Stand Up a CAT Surge Intake Board Without Losing Files

Set the board's job before the first storm call

A catastrophe intake board is a temporary work surface, not a second claim system. Its job is to show which notices arrived, which are complete enough for assignment, and which need a person to resolve a conflict before an adjuster spends time on the file. Open one board per event and label it with the carrier event name, the date-of-loss window, and the person who owns the board.

Keep coverage out of the board. An assistant may record the reported peril, the address, and the date the loss was described, but the carrier decides whether an event code applies and whether a loss is covered. When a notice falls outside the published event window, route it to the CAT lead rather than stretching the event definition to keep the queue tidy.

Use four lanes and a visible duplicate flag

The lanes are new, possible duplicate, incomplete, and ready for assignment. A notice does not move to ready because someone answered the phone; it moves when the required fields, the source record, and the contact attempt are all present. A possible duplicate stays in its lane until an owner confirms the relationship between the records.

For duplicates, compare policy number, insured name, property address, and date of loss. Two submissions 40 minutes apart with different narrations can describe the same water intrusion. Preserve both, link them with a candidate flag, and write down what differs. Never delete the second notice to make the count look cleaner.

Capture the fields an adjuster needs on day one

The day-one record should carry the policy number as printed, the insured's preferred name, the loss date and time as reported, the risk address with unit or building, the channel, a callback number, and whether anyone reported injury or an unsafe structure. Add the number of photos or videos, the language preference, and any access restriction such as a locked gate or a tenant who must be present.

Separate reported facts from verified facts. A policyholder may say the roof was damaged by hail; the intake record says hail was reported, not that hail caused the damage. If a field is missing, leave it blank and mark the record incomplete. A guessed cause or a rounded date creates work later when the field adjuster compares the notice with the scene.

Use the specialist service role as a starting point for scope, source evidence, and decision boundaries.

Run a duplicate and prior-loss check a reviewer can follow

Check the claim system for the same policy and loss window, then check the property address for earlier claims in the past 12 months. Record the claim numbers compared and the reason the records were linked or separated. A prior claim at the same address is context for the adjuster, not proof that the new notice is fraudulent or that the damage is old.

Example: a homeowner submits a portal notice at 8:10 a.m. and calls the next morning because the portal did not show a confirmation. The board links the two contacts, keeps the earlier timestamp as the notice time, and notes the callback. The adjuster receives one packet with both sources instead of two assignments and a confused homeowner.

Hand off a packet, not a promise

An assignment packet includes the board ID, claim number, risk address, map pin, contact preference, safety flags, a photo index, the open questions, and the source of each field. It should not include a repair estimate, a coverage opinion, or an inspection time the carrier has not authorized. If the policyholder asks when an adjuster will arrive, the approved response is that the team has the notice and will make contact; the board does not create a service commitment.

At the end of each shift, review unassigned records older than the event threshold, records with no contact attempt, and duplicate flags with no decision. The review is about the board's condition, not individual speed. If the same field is missing in half the notices, fix the intake form or the channel instructions before the next surge.

The public guidance from National Association of Insurance Commissioners can help the accountable team test assumptions without replacing local professional review.