Photograph Credit: Flickr (Cody Young)
When I hit that pot hole back in May, I had no idea I could get reimbursement from the State for the repairs. When the incident occurred, I focused on the task at hand – repairing my vehicle. While working through the process, which took about 3 weeks to complete, I mentioned the incident to my mom. This conversation saved me $187.58!
Having worked for her local county for almost 20 years, my mom asked if I had contacted the Risk Management department for a claim form. Having never heard of the risk management group, I inquired. Mom explained that each county has a risk management department to handle claims from pot holes, branches, etc. that damage property. After gathering the information and chatting with my mom, I looked up our county’s risk management office.
County Risk Management Contact
Not only was there a phone number listed, but also the employee’s name and e-mail address. I sent an e-mail requesting a claim form and was rewarded with instructions and the form by that afternoon. After filling out the information, I scanned in the document and e-mailed it back. The next week, I received communication that the road on which the incident occur is operated by South Carolina DOT (Department of Transportation). A contact person and phone number were provided.
At this point, I could have cut my losses and decided that this reimbursement process is taking too long to resolve. Knowing there was still a possibility that I could get reimbursed for these damages, I chose to continue searching and filing for reimbursement. Next week, I will share the end of the story. You will want to come back. It has a happy ending. 🙂
Question: Have you ever submitted a claim for reimbursement from your county? If so, please share the results in the comments.