Adjusters International Consulting, LLC

Adjusters International, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporation, is a leading disaster services consulting firm that has been guiding public agencies to successful disaster recoveries since 1985. Our decades of experience have allowed us to hone a management system and a proven approach to providing consultant services that are designed to seamlessly complement your existing operations. We provide all required levels of support, available on call as needed, including but not limited to:

• Executive-level consulting, including strategic advice provided by top policy experts and industry leaders;

• Preparedness, planning and training services, delivered using an integrated and practical approach designed to support real-world application;

• Independent risk management consulting services that include risk management, insurance, and actuarial consulting;

• Program and project management support in all areas of disaster response and recovery, from damage assessments to debris management guidance to managing public assistance, hazard mitigation, and insurance recoveries, among other funding sources;

• Grant management and insurance claim consulting, staffing and support, including technical assistance, quality control, and funding coordination and oversight.

U.S. Communities and National IPA, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of OMNIA Partners, have come together as OMNIA Partners, Public Sector. All public sector participants already registered with National IPA or U.S. Communities continue to have access to all contracts, with certain exceptions, in the portfolio and do not need to re-register to use a legacy National IPA, legacy U.S. Communities, or new OMNIA Partners contract. U.S. Communities and National IPA remain separate legal entities and lead agency contracts completed under each brand are effective and available for use through the contract’s approved term. In the event we believe re-registration is necessary for any reason, OMNIA Partners will let you know.

The AIC, LLC team includes key members that are highly qualified subject matter experts in all aspects of Emergency Management, including preparedness activities such as planning, training and exercises.

Our team’s planning capabilities include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)

• Development of recovery time objectives

• Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis (THIRA)

• Critical Infrastructure, Business Process, and Business Impact Analysis

• Hazard Mitigation Planning and Implementation

• Crisis Communications & Warning Planning

• Debris Management Planning and Implementation

• Resource Management Planning and Implementation

• Post-disaster Long-Term Recovery and Redevelopment Plans & Policies

• Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) Accreditation

AIC, LLC has developed a comprehensive training program and offers a wide array of courses to provide an organized approach for training emergency managers and emergency response providers. Our expert staff can provide policy, guidance, and tools that address training design, development, delivery, and evaluation, as appropriate to meet your training needs.

Exercises play a vital role in preparedness efforts by enabling stakeholders to test and validate plans and capabilities, and identify both capability gaps and areas for improvement. Our experienced team can support state, local, and tribal governments, as well as hospital and healthcare systems, universities and colleges, school districts, and other organizations to create a common approach to your exercise program management, including exercise design and development; conducting and evaluating exercises; and improvement planning. Our services can assist with both discussion- and operations-based exercises and help to complete the overall preparedness cycle that includes planning and training activities.

In the event that a disaster escalates to a proportion where it exhausts your agency’s resources, our team can provide Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs) to support and augment staffing at the state or local Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

This service allows you to maintain continuity of operations while effectively managing the incident. We can provide short-term and long-term staff support to assist with your Incident Management System (e.g., operations section chief, planning section chief, logistical section chief, finance/admin section chief, or ESF positions, based on need and the level of response).

The AIC, LLC team regularly assists states, counties, and other local jurisdictions with disaster assessment services related to both the FEMA public assistance and individual assistance programs. We are familiar with the damage assessment process for public infrastructure and public facilities, as well as privately owned homes and businesses, and have worked closely with local and state emergency management organizations as part of this process. In fact, we maintain an in-house team of professional estimators specifically trained to provide this service.

Our consultants have a thorough knowledge of transportation systems, irrigation and pumping stations, water control facilities, utilities, parks and recreational facilities, as well as buildings, equipment, contents, and other assets – and the latent damages incurred by these facilities.  AIC, LLC will work with your staff to ensure that processes and procedures are in place to perform accurate site inspections with both FEMA representatives and insurance adjusters.

AIC, LLC applies our knowledge of the entire FEMA public assistance process to guide you successfully through your financial recovery. Our extensive experience allows us to respond immediately and effectively to your needs.

