Property claims and transactions resulting from Sept. 19 power outage

Below is key information for MSU employees related to insurance claims and financial transactions resulting from the campus-wide power outage on September 19, 2026.

Property insurance claims

The Office of Risk Management and Insurance is responsible for managing insurance claims. Given the complexity of the outage, and the likely volume of property insurance claims related to the power outage, the Office of Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) has requested that each Major Administrative Unit (MAU)/College appoint one individual as the point of contact for all insurance claims. 

Please keep in mind that insurance coverage is not automatic. Any known MSU-owned property damage and other losses involving building damage, equipment, services or operations must be reported no later than Wednesday, October 7, via the MSU Property Loss Report. These reports must be submitted using the standard process and coordinated with the MAU/College’s appointed contact with the following inclusions:

• Selection of “Sept. 19 Power Outage” for the Nature of Loss question
• A detailed damage assessment including all known losses and additional expenses, such as:
  • Estimated repair or replacement costs
  • Lost services or revenue
  • Overtime incurred by employees responding to the incident

Normally, the affected department or unit is responsible for a $15,000 deductible per occurrence, which contributes to the university’s overall deductible payment. For claims resulting from the Sept. 19, 2026, power outage, we are making a one-time exception and waiving the departmental deductible for losses that are ultimately covered by insurance. Additional information specific to property insurance claims related to the power outage will be made available to each MAU’s point of contact. Risk Management and Insurance will coordinate with each MAU as the insurance recovery for specific claims is determined by our insurer.

Related transactions

It is important for MSU to track the costs incurred resulting from the power outage or the related mitigation efforts. If your unit incurs any power outage-related costs, please ensure that Project Code SEPT19 is included in the accounting string on any financial transaction eDocs, including requisitions, disbursement vouchers, and PCard transactions.

Additionally, in accordance with the university’s Procurement Policy, requisitions for emergency orders related to the power outage must include a completed Emergency Order Justification Form (.pdf). Please also add “Emergency Order related to Power Outage” in the KFS requisition’s Explanation field, so that MSU Procurement can appropriately prioritize the purchase.

Contact MSU Finance

Power outage-related questions can be directed to the following teams within MSU Finance.

• Risk Management and Insurance (property insurance claims)
• Office of the Controller - Accounting (disbursement vouchers, project code usage)
• Procurement (requisitions, purchase orders)
• PCard