contractor arrival
code via a telephone keypad. Upon receipt of the contractor arrival
code, a date and time-stamped message is stored in the claims database
server 28 indicating that the claimant has reported the contractor's
arrival at the insured property. This date and time-stamped message
may be used to verify the date and time of arrival reported by the
contractor.
[0085]As discussed above, the "Claim Dates" page (FIG.
7) includes a "Shop Placement Date" field that indicates
the date and time that the contractor was dispatched to the insured
property. When the claims administrator enters a date and time into
this data input field, it triggers the monitoring of the "Date
Inspected" field (which represents the date and time that the
contractor arrives at the insured property). By monitoring the "Date
Inspected" field, it can be determined whether the contractor
has reported his arrival at the insured property. If no date and
time has been entered into the "Date Inspected" field
within a specified period of time from the "Shop Placement
Date" date and time, the application server retrieves a desired
textual script from the claims database server 28 (which stores
a plurality of textual scripts) and generates a .wav file based
on the textual script. An example of a textual script for this situation
is provided below: [0086][Contractor's name of business]--This is
a CodeBlue Alert! Your initial Job Scope for [claim #] for [claimant's
name] at [claimant's address] has not been uploaded to the CodeBlue
website or called into the CodeBlue Command Center. Please have
the lead technician on this claim call CodeBlue as soon as possible
with this information. If you need assistance from the CodeBlue
Support Team, call 715-555-5555. Thank you in advance for your prompt
response to this notification!It should be understood that the information
in brackets is replaced by the relevant data stored in the claims
database server 28. Of course, the textual script could simply state
that the contractor must immediately report to the insured property
to begin mitigation services. The application server then transmits
the contractor's telephone number and the .wav file to the notification
server 32, which automatically dials the telephone number through
an interface with the public telephone network and plays the .wav
file so as to transmit a voice message to the contractor (as described
above).
[0087]In this embodiment, the voice message is transmitted to the
contractor if no date and time has been entered into the "Date
Inspected" field within 21/2 hours from the "Shop Placement
Date" date and time. This 21/2 hour period of time provides
sufficient time for the contractor to arrive at the insured property
within the goal of two hours from the time of dispatch. Of course,
it should be understood that other periods of time could also be
used in accordance with the invention (e.g., any period of time
between 1 hour and 5 hours). Optionally, additional voice message
could be transmitted to the contractor wherein each subsequent voice
message provides escalating urgency to the contractor. Preferably,
if the period of time exceeds a maximum limit, the claims administrator
is notified by e-mail or another communication means so that the
claims administrator may either contact the contractor directly
to inquire as to the contractor's arrival at the insured property
or select and dispatch another contractor to the insured property.
Perform Initial Mitigation Services
[0088]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 120, upon arrival at the insured
property, the contractor immediately takes steps to mitigate further
damage to the insured property. The initial mitigation steps may
include determining the origin of loss and repairing any damage
relating to the origin of loss. For example, if the origin of loss
is a burst water pipe, the contractor will shut off the water to
the pipe and may replace or repair the pipe if water service is
immediately required. The initial mitigations steps may also include
removal of standing water from the insured property using appropriate
water removal equipment, as is known in the art. The initial mitigation
steps taken by the contractor will, of course, vary depending upon
the type of loss and the damage incurred at the insured property.
Obtain Documentation of Damage to Insured Property
[0089]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 122, the contractor proceeds
to obtain documentation on the damage to the insured property. In
the exemplary embodiment, the contractor prepares a drawing or sketch
of the floor plan of the insured property. The contractor also documents
the damage to the insured property, such as by taking digital photographs
of the origin of loss and of each affected room of the damaged property
before any demolition occurs. Preferably, the contractor also has
the capability to take thermal imaging photographs showing the relative
moisture content in various damaged structural materials. The contractor
may also take a digital photograph of the exterior of the structure.
The contractor then uploads these documents and photographs to the
claims administration web site 12 by accessing the "Flooring
Diagrams" page (FIG. 18) and the "Photos & Docs"
page (FIG. 19).