AIC, LLC will provide you with broad-based support services designed to help maximize federal funding, expedite the process, and retain funds during the closeout audit. This includes both your recovery under the FEMA public assistance program and your insurance claim(s), which we help to coordinate utilizing our unmatched in-house expertise in both areas. We also work with you to document your projects in such a way that you meet FEMA’s requirements during audits, final inspection and closeout.

Our consultants provide you with constant communications, including regular reports and status meetings, and full information regarding progress and projects. Our invoices and supporting documentation are prepared with the needs of sub-recipients in mind, and we work closely with your Finance Department to ensure that they have the supporting documentation they need when they need it.

Because the public assistance grant application process can involve an extended timeline, our experts remain available for phone consultations and in-person meetings upon request even after the need for a steady on-site presence has ended. We are available to assist you through any part of the process, from beginning to end.

Given that public entities can be insurance claimants as well as sub-recipients under FEMA’s public assistance program, AI provides a Total Solution® to address your financial recovery needs in the event of a disaster or property loss. Our understanding of the interrelationship of the two funding sources (insurance and FEMA public assistance) has proven crucial to our clients’ success.

No other company can claim our level of direct knowledge, in-house expertise, and coordinated team approach to these two critical facets of your financial recovery strategy. Our Total Solution® approach has proven successful in maximizing recoveries since 1996.

Our expertise with disaster relief funding sources extends far beyond FEMA grant management. Our proven dedication to meeting the precise needs of grantees and sub-recipients has allowed us to build an exceptional reputation as an industry leader and the “go to” firm for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation assistance. Our team has decades of experience with the major agencies active in disaster recovery, including but not limited to the following federal and regulatory agencies and funding programs:

• Federal Emergency Management Agency

• Public Assistance (PA) Program
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
• FEMA Community Disaster Loan (CDL)
• Individual Assistance (IA) Program

• Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Community Development Block Grant – 
  Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR)

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

• Emergency Relief Program (FHWA-ER)
• Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (FHWA-ERFO)

• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

• Emergency Relief Program (FTA-ER)

• Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Emergency Watershed Protection Program

 AIC, LLC's combination of state and federal knowledge of disaster relief programs, along with our hands-on experience gained during some of the worst disasters in U.S. history, provides a comprehensive understanding of the resources available to assist states and sub-recipients in reaching community recovery goals.

AIC LLC’s public adjusting team consists of seasoned professionals who serve as part of your team, assisting in developing claim strategies, assessing and documenting damages, and preparing and settling claims. Our team approach with you throughout the entire claims process provides quicker identification of potential problems and prompts implementation of solutions. AIC, LLC’s goal is a smooth transition from disaster to recovery by providing guidance and expertise in order to obtain the best possible settlement.

Our methodology for measuring and documenting damages is based on decades of experience. We pull together a team of specialists working under the direction of a lead adjuster to address the specific needs of each individual loss. Utilizing the latest computer models and programs, we can present claims in a format that your insurer is not only used to reviewing, but which serves as the template for complex claim negotiations. With the assistance of our in-house staff accountants and inventory specialists, we can also handle the complex time element claims and time-consuming business personal property claims that yield significant recoveries under existing policy coverages.

The team of professionals, which includes building estimators, contents appraisers, accountants and adjusters, provides services related to

• Property & Equipment Damage including Buildings, Equipment, and Contents/Stock
• Time Element Coverage including Business Interruption and Extra Expense

The costs related to liability claims can grow beyond the insured’s ability to control them and lead to insurance rate increases and over total cost of risk increases. The claims management and audit services team can assist you in taking control of your claims, legal defense and third party administration costs. Services offered include the following:

• Provide analysis and overview of the third party administrator’s for management of claims and offer recommendations for improving efficiency;
• Review open claims to evaluate potential of closing them efficiently;
• Review of claims for cutting costs;
• Analyze accident investigation, files are properly documented and evidence is preserved by the third party administrator; 
• Coordinate activities of the third party administrator and legal counsel; 
• Assist with establish an in house claims department and select and train personnel for a claims department; 
• Monitor proper and timely reporting of claims by the third party administrator to the Insurer to ensure proper coverage under the policy and compliance with policy conditions; 
• Analyze claims to recommend appropriate levels of retention and funding mechanisms, and to pinpoint potential areas of improvement for loss control and prevention.

