SAN FRANCISCO – State Compensation Insurance Fund announced today that it will extend credit to policyholders who have suffered a financial loss or business disruption caused by a dozen wildfires that are ravaging seven counties in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. State Fund has more than 100,000 policyholders in the area.

By Thursday more than 1,300 homes had been reported destroyed and more than 350,000 households ordered evacuated. Nearly 450,000 acres had burned. But shifts in the weather lifted hopes that the spread of the fires could be halted.

President Bush declared a federal emergency for these counties, and Governor Schwarzenegger issued a statement saying, “I thank President Bush for granting my request to declare a federal state of emergency in California. The people of California need all the help they can get at this tragic time, and this action will allow our citizens to get the assistance they need.”

State Fund will work with policyholders who are unable to report payroll figures or submit payments as a result of the emergency. State Fund President Janet Frank said, “State Fund recognizes the needs of policyholders when disaster strikes. Our offer of credit relief is one way to help our policyholders and their businesses return to normal operations.”

State Fund has set up dedicated customer service lines to provide assistance to Southern California policyholders whose operations were impacted. Policyholders are encouraged to contact State Fund’s Customer Service Center at (800) 388-0902 to make arrangements for October 2007 payroll reports and payments. This program will be offered to employers through a series of newspaper announcements and mailings to all State Fund policyholders in the affected area.

Editor’s note: State Fund has approximately 220,000 policyholders ranging from small businesses to large group associations. Created by the California Legislature in 1914, State Fund is a nonprofit, self-supporting, fairly competitive public enterprise that guarantees a permanent workers’ compensation insurance marketplace for California employers.

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Related Links

• Smoke from Wildfires and the Workplace
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Wildfires
• Wildfire Property Safety and Restoration