[0090]The "Flooring Diagrams" page includes data input
fields titled "Add picture/doc" and "Description,"
as well as selection buttons labeled "Browse . . . " and
"Add." Using a computer or handheld communication device
(e.g., PDA), the contractor enters the filename of an electronic
version (.pdf, .jpeg, .tif, etc.) of the floor plan document in
the "Add picture/doc" field, either by using the "Browse
. . . " button to browse the directories on his computer or
handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or by directly entering
the filename in the "Add picture/doc" field. The contractor
then enters a description of the floor plan document in the "Description"
field. Then, the contractor selects the "Add" button to
upload the file from the contractor's computer or handheld communication
device (e.g., PDA) to the photos/documents database server 30. The
"Flooring Diagrams" page is then automatically populated
with a list of the floor plan document and any other flooring diagrams
stored in the photos/documents database server 30. Each line of
the list includes "Edit" and "Delete" buttons
to enable a user to revise or delete information on that particular
line.
[0091]The "Photos & Docs" page includes data input
fields titled "File Type," "Description," and
"File," as well as selection buttons labeled "Browse
. . . " and "Add." Under the title "File can
be viewed by:," are three checkboxes labeled "Contractor,"
"Client," and "Policyholder." The drop-down
menu for the "File Type" field is pre-populated with the
options "Certification Document," "Certification
of Satisfaction," "Email Attachment," "Excel
Document," "Insurance Document," "PDF Document,"
"Photo," "Policyholder signature," "Price
List," "Psychrometric Document," "State Required
License," "Subrogation," "Uploaded from JPP,"
"Word Document," and "Work Authorization."
[0092]To upload each of the digital photographs and/or thermal
imaging photographs discussed above, the contractor selects "Photo"
from the drop-down menu of the "File Type" field and enters
a description of the photograph in the "Description" field.
The contractor then enters the filename of the photograph in the
"File" field, either by using the "Browse . . . "
button to browse the directories on his computer or handheld communication
device (e.g., PDA) or by directly entering the filename in the "File"
field. Then, the contractor selects the "Add" button to
upload the file from the contractor's computer or handheld communication
device (e.g., PDA) to the photos/documents database server 30. The
"Photos & Docs" page is then automatically populated
with a list of the uploaded photograph and any other photographs
and documents stored in the photos/documents database server 30.
Each line of the list includes "Edit" and "Delete"
buttons to enable a user to revise or delete information on that
particular line. The "File can be viewed by:" checkboxes
may be used by the claims administrator to permit or restrict access
to various photographs and documents for the contractor, the insurance
carrier, and the claimant.
[0093]Preferably, the contractor accesses the "Flooring Diagrams"
page and the "Photos & Docs" page and uploads the
documents and photographs to the claims administration web site
12 while the contractor is at the insured property. To do so, the
contractor may use a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or
a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities. Alternatively,
in cases where the contractor does not have these capabilities,
the contractor may upload the documents and photographs using a
computer located at the contractor's shop.
[0094]It should be understood that the various photographs and
documents displayed on the "Flooring Diagrams" page and
the "Photos & Docs" page may be viewed by the insurance
carrier and/or claims administrator in order to verify the origin
of loss and assess the extent of damage to the insured property.
With this information, the insurance carrier and/or claims administrator
is able to determine whether the claimant's insurance policy covers
the type of loss shown in the photographs and documents. Advantageously,
this determination may be made simply by accessing the claims administration
web site 12 and does not require that the insurance carrier and/or
claims administrator be physically present at the insured property.
Collect Drying Chamber Data
[0095]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 124, the contractor begins
the restoration process by establishing one or more drying chambers
within the insured property. A drying chamber is an area defined
by the contractor that contains damaged property (i.e., damaged
structural materials and/or contents). A drying chamber may be an
entire level of a structure (such as a basement) or may be a portion
of a level of a structure (such as a kitchen, bathroom, and family
room located on the main floor of a structure). The drying chamber
may be defined and enclosed by the structure itself (such as the
walls, floor, and ceiling of a basement) or may be defined and enclosed
through the use of temporary walls placed by the contractor to separate
damaged property from undamaged property or to divide a large area
into smaller drying chambers. Typically, the temporary walls are
plastic sheeting attached to the existing structure in such a manner
as to define and enclose the drying chamber.
