United States
Department of
Agriculture
Farm Production
and Conservation
Risk
Management
Agency
1400
Independence
Avenue, SW
Stop 0801
Washington, DC
20250-0801
BULLETIN NO.: MGR-17-013
TO: All Approved Insurance Providers
All Risk Management Agency Field Offices
All Other Interested Parties
FROM: Heather Manzano
Acting Administrator
SUBJECT: Emergency Procedures for Crops Damaged by Hurricane Harvey
/s Heather Manzano
9/1/2017
BACKGROUND:
Hurricane Harvey has caused catastrophic damage in many counties in Texas and
Louisiana. The Risk Management Agency (RMA), in conjunction with Approved
Insurance Providers (AIPs), recognize the need for authorizing emergency loss adjustment
procedures that will streamline certain loss determinations on specific crops to accelerate
the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance
policyholders in impacted areas.
Many residents in impacted areas have lost their primary residences to storm damage
and/or have been evacuated from their homes and the local infrastructure for normal day-
to-day activities has and will continue to be disrupted for some time as recovery begins.
Due to the destruction of communication lines and the limited ability to travel in the
impacted areas, many policyholders are unable to communicate with their agents to report
losses within the Common Crop Insurance Policy, Basic Provisions (17-BR) 72 hour
requirement. Furthermore, many policyholders may be unable to timely respond to
premium billing and payment for Federal reinsured policies. Section 24 of the Basic
Provisions (17-BR) and the Special Provisions state that interest will accrue starting the
first day of the month, following issuance of the notice of premium due by the AIP,
provided that a minimum of 30 days have passed from the premium billing date.
ACTION:
RMA authorizes the use of these emergency procedures to apply to all Texas and Louisiana
counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
Application of these emergency procedures is limited to those situations where the
catastrophic nature of the losses due to insured perils is such that not authorizing these
emergency loss procedures would result in unnecessary delays in processing claims.
RMA is authorizing the following emergency procedures for AIPs to utilize, on a case-by-
case basis, for all crops in counties impacted by Harvey to assist impacted policyholders
and increase the efficiency of making loss determinations:
USDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider