On November 15, 2019, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors approved the Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) Endorsement. It is available for the 2020 crop year for both Catastrophic (CAT) and additional coverage for Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions policies, when provided in the actuarial documents, in counties located in the vicinity of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as Hawaii.

The Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) Endorsement covers a portion of the deductible of the underlying crop insurance policy when the county, or a county adjacent to it, is within the area of sustained hurricane-force winds from a named hurricane as published by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The coverage provided by HIP-WI can be combined with the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) and the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) when acreage is also insured by a companion policy.

An administrative fee and premium for the crop covered by each HIP-WI Endorsement will be due in addition to any administrative fee and/or premium of the underlying policy. However, the HIP-WI administrative fee may be waived if you qualify as a limited resource farmer, a Beginning Farmer Rancher (BFR) or a Veteran Farmer Rancher (VFR).

The following HIP-WI materials will be available by close of business today on the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov.

• Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) Endorsement (20-HIP-WI)
• Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) Insurance Standards Handbook (FCIC-24360)

For the initial crop year of 2020, the sales closing date for the HIP-WI is April 30, 2020, for those crops/counties with a crop year 2020 SCD on or before April 30, 2020, in counties where the HIP-WI is available. In future crop years for crops/counties with a 2020 crop year sales closing date on or before April 30 and all other crops/counties in crop year 2020, the sales closing date for HIP-WI will be the sales closing date of the underlying crop policy.

Interested producers should contact a crop insurance agent for further information. A list of agents can be found on the RMA website at: www.rma.usda.gov/en/Information-Tools/Agent-Locator-Page


DISPOSAL DATE:
December 31, 2020