An ice dam leaked into our Plainfield ceiling last winter. What part does insurance actually pay?

Commonly, the resulting water damage: the stained and softened ceiling, wet insulation, and interior repairs that follow the leak. The dam itself, and the heat loss through the attic that built it, are treated as maintenance, so insulation, ventilation, and air sealing corrections are the homeowner's project. The claim file should document both halves separately: dated photographs of the ice at the eave or valley and of the interior water path, because the adjuster's split follows the documentation's split. The prevention work is still worth doing on the claim's own logic: a documented second dam on a home that never corrected the cause is a harder conversation than the first.