Lawmakers Urge Insurance Companies To Extend Coverage For Marshall Fire Victims

By Lindsey Toomer, Colorado Newsline

December 23, 2022

Three of Colorado’s federal lawmakers wrote to over 65 insurance companies asking them to extend additional living expenses coverage for Marshall Fire survivors for another year. The coverage is set to expire after the one-year anniversary of the fire.

"U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, as well as Rep. Joe Neguse of Lafayette, asked the insurance companies to extend additional living expenses coverage as hundreds of homeowners still work to rebuild their homes," according to a news release from Bennet’s office.

“We greatly appreciate the urgency with which you responded to the Marshall Fire,” the letter reads. “We ask that you bring that same urgency to the looming crisis caused by the potential expiration of additional living expenses benefits.”

The Marshall Fire started on Dec. 30, 2021, claiming over 1,000 homes in Boulder County as the most destructive fire in Colorado history. According to the letter, "the fire caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, and infrastructure repairs and debris removal are still ongoing." Many families have only just started to rebuild their homes because of economic disruptions from the pandemic.

“Extending (additional living expenses) will give survivors the additional support they need to recover from the devastating effects of the Marshall Fire,” the letter says.

The insurance companies the legislators sent the letter to include State Farm, Progressive, Travelers, All State, USAA and Liberty Mutual.

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