TerraBites

A short newsletter of bite-size ideas to chew on for Terrafirma owner-member land trusts, released January, February, May, June, September, October and November.

 

Posts tagged deadline

Time to file your Terrafirma application and claims now

Happy New Year! If you have not already started your 2023 application, now is the time to jump online and get it done! Also please remember to file all of your 2022 policy year claims now. Here are the key points to remember:

  1. The 2023 annual membership confirmation is currently open and goes through Feb. 1.
  2. File your policy year 2022 claims by April 30, 2023 at terrafirma.org  to avoid risking loss of coverage of the claim.
  3. The policy year is not the same as the calendar year — it is March 1 to March 1, plus a 61-day grace period that ends April 30. All claims must be filed within the policy year in which the problem first started or coverage for the claim is jeopardized.
  4. Filing claims does not affect your premium price! If in doubt, please file a claim or contact us at help@terrafirma.org.
  5. Entering a dispute in the Challenges section of your application is not an official claim.

Renew now! Terrafirma does not send invoices to members about renewing coverage. Members must renew coverage through the Terrafirma website. Please notify your accounts payable to update their vendor list and change the Terrafirma address to use the new P.O. Box address:

Terrafirma RRG LLC
P.O. Box 1330
Williston, VT 05495-1330

We’re here to help! If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thank you,

Tom Kester
Operations Manager and Secretary
Alliance Risk Management Services LLC
Manager for Terrafirma Risk Retention Group LLC

 

Have your cake and eat it too

People who love land also tend to be optimists who see the best in people. We believe in settling disputes through courtesy, perseverance, and rational thought – keeping interactions sweet, not salty.

You can work through issues together and file a claim with Terrafirma immediately, at the very first hint of a disagreement or problem. Filing a claim with your conservation defense liability insurance might feel like an aggressive last resort, but it should be one of your first moves. Terrafirma does not notify the other party that a claim was filed, and you can keep the claim on hold while you try to reach an amicable resolution. This way, if you need assistance later on, you don’t need to worry about a claim not qualifying for coverage because it was filed too late.

You can have your cake and eat it too! Hold your place in line by filing a Terrafirma claim, then move ahead confidently knowing that you have a backup plan in place. Wondering when sweet as sugar language needs some salt? See our newly revised When to Shift Gears.

Lastly, please remember that the grace period for the 2019 Terrafirma policy period ends on April 30. File any claims for lingering issues that were first discovered between March 1, 2019 and March 1, 2020 by that day.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

 

Hold Your Place in Line by April 30

Note: The process to close a claim has changed since this post was written in 2019. Instead of sending an e-mail, please update the status of your claim online to let the ARMS team know that you are ready to close the claim.

 

When you file a claim at www.terrafirma.org, you’ll see two options – one for a “placeholder” claim, and one that just says claim. Do you know the difference? You’ll want to know by 4/30, which is the deadline to file claims under your 2018 Terrafirma policy.

While both a claim and a placeholder claim satisfy the requirement to give notice to Terrafirma, a placeholder claim is not automatically evaluated and brought before the Terrafirma Claims Committee. 

When you file a placeholder claim, you’ll receive an e-mail every quarter asking for an update status on the claim. When you want to close the claim or have it seen by the committee, all you have to do is send an e-mail. There’s no need to switch status from placeholder claim to normal claim, or to re-file.

Don't wait until you have to hire a lawyer to file a claim. File a placeholder claim right away to make sure that if you need to switch the status to a normal claim, you can. Remember, if you don’t file 2018 policy year claims by 4/30, you will not be able to file them later.

We’re here to help! If you have any questions about when to file a claim, please let us know. You can email us directly or call 202-800-2248 for Hannah or 802-262-6051 for Leslie.

 

Thank you,

Hannah

Conservation Defense Coordinator
ALLIANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC
(202) 800-2248  | 

 

P.S. The grace period for Terrafirma claims for the 2018 policy year period ends April 30 at midnight local time. Please remember to file any lingering claims from incidents that you first learned of between March 1, 2018 and March 1, 2019 by that day! Check out our handy infographic for more tips on when to file.

 

Terrafirma Tips

Terrafirma is a unique insurance company – a nonprofit, member-owned risk retention group, created specifically to help land trusts. Being so different can lead to some confusion. We'd like to address a few common questions and misconceptions:

  • You must file a claim when you first learn of the incident – not when litigation starts. For example, if a land trust discovers a trespass involving cut trees in January of 2019, but waits until after April 30 (the end of the 2018 grace period for filing claims) to file the claim, they will likely be barred from coverage for not reporting in time.
  • The policy year is not the same as the calendar year – it is March 1 to March 1. There is a 60 day grace period at the end of each policy period.
  • Rates won’t go up because you filed a claim. Claim history and rates are completely independent - $63 per parcel for everyone, minus any discounts.
  • A placeholder is a full claim, and there is no need to re-file the claim to be heard for a coverage determination. Just send us a quick e-mail! See more information on placeholder versus regular claims here.
  • Everything is online except for payments, which must be sent in via check. We use check payments for maximum security and cost efficiency.
 
 

Don’t wait, file before it’s too late!