[0096]Upon establishing the drying chambers, the contractor determines
the category of water loss for the insured property and the class
of water loss for each of the drying chambers within the insured
property. The category and class of a water loss are preferably
determined in accordance with the ANSI/IICRC S500-2006 standard,
wherein the category indicates the type of water (i.e., category
1--clean water; category 2--contaminated water; category 3--grossly
contaminated water) and the class indicates the amount of water
(i.e., class 1--least amount of water, materials have absorbed little
moisture; class 2--large amount of water, wet carpet, water wicked
into walls less than 24 inches; class 3--greatest amount of water,
water wicked into walls more than 24 inches from overhead ceiling;
class 4--specialty drying situations, wet materials with low permeance/porosity).
[0097]Next, the contractor records dimension data associated with
each of the drying chambers. Preferably, the dimension data comprises
a width measurement, a length measurement, a height measurement,
and a linear feet of wall measurement for each room within the drying
chamber. Of course, if the drying chamber comprises an entire level
of a structure (such as a basement), the level itself is a room
such that the contractor will record a width measurement, a length
measurement, a height measurement, and linear feet of wall measurement
for the entire level.
[0098]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Room
Dimensions" page (FIG. 13). In the "Category" field,
the contractor selects the category of water loss (1, 2, or 3) for
the insured property from the drop-down menu. The contractor also
enters the date and time that the damage occurred at the insured
property in the "Date Affected" and "Time Affected"
fields (such as by using the pop-up calendar and drop-down menu
provided adjacent these fields). Next, the contractor enters the
date and time that he began to provide restoration services at the
insured property in the "Date Started" and "Time
Started" fields (such as by using the pop-up calendar and drop-down
menu provided adjacent these fields).
[0099]The contractor then proceeds to enter data in the "Room
Dimensions" section of the "Room Dimensions" page
on a room-by-room basis. For each room, the contractor enters the
name of the drying chamber in the "Drying Chamber" field.
For example, a drying chamber may be defined as "main floor"
or "basement." In the "Class" field, the contractor
selects the class of water loss (1, 2, 3, 4) for the drying chamber
from the drop-down menu. Next, the contractor enters the name of
the room in the "Room" field, and enters the dimension
data for that room in the "Width," "Length,"
"Height," and "Linear Feet Wall" fields. The
data in the "One air mover every ______ linear feet" field
may be entered by the contractor or may be automatically calculated
based on the class of water loss for that room. For example, for
a class 1, 2, 3, and 4 water loss, the air movers are preferably
spaced every 16 linear feet, 14 linear feet, 12 linear feet and
14 linear feet, respectively. With the room data entered, the contractor
selects the "Add" button whereby the room data will be
stored in the claims database server 28. It should be understood
that the contractor then repeats the entry of room data for every
room within every drying chamber.
[0100]The data in the "Total Linear Feet," "Total
Square Feet," and "Total Cubic Feet" fields are automatically
calculated based on the dimension data of all of the rooms within
all of the drying chambers. The table at the bottom of the page
is automatically populated with a list of all of the data stored
in the claim database server 28 for every room within every drying
chamber, along with automatically calculated linear wall feet, square
feet, and cubic feet data for each room. The table includes "Edit"
and "Delete" buttons for each room on the list to enable
a user to revise or delete the data for any of the rooms.
[0101]Preferably, the contractor accesses the claims administration
web site 12 and enters all of the data on the "Room Dimensions"
page while the contractor is at the insured property. To do so,
the contractor may use a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA)
or a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities. Alternatively,
in cases where the contractor does not have these capabilities,
the contractor may record the data using other means and then enter
the data on the "Room Dimensions" page at a later time
(e.g., when the contractor returns to his shop). As another alternative,
the contractor may provide the data via telephone or email to the
claims administrator who then enters the data on the "Room
Dimensions" page.
