Official: 24 Months to Collect Wildfire Insurance Money

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California's insurance commissioner says homeowners who lost their homes in last month's wildfires in Northern California have up to 24 months to collect insurance payments.

Dave Jones said Monday some out-of-state insurance adjusters brought in by companies to help with the high volume of claims have wrongly told homeowners they have between six and 12 months.

They have also erroneously told homeowners that additional living expense benefits would expire in 12 months. Jones says that when a state of emergency is declared, California homeowners have up to 24 months to claim those benefits.

Jones says insurance companies need to make sure out-of-state adjusters quickly familiarize themselves with California law so they stop giving out the wrong information.

A series of blazes that started in Northern California the night of Oct. 8 killed at least 43 people and destroyed about 8,900 homes and other buildings.

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