What is our municipality's deductible?
The deductible for all claims, excluding workers' compensation claims, is $500.00 per occurrence.
Property
What is an occurrence? Is it the same as an accident?
An occurrence can be the same as an accident. The term "occurrence" refers to a single event that results in damages. Claims for damages arise out of an occurrence.
Will PACIF bill us for our deductible?
Once the claim has been concluded, PACIF will send a request to your municipality for the amount of the deductible. In the case of damage to a municipal automobile or other municipal property, the deductible amount will be deducted from the final settlement check prior to the check being sent to the municipality.
Will PACIF make claim payments to the municipality or will you pay the body shop/contractor directly?
PACIF prefers to make all claim payments directly to our municipal member. If special circumstances exist where payment directly to a contractor is necessary, we can make arrangements to accommodate those situations.
Can we purchase better/more expensive equipment than what we had prior to the loss?
Your coverage entitles the municipality to replace all damaged property with property of like kind and quality. If the municipality wants to upgrade to a more expensive piece of equipment or property, you will be responsible for the difference in cost.
What claim form should I use?
There are claim forms for each type of loss, depending on which coverage is called for. For example, if a fire destroys the municipal garage, then a Property Loss Form is required. If at any time you have a question about which form to use, please give us a call and we will help you. The loss forms are found online in our Customer Service section.
Where do I send the form?
Property claim forms should be printed, filled out and mailed to the PACIF Claim office at VLCT, 89 Main Street, Suite 4, Montpelier, VT 05602. We encourage you to report any serious claim directly to us at 800-649-7915. Serious claims are usually ones involving serious injuries or death or claims that involve catastrophic loss of property.
Should the municipality pay all the bills for the claim and then file it with PACIF?
You should report the claim as soon as you are aware of the incident. We encourage you to file the claim and allow for our investigation prior to paying any bills on a loss. Once you have received notice of a claim, it is important that you report that claim to our office immediately.
Will you help us recover damages to our guard rails/fire hydrants/parking meters?
We will be happy to help you recover damages to municipal property for items typically not covered through the PACIF program. We will take all steps necessary to recover damages for these items. If recovery is made, we remit that amount to your municipality.
What is subrogation and how does that affect the municipality's claim?
Subrogation is a term used when PACIF attempts to recover damages from a party that is responsible for causing a loss to one of our members. If PACIF reimburses a municipality for damages as a result of a claim and our investigation of that claim reveals that another party (someone other than the municipality) is responsible for those damages, we will pursue reimbursement for those damages from the responsible party. If PACIF is successful in our subrogation attempt, we will then reimburse the municipality for any deductible amount paid for the specific claim.
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