Isaias: PSEG Long Island Reimbursing For Spoiled Groceries, Drugs

LONG ISLAND, NY — PSEG Long Island customers who lost power for at least three days due to Tropical Storm Isaias can be reimbursed for spoiled food and medications, the utility said Monday. The Aug. 4 storm left more than 420,000 homes and businesses in the dark on Long Island and in the Rockaways, the utility said — making it the most destructive storm since Superstorm Sandy.

"We recognize that losing power in August, together with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a hardship for many of our customers," said PSEG Long Island President Daniel Eichhorn in a news release. "Given the unique combination of circumstances, we believe the right thing to do is to expand our claims process to ease the burden on the customers most impacted by Tropical Storm Isaias."

Residential customers can receive up to $250, while businesses can claim up to $5,000 for food spoilage. The offer extends to those whose service was interrupted for at least 72 hours between Aug. 4 and Aug. 12 due directly to the storm.

How Residents Can Get Reimbursed For Spoiled Groceries And Medications

Residential customers filing a food spoilage claim of no more than $150 must include an itemized list, PSEG Long Island said. For claims over $150, residents must include an itemized list and evidence of loss. This includes cash register tapes, store or credit card receipts, canceled checks or photos.

For prescription drugs that spoiled due to lack of refrigeration, customers can be reimbursed for losses up to $300. These customers must provide an itemized list of the medications and proof of loss. Acceptable proof includes a pharmacy prescription label or pharmacy receipt identifying the medicine.

Click here to file a claim.

To be eligible for reimbursement, residents have to meet the following conditions:

• Must be a PSE&G or PSEG Long Island customer of record as of Aug. 4.
• Outage must have lasted longer than 72 hours anytime from Aug. 4-12.
• Outage must have been caused by Tropical Storm Isaias.
• Medications must have been prescribed and in the name of the customer of record or member of household.

How Businesses Can Get Reimbursed

Commercial customers seeking reimbursement must also provide an itemized list of spoiled food and proof of loss. Acceptable proof includes invoices, inventory lists and bank statements.

What Else To Know

Reimbursement claims cannot be processed over the phone, the utility said. Additionally, customers can only apply for reimbursement until Sept. 16. Any money paid back is expected to take up to 60 business days from when the claim is filed.

For both homes and businesses, completed claim forms and evidence of loss can be submitted via:

• Email: PSEGLongIslandClaims@pseg.com
• Fax: 1-516-949-8461
• Mail: PSEG Long Island LLC, Claims Department, 175 E. Old Country Road, Room 1-01, Hicksville, NY 11801

A claims professional will investigate each claim and determine whether PSEG Long Island is liable. Customers will be contacted once that investigation is completed.

The utility noted it is not responsible for property damage or business loss, which it said were caused by weather related conditions.

As Patch previously reported, tens of thousands of PSEG Long Island customers were still without power nearly a week after the storm. After six days, the utility said each job required "more work than anticipated due to the extent of the storm's damage." More than 5,000 trees and large limbs fell on the island.

Many residents, businesses and elected officials weren't satisfied with the explanation, however.

"It is unacceptable that I am hearing from so many residents that are still without power, even though PSEGLI had promised to restore power by Saturday," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in a statement.