Insurance Coverage

TU provides insurance coverage for chapters and councils and for their officers, directors, and volunteers. Below is a summary of the coverage provided. If you have any question on the scope of that coverage, please contact volunteer operations staff or review our more detailed Insurance FAQ Document.

Remember that insurance is the last line of defense for risks. Chapters and councils can prevent or minimize claims on TU’s insurance by carefully planning their activities, by understanding the risks presented by their activities, by passing those risks on to others better equipped to bear them, and by minimizing the risks that cannot be passed on to others.

TU’s Commercial General Liability Policy

TU’s Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy provides liability coverage for the negligence of TU councils, chapters, and members engaged in activities on behalf of TU. Negligence (as defined here) generally means the carelessness, mistake, unintentional acts or omissions of a TU chapter, council, or member that results in damage to another person or entity. As an example, if a TU chapter engages in a work project and the negligent act of one member injures another person, the policy would cover the chapter, council, and negligent member against a claim by the injured party, subject to the terms of the policy.

In some circumstances, TU’s CGL policy provides liability coverage for the negligence of persons who are not TU members but who are volunteering at a TU-sponsored event.

There are several areas that TU’s CGL policy does not cover. They include:

• • Professional negligence, such as engineering
  • Workers compensation (TU national carries separate workers’ compensation insurance for its employees only.)
  • Some kinds of claims arising from work within 50 feet of a railroad. No chapter or council should undertake any project within 50 feet of a railroad right of way (whether or not the right of way is being used for railroad purposes) without first contacting volunteer operations staff.
  • Limited coverage for liquor liability and boating.

If you have questions about whether a particular activity or project is covered by TU’s liability insurance, you should contact volunteer operations staff or read the TU Insurance FAQs.

Proof of Insurance

Frequently, in connection with conservation projects, chapters and councils are asked by their partners to provide proof of TU’s liability insurance. That proof is provided through a Certificate of Insurance, a standard document that indicates who is covered by TU’s insurance policy. TU produces Certificates of Insurance for TU staff, chapters and councils only. A certificate includes, but is not limited to the following information: chapter or council name; TU point of contact; event location; and telephone number. Outside partner groups are not covered by TU’s insurance. If your chapter or council needs a Certificate of Insurance for an upcoming event, please fill out the Insurance Request Form at least two weeks prior to your event.

If your chapter or council is asked to add another organization or a business as an additional insured on TU’s liability policy, your chapter or council should contact volunteer operations staff. Only the insurance agent for TU’s policies can add another organization or a business to TU’s liability policy as an additional insured.

Directors and Officers Insurance

TU also has directors and officers insurance that provides coverage to TU members who are officers and directors of TU national and TU chapters and councils. The policy provides coverage for errors, misstatements, omissions, negligence, breach of duty and personal injury (such as defamation claims.) There are exclusions in the policy, including exclusions for certain types of intentional misconduct. If you have questions about the precise scope of this coverage, you should contact volunteer operations staff.

Supplemental Accident Insurance

TU offers supplemental accident insurance for chapters and councils that will provide up to $50,000 of medical costs per participant per accident for all TU sponsored events, including youth camps, at an annual cost of $126 per chapter or council. An option for higher limits of $100,000 is available at an annual cost of $155.

To get a Supplemental Accident Insurance Policy you must fill out the application form. Payment can be made online (payment links can be found on the application page) or by mailing your check to the address specified on the application. If you’re paying via check, please denote ‘insurance’ in the memo line. 

Each chapter and council must apply for this coverage itself. A council cannot, for example, apply for this insurance for all the chapters in its state. The chapter or council’s policy will be effective on the date payment is processed (if using the online form) or when the signed application and check is received by the TU national office, and the policy will expire on March 31 of each year.

Policy coverage for the supplemental accident insurance includes:

• • Medical expenses arising out of an accident: $50,000 (Plan I) or $100,000 (Plan II) per participant per accident
  • Dental expenses arising out of an accident: included in above limit
  • Deductible: None
  • Benefit period: 52 weeks
  • Plan coverage: Full excess
  • Accidental death benefit: $25,000
  • Accidental dismemberment benefit: Up to $50,000 per Schedule of Covered Losses
  • Accidental death & dismemberment aggregate: $500,000 per accident

All members in good standing of the participating TU chapter or council, volunteers, guests, and youth participants in activities sponsored and supervised by a chapter or council that has purchased this insurance are covered by it.

Covered activities include: meetings, fly-fishing instruction, training, stream clean up and stream maintenance. Travel arranged or provided by the chapter or council is also included. Sponsored activities with duration of over seven days are not covered unless specifically agreed to by the insurer, but overnight youth camps with duration greater than seven days are covered. The policy is “full excess,” which means that it will cover expenses not covered by injured person’s own insurance.