The risk management consultants at AIC, LLC work to minimize your exposure to financial loss through customized programs that address your specific tolerance for loss. For over a quarter century we have handled intricate claims of all sizes. We apply our experience and expertise in several key ways, working solely for the policyholder — never for the insurance company.

We offer services such as Risk Management Audit, Insurance Program Marketing, and Building Replacement Cost & Business Interruption Valuation. We also provide consulting services to states and sub-recipients related to FEMA’s Obtain & Maintain Insurance requirement. Our independent risk management services include, but are not limited to:

• Commercial building replacement cost valuation
• Insurance policy review and recommendations
• Insurance specification development and renewal analysis
• Development of claim handling procedures manual
• FEMA insurance waiver analysis
• Risk management information systems evaluation and recommendation
• Third-Party Administrator (TPA) selection and evaluation
• TPA auditing
• Insurance Producer (Agent) of Record selection and evaluation
• Contract and lease negotiation and review
• Loss control evaluation and recommendation
• Safety workplace analysis
• Safety training
• Total cost of risk development and analysis
• Alternative risk financing study

We start by conducting an audit to analyze your exposures to risk, review your insurance policies and non-insurance tools and techniques, and recommend modifications or additional protection for missed or underinsured exposures.

AIC, LLC's experts examine all policies, forms, endorsements, exclusions, premiums, deductibles and/or self-insured retentions. We compare the insurance proposal and binder with your policy — to make sure it was accurately issued.

We can also review leases and contracts to ensure that your insurance program responds to those needs. Our audit report even compares existing language with improved language available in the marketplace, to further decrease your risk of loss.

As independent consultants, AIC, LLC objectively manages your insurance program following the audit. That program focuses on implementing a competitive marketing process on your behalf to prospective brokers and/or carriers, including the identification of coverage needs and specifications tailored to your particular exposures.

Requests for proposals (RFPs) or requests for qualifications (RFQs) are issued to insurance brokers, insurance wholesalers, insurance program managers, association programs or directly to insurance companies as appropriate. When the proposals are received, we analyze and compare the coverages and premiums — and make recommendations to you. AIC, LLC is not compensated in any way through the placement of your insurance coverage and as a result, our recommendations are truly independent. Selection of the program and provider is ultimately your decision. Our goal is to make sure that it is an informed decision.

In some situations, AIC, LLC will work on your behalf with insurance brokers and other providers, proposing solutions that strengthen coverage, reduce premiums or otherwise improve your insurance program.

Proper valuation of your building’s replacement cost and your business interruption exposure are two of the most critical aspects of your property insurance program. Not having an adequate facility in which to resume your operations and the cost of bringing those operations back to normal following a loss can be as devastating to your business as the loss event itself.

Experts calculate accurate valuations of your real property — including the improvements you’ve made — as well as the many other ways a loss can impact your operations financially. Both analyses help ensure that the coverages your policy provides adequately protect you.

After receiving funding from FEMA, entities are required to obtain and maintain insurance for the type of peril and amount of funding received from FEMA for a given facility – as long as it’s reasonably available as determined by the State Insurance Commissioner. This responsibility is critical to both current and future FEMA funding, and the language used around “reasonableness” opens up a grey area for states and sub-recipients when negotiating future funding requests to FEMA.

AI’s expertise within both the FEMA public assistance and insurance arenas uniquely positions us to provide states and sub-recipients with knowledge and guidance regarding FEMA’s obtain and maintain insurance requirement following a declared disaster. We have helped states to develop defendable criteria for issuing insurance commissioners’ certifications waiving this requirement and have helped sub-recipients to successfully apply for and receive waivers from FEMA.

Since 1996, AIC, LLC has provided direct grant management consulting services to more than 100 sub-recipients. Our team’s past experience includes the following highlights: