Carus LLC in La Salle announces insurance reimbursement payment, 2nd public meeting date

Carus LLC will host its second public meeting Wednesday, July 12, at Matthiessen Auditorium in La Salle-Peru High School.

The public is invited to hear from Carus leadership at the meeting.

Along with its announcement of the public meeting date, Carus LLC also announced in a Wednesday news release homeowners who filed claims with damage from the Jan. 11 fire with their own personal insurance carriers and were responsible for paying their own deductible will be eligible for reimbursement of up to $2,500 from Carus. Homeowners will be eligible if they filed their claim on or before June 14, the company said.

“By reimbursing those who used their own insurance carriers, we hope to alleviate some of the frustrations surrounding the insurance process,” said Chryss Crockett, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Carus, in a news release.

During its May 10 public meeting, Carus leadership heard criticism from residents for the delay in insurance payments. Crockett said Wednesday there have been 115 insurance claims submitted with 51 of those (44%) being settled or paid. Twenty of the claims have been extended offers. Another 29 active claims are being reviewed by underwriters for approval or are still being worked on by adjusters. Lastly, 10 offers were extended and rejected by claimants, while five claims have been denied by the insurance company.

Giving public comment May 10, Jim McPhedran, who serves as La Salle’s city attorney, said he was disappointed Carus was placing blame on its insurance carriers. He said Carus is responsible and he said homeowners shouldn’t have to take the chance of increasing their insurance premiums by having to work with their own carrier to get damages repaired, because Carus’ response was too slow.

McPhedran’s response came after Crockett said delays in claim payouts were in part a result of working with two insurance companies, AIG and Allied World, and figuring out which one was responsible for what. Crockett also encouraged residents if they were getting quicker responses from their own homeowner’s insurance, that it may be more simple to work with them.

“In many cases, residents opted to use their own personal insurance carriers instead of going through Carus’ insurance,” the company said in Wednesday’s news release. “Residents who chose this route would likely be required to pay the deductible on their insurance policy. Carus understands the burden that may place on affected residents.”

To receive reimbursement, Carus LLC asked resident to provide a copy of the paperwork from their insurance company that shows the name of the insurance carrier and the amount of the deductible that was reduced from the payment they received.

Mail that copy to Carus, along with your full name and address, to 315 Fifth St., Peru, IL 61354 or email it to carushotline@carusllc.com. Anyone with questions about the insurance process can call 815-224-6662 or fill out the online question form by visiting carusllc.com/questions, the company said in its news release.