Insurance companies extend coverage for Marshall Fire survivors

FILE – Residents fight the Marshall Fire in Louisville, Colo., Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. A wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and businesses in suburban Denver last winter caused more than $2 billion in total financial losses — by far the costliest in Colorado history, the state insurance commissioner says. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP, File) (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP, File)

by: Nick Fischbach

Posted: Jan 9, 2023 / 04:50 PM MST

Updated: Jan 9, 2023 / 04:57 PM MST

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DENVER (KDVR) — According to a Jan. 9 press release from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, survivors of the Marshall Fire will now get up to 24 months of extended additional living expense (ALE) coverage.

The news comes as homeowners’ insurance companies made an agreement with the Colorado Division of Insurance, “to extend coverage for up to 24 months for policyholders that only had 12 months of coverage.”

The press release continues, “ALE coverage provides money for the expenses people have when they can’t live in their home due to a catastrophic event like a fire, but still need a place to live, along with the other necessities of life.”

The DOI’s Dec. 11 request reportedly got responses from 57 insurance companies, of which 47 companies did not have policyholders with only 12 months of coverage. The remaining 10 companies had policyholders with only 12 months of ALE coverage and all 10 companies, “agreed to extend ALE coverage up to 24 months for Marshall Fire survivors who experienced a total loss of their owner-occupied home.”

Marshall Fire survivors who lost their home with only 12 months of ALE coverage are encouraged to contact their insurance immediately to request an extension of up to 24 months. Survivors who experience problems with the extension request should contact the Division of Insurance Consumer Services Team: 303-894-7490 / DORA_Insurance@state.co.us / doi.colorado.gov (click on “File a Complaint”).

Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway commented on the extension agreement, “I am relieved to see these insurance companies giving their policyholders up to 24 months of ALE coverage. For the homeowners that only had 12 months of coverage, I know that these extensions will be a small bit of relief in what continues to be a trying time.”