NASW Student Professional Liability Insurance Program QUESTION: What is the NASW Student Field Placement Professional Liability Insurance Program? ANSWER: NASW Assurance Services professional liability insurance program provides either: a. individual coverage which the student obtains for himself/herself, or b. blanket coverage for the school and its faculty and students. QUESTION: What is the difference between the individual and blanket coverage? ANSWER: Individual coverage protects the student directly as the policyholder. Blanket coverage protects the school and all faculty and students for any malpractice actions filed against them. The blanket policy protects the school and faculty for all activities within their teaching capacity, not just field placement. QUESTION: Must a student be a member of NASW to be insured? ANSWER: Yes and No. If a student is covered individually, NASW membership is mandatory. Students must be members of NASW before applying for the individual student coverage. Once a student becomes a member of NASW, it can take up to six weeks to obtain coverage, so it is important for students to plan ahead. This important information can be provided to students in one of two ways: 1. NASW can provide material for the school to distribute to incoming students prior to their arrival, or 2. the school can provide NASW with a mailing list of incoming students so that we may send information. IMPORTANT: Students should be advised that NASW membership is required and should be in place before they can apply for the insurance coverage. They should be given the opportunity to join NASW prior to the school year. If a student is covered under the school blanket policy, NASW membership is preferable but not mandatory. QUESTION: Who is eligible for the NASW sponsored student/school professional liability program? ANSWER: To be eligible for individual coverage, a student must be enrolled in a Council on Social Work Education accredited social work degree program, or a program approved for candidacy. The student must be a member of NASW. To be eligible to apply for the school blanket policy, the social work program must be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or the program must have been approved for candidacy. QUESTION: How soon after an individual or school applies for professional liability coverage will it begin? ANSWER: Students must be members of NASW before applying for the individual student coverage. Once a student becomes a member of NASW, it can take up to six weeks to obtain coverage, so it is important for students to plan ahead. Usually insurance coverage begins the first day of the month following receipt and acceptance of the application. This process normally takes two to six weeks to complete. For school policies, insurance coverage usually begins the first day of the month following receipt and acceptance of the application. The process normally takes two weeks to complete. Upon approval of the professional liability insurance application and check, the individual or school will receive written notification that coverage is in place. QUESTION: What restrictions apply on the student field placement policy? ANSWER: Standard exclusions such as use of automobiles, bodily injury, medical claims, etc. Claims such as these are covered under other types of insurance policies. Any claim where one of the allegations is sexual misconduct is subject to an aggregate sublimit of liability of $25,000. This is the most the insurance company will pay for damages for all claims. This does not apply for defense costs. QUESTION: If a school is self-insured, are students likely to be protected from malpractice lawsuits? ANSWER: "Self-insured" may mean any number of provisions for assuming liability protection. The only way to be sure of what is covered is to check with the appropriate university office for clarification, as these arrangements vary from institution to institution and state to state. Students and faculty may wish to have written assurance of their protection and the scope of their malpractice coverage. Many times agencies require written proof before they accept a student in field placement. QUESTION: Can a school purchase a blanket professional liability policy for all its students without insuring its faculty? ANSWER: No. The blanket school policy must cover all faculty that do not have their own individual NASW professional liability policy as well as all of its students. QUESTION: Why is it necessary for the school or the faculty member to be included on the blanket school policy if the coverage is for field placement activities? ANSWER: Faculty members can be sued in connection with a student's field placement activities, and schools have been named in malpractice lawsuits involving a student in field placement. QUESTION: Are field supervisors covered under the blanket school policy as well as faculty? ANSWER: Yes, they must be W-2 employees of the school or in other words, faculty (not contractors). Field instructors who are not W-2 employees of the school are not covered by the school policy. QUESTION: Do part-time or adjunct faculty qualify for coverage under the blanket school policy? ANSWER: A faculty member who is on the payroll of the school, receiving salary and employee benefits, is covered by the blanket school policy. QUESTION: Should the covered faculty maintain his/her own coverage or convert to the blanket school coverage? ANSWER: The blanket school policy does not cover faculty for professional activities which are not part of their job responsibilities in the school. Faculty protected by the blanket school policy should obtain individual malpractice coverage for outside activities, (i.e., private practice, consultant services, etc.). If the faculty member is not engaged in any other social work activity, i.e. private practice, he/she may wish to convert to the blanket school coverage. In this case, the faculty member should check with the plan administrator to assure that there is no lapse in coverage. We advise faculty to obtain an individual policy to be certain of protection and in case the school's blanket policy's limits of liability have to be shared by many parties who were sued together. The school will not be charged for any faculty member who holds his/her own individual professional liability policy with the NASW sponsored program if the current individual policy number is provided. QUESTION: Under a blanket school policy, should the school list each insured student by name or give an average of how many students will be insured with the school? ANSWER: You just need an estimated number of how many are in field placement during the year. QUESTION: Under the blanket school policy, what happens if a student drops out of field placement or a new student enters during the policy year? ANSWER: This is a blanket policy. No refunds are made for students who leave field placement. Students added during the policy year are automatically covered. QUESTION: Is this also true for faculty? ANSWER: Yes. WHO DO I CALL IF I HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS? If you have further questions about the individual or school policy, please call the plan administrator, the American Professional Agency, Inc., at (800) 421-6694 or (631) 691-6400 (in NY) and ask for the social work student insurance department. To obtain information about NASW membership and membership applications or additional insurance applications, call the NASW Assurance Services office at (800) 638-8799, ext. 387 or (202) 336-8387 (in Washington DC).