Collect Initial Psychrometric Data
[0102]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 126, the contractor continues
the restoration process by collecting initial psychrometric data.
Preferably, the initial psychrometric data comprises temperature
and relative humidity readings taken at various inspection locations
both inside and outside the insured property. It will be seen that
the contractor will also collect daily psychrometric data to enable
the claims administrator and/or insurance carrier to monitor the
progress of the restoration of the damaged property.
[0103]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Daily
Humidity" page (FIGS. 16A-16D). As can be seen on FIG. 16A,
this page includes a "Drying Chamber" field with a drop-down
menu populated with the drying chambers that were defined and entered
by the contractor on the "Room Dimensions" page (FIG.
13). The page also includes data input fields titled "Inspection
Date," "Inspection Time," "Inspection Location,"
"Temperature," and "Relative Humidity (%)."
The "Inspection Location" field includes a drop-down menu
populated with an identifier for each dehumidifier selected by the
contractor on the "Equipment Validation" page (FIG. 14),
along with selections for "HVAC," "Inside(Wet),"
"Outside," and "Unaffected Area." The page also
includes two read-only fields titled "GPP" and "GD,"
as well as corresponding selection buttons titled "Calculate
GPP" and "Add." The page also includes a list of
inspection data for a particular drying chamber, as shown on the
bottom of FIG. 16A.
[0104]Using a thermometer and a relative humidity meter (such as
a hygrometer or psychrometer), the contractor collects temperature
and relative humidity readings near every dehumidifier placed within
a drying chamber. Preferably, the contractor takes the temperature
and relative humidity readings near the exhaust port of each dehumidifier.
In addition, the contractor collects temperature and relative humidity
readings from the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
equipment located at the insured property, if any. For example,
residential and commercial properties often include central heating
and air conditioning systems, in which case the contractor can measure
temperature and relative humidity at the return air inlet. The contractor
also collects temperature and relative humidity readings from inside
an affected area (i.e., wet or damaged) of the insured property,
from inside an unaffected area (i.e., not damaged) of the insured
property, and from an area outside the insured property (i.e., outdoors).
Preferably, the contractor will take digital photographs showing
the various temperature and relative humidity readings on the thermometer
and relative humidity meter, respectively, for inclusion in the
claim file. Most preferably, the contractor uploads these photographs
to the claims administration web site 12 by accessing the "Photos
& Docs" page (FIG. 19) (as described above).
[0105]As shown on FIG. 16A, the contractor first selects a drying
chamber using the drop-down menu of the "Drying Chamber"
field. The contractor also enters the date and time of collecting
the temperature and relative humidity readings into the "Inspection
Date" and "Inspection Time" fields (such as by using
the pop-up calendar and drop-down menu provided adjacent these fields).
Next, using the drop-down menu of the "Inspection Location"
field, the contractor selects an inspection location and enters
the temperature and relative humidity readings collected at that
inspection location in the "Temperature" and "Relative
Humidity (%)" fields.
[0106]The contractor then selects the "Calculate GPP"
button whereby the specific humidity for that inspection location
is automatically calculated based on the temperature and relative
humidity readings for that inspection location (using standard psychrometric
formulas known in the art). The calculated specific humidity is
then displayed in units of grains of water per pound of air (GPP)
in the "GPP" field. Alternatively, the contractor could
collect specific humidity readings (rather than temperature and
relative humidity readings) using specific humidity meters known
in the art, in which case the specific humidity calculation would
not be required.
[0107]Upon selection of the "Calculate GPP" button, the
grain depression for each dehumidifier and HVAC system is automatically
calculated based on the difference between the specific humidity
of the ambient air and the specific humidity of the air exiting
the dehumidifier or HVAC system (using standard psychrometric formulas
known in the art). The calculated grain depression is then displayed
in the "GD" field. Next, the contractor selects the "Add"
button whereby all of the entered inspection data is stored in the
claims database server 28. The list of inspection data (as shown
on the bottom of FIG. 16A) is then automatically populated with
all the inspection data stored in the claims database server 28
for the selected drying chamber (which is preferably arranged chronologically
and by inspection location). It can be seen that the list of inspection
data includes "Edit" and "Delete" buttons for
each line of inspection data to enable a user to edit or delete
the inspection data on that line. It should be understood that the
contractor performs the above-described process for every drying
chamber.
