View WDFW rulemaking website for Crop Damage.
Purpose of the proposal and its anticipated effects:
The proposed rulemaking, if adopted, seeks to do the following:
- Allow the department to continue to use contracted crop damage claim adjusters. To do so, the department must establish updated certification and experience standards for department-contracted crop adjusters. Because of a change in the availability of federal crop insurance continuing education training for crop adjusters, there has been a decline in available crop adjusters resulting in the department being unable to comply with existing rule. Consequently, the department has been unable to carry out this statutory obligation to assess crop damage claims by current department contracted adjusters. This change will allow for the substitution of experience for the federal license and allow claims to continue to be processed by contracted crop adjusters with only a state license.
- Clarify the handling of shared adjustor fees and clarify shared costs apply for multiple site visits or for share repayment where no claim is paid.
- Removes redundant or irrelevant language unrelated to claims that occurs in multiple rules.
- Clarify that the department may pause timelines to allow for further investigation of a claim and require submission of additional information to complete the processing of a claim.
- Clarify how causes of damage other than crop damage by deer or elk are considered in the claim process.
Reasons supporting:
The department is required to make rules and processes for the implementation of commercial crop damage payments for wild deer or elk. These rule changes are necessary to provide clarity to the claim process and ensure that the necessary adjustor resources are available to comply with the requirements of RCW chapter 77.36.
Please note: All comments received by WDFW are part of the public record and will be available for public viewing - so please do not include private information in the text of your comments. Comments are subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act, RCW 42.56.