; (II) the preservation of basic items; (III) displacement; and (IV) other issues that make inspection and maintenance of the property a near-term challenge for the policyholder; and (iii) the unavailability of contractors or other individuals to perform any required inspection and maintenance. . 404. Appeal of decisions relating to flood insurance coverage (a) Enhanced policyholder appeals process (1) In general Part C of chapter II of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 1349. Appeal of decisions relating to flood insurance coverage (a) Definition In this section, the term Office , except as otherwise specified, means the Independent Office for Policyholder Appeals established under subsection (b). (b) Independent Office for Policyholder Appeals Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator shall establish an Independent Office for Policyholder Appeals to provide for a non-adversarial and fair administrative review of appeals submitted under subsection (c)(1). (c) Appeals process (1) Right to appeal A policyholder of a flood insurance policy issued under the national flood insurance program may appeal the denial of a claim arising under the policy in writing to the Office not later than 1 year after receipt of the denial. (2) Exhaustion of administrative appeals required before filing civil action A policyholder of a flood insurance policy issued under the national flood insurance program may not institute an action on a denied claim arising under the policy against the Administrator in a United States district court under section 1333 or 1341, as applicable, unless the policyholder has exhausted the appeals process under this section. (d) Duties and responsibilities In administering appeals submitted under subsection (c)(1), the Office shall— (1) issue final appeal decisions through an appeal process established by the Office