[0108]Preferably, the contractor accesses the claims administration
web site 12 and enters the inspection data on the "Daily Humidity"
page while the contractor is at the insured property. To do so,
the contractor may use a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA)
or a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities. Alternatively,
in cases where the contractor does not have these capabilities,
the contractor may enter the inspection data on the "Daily
Humidity" page using a computer located at the contractor's
shop. As another alternative, the contractor may call the claims
administrator while at the insured property whereby the claims administrator
enters the inspection data on the "Daily Humidity" page
based on input from the contractor.
[0109]Finally, as shown on FIGS. 16B-16D, the "Daily Humidity"
page includes a "Daily Humidity Graph," a "GD Graph,"
and a "Temperature Graph" that plot the specific humidity,
grain depression and temperature data in relation to the inspection
dates for various inspection locations. These graphs are automatically
generated from the list of inspection data shown on the bottom of
FIG. 16A. As will be described in greater detail below, these graphs
may be analyzed by the contractor, the claims administrator and/or
the insurance carrier to determine whether a drying chamber presents
an acceptable drying environment, to assess the functionality of
the restoration equipment, or to assess the living conditions within
the insured property.
Collect Initial Moisture Content Data and Determine Target Values
[0110]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 128, the contractor continues
the restoration process by collecting initial moisture content data.
Preferably, the initial moisture content data comprises moisture
content readings from various damaged structural materials within
the affected rooms of the insured property. It will be seen that
the contractor will also collect daily moisture content data for
comparison against target values for the moisture content readings.
As such, the contractor (as well as the claims administrator and/or
the insurance carrier) will be able to determine when the damaged
structural materials have been restored to a pre-loss condition.
[0111]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Moisture
Map" page (FIG. 17). This page includes data input fields for
"Inspection Date," "Room," "Affected Location,"
"Affected Type," "Reading," and "Target."
The "Room" field includes a drop-down menu populated with
the names of the rooms that were defined and entered by the contractor
on the "Room Dimensions" page (FIG. 13). The "Affected
Location" field includes a drop-down menu pre-populated with
the options "Subfloor," "Wall1," "Wall2,"
Wall3," "Wall 4," "Wall1 Sill," "Wall
2 Sill," Wall3 Sill," "Wall4 Sill," "Flooring,"
"Floor Joist," "Rafter," "Wall Stud,"
"Header," "Insulation," "Ceiling,"
"Baseboard," and "Stairs." The "Affected
Type" field includes a drop-down menu pre-populated with the
options "Carpet," "Ceramic Tile," "Concrete,"
"Conventional Wood Framing," "Drywall," "Engineered
Wood Plank," "Laminated Flooring," "Metal Framing,"
"Oriented Strand Board," "Paneling," "Particle
Board," "Plaster," "Plywood," "Real
Wood Plank," "Vinyl Composition Tile," and "Vinyl
Flooring." This page also includes selection buttons labeled
"Add" and "Preloss Conditions Certificate."
At the bottom of the page is a list of moisture content data for
all of the damaged structural materials within all of the affected
rooms of the insured property.
[0112]Using a moisture meter (e.g., a penetrating meter or a non-penetrating
meter), the contractor collects moisture content readings for all
of the damaged structural materials within all of the affected rooms
of the insured property. For any given room, these structural materials
may comprise all or a subset of the options listed in the drop-down
menu for the "Affected Location" field. In addition, the
contractor will note the type of material for each of the damaged
structural materials, which preferably comprises one of the options
listed in the drop-down menu for the "Affected Type" field.
Preferably, the contractor will take digital photographs showing
the various moisture content readings on the moisture meter for
inclusion in the claim file. Most preferably, the contractor uploads
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