ClaimAssist - Wildfire Insurance Claims Helper

Overview

ClaimAssist is a comprehensive web application designed to streamline the documentation and processing of insurance claims following property damage from wildfires. Created during the Cal State Fullerton Hackathon, the application focuses on providing a user-friendly, supportive interface to help victims organize and file insurance claims efficiently.

🌟 Key Features

Documentation & User Experience

• Multi-step Guided Process: Step-by-step interface to guide users through the entire claim documentation process
• Room & Item Selection: Visual interface for selecting rooms and documenting items with photos and details
• Multi-language Support: Internationalization features for broader accessibility
• Currency Conversion: Support for documenting items purchased in 15+ foreign currencies
• Mobile-Responsive Design: Optimized for use on any device, especially important in emergency situations

AI-Powered Assistance

• Price Estimation: AI assists users with estimating replacement costs for lost items
• Documentation Suggestions: Helps users locate documentation sources like email receipts or photo libraries
• Duplicate Detection: Identifies potential duplicate entries to prevent claim issues

Collaboration & Persistence

• Multi-user Collaboration: Family members can work together across sessions to complete inventory
• Session Persistence: Saves work in progress to prevent data loss

Output Options

• Customizable Templates: Various document formats for organizing inventory information
• PDF Generation: Create professional-quality printable claim documents
• Export Options: With or without photos, detailed or summary views

🧑‍💻 Technology Stack

Frontend

• React + TypeScript: For a robust, type-safe UI
• TanStack Query: For efficient data fetching and caching
• Tailwind CSS + Shadcn UI: For responsive, beautiful design
• HTML2PDF.js: For client-side PDF generation

Backend

• Node.js + Express: For a lightweight, efficient server
• PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM: For data persistence and schema management
• OpenAI API: For AI-powered assistance features

👥 Team

ClaimAssist was developed by a team of Computer Science students from Cal State Fullerton:

• Duy Le: Junior in CS, interested in AI and fintech
• Jacob Fishel: Junior in CS, interested in AI and machine learning
• Philip Ma: 3rd year CS student, interested in Fintech
• Bryan Orozco: Sophomore in CS, interested in working with large scale data and game development

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• PostgreSQL database
• OpenAI API key

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/claimassist.git
   cd claimassist

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables: Create a .env file with the following variables:

   DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/claimassist
   OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key
   

4. Initialize the database:

   npm run db:push

5. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

📱 Usage Guide

1. Personal Information: Enter your contact information and policy details
2. Room Selection: Select rooms affected by the wildfire
3. Item Documentation: For each room, document lost or damaged items:
   • Take or upload photos
   • Provide details (name, description, estimated value)
   • Utilize AI assistance for price estimates when needed
   • Use currency converter for items purchased abroad
4. Review & Templates: Review your documented items and select a template format
5. Generate PDF: Create a professional PDF document to submit to your insurance company

📄 Documentation Organization

The application helps users organize documentation from various sources:

• Purchase history from retailers (Amazon, Walmart, etc.)
• Email receipt searches
• Photo libraries (Google Photos, Apple Photos, etc.)
• Credit card statements

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Cal State Fullerton Hackathon for the opportunity to develop this project
• Victims of wildfires who inspired us to create a tool that could help in the recovery process