Group Insurance

CDSS has a single, group policy that affiliates and callers may join that provides general liability insurance for those affiliates and callers. The limits on the policy have been calculated to provide enough coverage for all covered groups.

The CDSS policy is a general liability insurance policy, which generally covers the organization, volunteers, employees directors and officers, for their work for the insured entity if there is a claim of liability brought due to their operations. It potentially covers the legal costs, expenses, and settlement. In all cases, a claim would need to be submitted to the underwriter who will assign a council and determine payment. In addition to the $4,000,000 aggregate, $2,000,000 per-occurrence limits on liability coverage, the following is included:

$300,000 Rented To You Limit (any one premises)

A claim could be submitted for any of these scenarios if an allegation of negligence made against the group. The carrier/adjuster will review the specifics of the incident to determine if coverage applies.

Many venues require groups to have insurance before renting or holding events in their space. The CDSS policy meets and exceeds the minimum coverage amounts required by most venues. Many groups find the peace of mind afforded by the policy to be worth the cost when thinking about the long-term health of their organization.

We are unable to offer D&O insurance because we are under a single policy, which cannot cover multiple directors and officers of different organizations. We’re happy to put you in touch with our insurance agent, who has helped other affiliates obtain D&O insurance.

It’s difficult to give generalized advice on this subject—each organization is unique and has different needs. You’ll need to decide for yourself if the cost of D&O insurance is worthwhile. General Liability and D&O insurance cover separate things. The General Liability policy CDSS has covers directors or officers (or employees, volunteers, etc.) for their work for the insured entity if there is a claim of liability brought due to their operations. A D&O policy covers you as officers/directors of the organization.

This article provides some information on the difference and what D&O covers, but you should speak with a lawyer or insurance agent if you have further questions.

$500-$1000 is a very general estimate of the cost of a D&O policy. The exact amount will depend on the size of the organization and location.

Only list a venue as Additional Insured if specifically requested by the venue. This is additional coverage for the venue and is not required unless specifically requested.

Some insurers require waivers for certain activities; ours does not. A waiver won’t prevent you from being sued, but may provide additional protection if you are. It may be worth consulting with a lawyer to discuss your particular situation if you feel it’s necessary.

You are not required to notify the insurer of every incident, but the policy states that the insurer needs to be notified in a timely manner in the event of a claim.

This will probably depend on the details of the suit. Per our agent “The General Liability policy CDSS has covers Directors or Officers (or employees, volunteers, etc) for their work for the insured entity if there is a claim of liability brought due to their operations.” But there are other situations where board members wouldn’t be covered by our General Liability policy, or could be sued separately from the organization.

There are usually between 0 and 2 claims under our policy per year.

We cannot offer definitive advice on what hypotheticals will or will not be covered by the policy. Each situation is unique and handled individually. Speaking to a lawyer or expert in the area is advised when exploring such hypotheticals. Feel free to contact us with questions and we can forward your question to our insurance agent if necessary.

Our policy beginning on May 1, 2021, will NOT allow for COVID-19 related claims due to an added virus exclusion—a change from the previous year’s policy. We are not aware of any general liability policy that will do so.

Yes! As long as they are essentially the same as other events you would be holding (dancing led or taught by an instructor/caller). As usual, filing a claim would require someone who attended your online event to sue and prove your negligence.

Events held at this time are covered by our insurance policy as they usually are, just not for COVID-related claims.

Some insurers require waivers for certain activities; ours does not. A waiver won’t prevent you from being sued, but may provide additional protection if you are. It may be worth consulting with a lawyer to discuss your particular situation if you feel it’s necessary.

Absolutely! Email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to provide a copy of the policy for your review.

Have questions or need more information? Call Matt Reyna at 413-203-5467 x109 or email [email protected].