When filing a claim with Terrafirma, timing is crucial. For example, say that you are performing annual monitoring and see that the neighbor is encroaching onto easement property. You would flag it on the monitoring report, then the next step would be to file a claim with Terrafirma. It can take years for an issue to escalate to the point that it requires legal intervention. If you waited until then to notify Terrafirma, the claim would likely be denied because it was not filed in time.

In order for a claim to be eligible for coverage, it must be filed with Terrafirma within the policy year that you or anyone else at the land trust first became aware of the issue. The policy year is not the same as the calendar year – it runs from March 1 of the start of the policy year to March 1 of the next year, plus a 60 day window for filing claims. Filing a claim is quick, easy, and does not affect the cost of your premium. See our handy infographic here for more tips on when to file.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 202-800-2219 for Lorri, 802-262-6051 for Leslie, or 202-800-2248 for myself.

Thanks,
Hannah

Hannah Flake

Conservation Defense Associate

ALLIANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC

(202) 800-2248 | 

Hungry for more TerraBites? Check out our LinkedIn

 

 

 P.S. Will you be attending Rally on October 11-13? Seminars 6 and 15 and Workshops A01, A13, B01, B09, D02 and F06 qualify for the Terrafirma Risk Management discount. Remember to sign in on the Terrafirma attendance sheet to make sure you get credit!

 

File any 2017 policy year claims by Monday, April 30

TerraBite Ideas to chew on for Terrafirma owner-member land trusts 

Dear Hannah,

Phew – taxes are out of the way. On to the next important deadline!

The grace period for Terrafirma claims for the 2017 policy year period ends April 30 at midnight local time. Please remember to file any lingering claims from incidents that you first learned of between March 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 by that day! Check out our handy infographic for more tips on when to file.

To file a claim for 2017, log into your account at www.terrafirma.org and click on “Submit a Claim” on the menu on the left side of your screen. You will see a dropdown menu that allows you to pick 2017 or 2018 for the policy year.

Lastly, don’t forget to download and review your new 2018 policy! This is also available on your land trust’s account at www.terrafirma.org – there should now be a green button that says “Download Policy” at the top of your home page.

We’re here to help! If you have any questions about when to file a claim, please let us know. You can email us directly or call 202-800-2219 for Lorri, 202-800-2248 for Hannah, or 802-262-6051 for Leslie.

Thanks,
Hannah

Hannah Flake

Conservation Defense Associate

ALLIANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC

(202) 800-2248  | 

Hungry for more TerraBites? Check out our LinkedIn.

 

Don't delay, file today!

Are you working through an issue, but not sure if it’s time to alert Terrafirma yet? Please know that timing is crucial. In order for a claim to be eligible for coverage, it must be filed with Terrafirma within the policy year that you or anyone else at the land trust first became aware of the issue. The policy year is not the same as the calendar year – it runs from March 1 of the start of the policy year to March 1 of the next year, plus a 60 day window for filing claims. Filing a claim is quick, easy, and does not affect the cost of your premium. Check out our handy infographic for more tips on when to file.

We’re here to help! If you have any questions about when to file a claim, please let us know. You can email us directly or call 202-800-2219 for Lorri, 202-800-2248 for Hannah, or 802-262-6051 for Leslie.

Thanks,
Hannah

Hannah Flake
Conservation Defense Associate
(202) 800-2248  | 
Connect with us on LinkedIn

P.S. For those attending Rally next week, keep in mind that workshops B02 and E02 qualify for the 2018 risk management discount if attended by a board member or senior management.

 

 

 

Don’t run a-fowl of the Terrafirma deadline

Fall is in the air, and soon there will be turkeys roasting in the oven, pies cooling on the counter, and Terrafirma applications being updated for 2017. Applications will open December 1, 2016, and the last day to submit will be February 2, 2017.

Remember that risk management training is available for free, and your land trust can receive a discount on your 2017 premiums just for participating! This can be done via a webinar or our quick and easy online course. To qualify, training must be completed every year by a member of senior leadership.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 202-800-2219 for Lorri, 202-800-2248 for myself or 802-262-6051 for Leslie.


Thank you, and happy holidays!
Hannah
Conservation Defense Associate
ALLIANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC
1660 L Street NW, Ste. 1100, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 800-2248  | 

 


P.S. Congratulations to Marlene Frisbie and Laurie Smith, the newest Members Committee representatives – we’re happy to have you on board!

 

The early bird never misses a claim

Under some insurance policies, merely filing a claim can drive up your premium rate. Terrafirma is different—it never penalizes land trusts for doing their jobs of conservation defense! While your Terrafirma policy requires immediate filing of a claim, it does not increase your premium. Most importantly, failure to file immediately might result in the claim being denied. Timing counts, so if you have something now, please file a claim by March 1, 2015. We will help you sort out the details and are always available to assist you. It's easy: go to the Terrafirma website, login and click on “Submit a Claim.”

 We’re here to help! If you have any questions about premium calculations, filing a claim, or anything else, please let us know. You can reply to this email, email us directly or call:

202-800-2219 for Lorri

202-800-2248 for Hannah

802-262-6051 for Leslie

 

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