Fort Lee Resources – Where to find help

I know that I have posted a lot of information on the Fort Lee Military Family facebook page, so I thought I would put it in one centralized location and what better place than my blog (although I might write a more formal article later).

FILE A CLAIM THROUGH RENTER’S INSURANCE

If you have suffered a loss due to food rotting (spoiling) from the power being out you can typically file a claim through your renters insurance or if you live on post then the housing’s insurance policy:

Those with USAA: If you have USAA renter’s insurance they cover food spoilage up to $500 with no deductible (at least there was none on our policy). The payment is deposited directly into your checking account within 3 days.

If you live on post: If you live on post, housing has renter’s insurance in which you may file a claim through. However, it can be tricky. First you will need to obtain the claim form from the housing office. For those that did not keep up with my announcement on the page, I have spoken directly with the adjuster to answer some questions I had regarding game meat and the fact that it’s not sold in stores so you cannot list a price and the fact that they require the deer tag if you are going to claim it. After speaking with the adjuster here is what you need to know before hand:

• If you have USAA or other insurance you need to file with Alliant 1st! If you have already filed with your insurance (such as USAA) don’t worry they told me they will still work with you, you’re claim will just take longer to process.
• You will be required to list every piece of food that you are claiming along with the price of that food. This list MUST be itemized. Yes you read that right! However, I was told that if your condiments total less than $100 you can just list the work Condiments and then the total value instead of listing each one by one. Everything else will need to be itemized. He did tell me that if you have already thrown the food away, to just go off of your memory as best as you can.
• FOR THOSE WHO HUNT: If you have more than $100 worth of game meat that you are claiming you must provide the deer tag or other game tag to provide proof. (I know, who the heck keeps those, and that is exactly what I asked). I informed him that my family doesn’t hunt for trophy we hunt to eat so we don’t keep deer tags that are from the previous season, as do most Military members. He said in this case they will make an exception and will work with us all on this matter. But for future reference apparently you need to keep all tags.
• There is a $250 deductible. That means if you had $300 in food spoilage, you will only be getting $50. Something to keep in mind. Will filling out all the paperwork even be worth it?

AER ASSISTANCE– ACS is taking “applications” so to speak for those who wish to see if they qualify for AER assistance. Contact the Fort Lee ACS at:

Army Community Service
MAIN FACILITY
Bldg. 9023
1231 Mahone Ave.
Fort Lee, Va. 23801
Phone: 804-734-6388 or 1-866-507-7464

I know this isn’t where you usually see my articles, but I will be updating this post as I find more resources. Also those who live here on post that still do not have electricity, our home is open to you if you need a hot shower or need to do laundry. We also have a fax machine and copier if needed. You can contact me using the contact form here. I’ll reply to you as soon as I can.