The Safety & Risk Management Office handles 25 different types of property and liability insurance policies for Western Carolina University. These include coverage for buildings, state vehicles, study abroad, medical malpractice, Student Internship Liability and others. NC General Statute 58-194.2 states that all insurance authorized for state agencies will be placed by the NC Department of Insurance. Therefore, State agencies cannot obtain insurance directly through private companies. All insurance coverage paid by funds “under the custody and control” of the University must be coordinated through the Safety & Risk Management Office and approved by the NC Department of Insurance. Please contact the Safety & Risk Management Office for questions regarding these policies ext 7443.
Insurance Policies
Vehicle Insurance/Reporting of Vehicle Accidents:
Vehicle Insurance
All department owned vehicles must be reported to the Department of Insurance for
liability coverage. Therefore, all departments are advised to contact the Safety &
Risk Management Office regarding the long term lease/rental of a new vehicle or addition/transfer
of state owned vehicles to their department. Notifying the Safety & Risk Management
Office will ensure that premiums for any transferred or new vehicles will be charged
to the correct department. Vehicles added mid year will be charged a prorated amount
for insurance coverage from the date the vehicle is added through the July 1st policy
renewal date. Yearly insurance premiums for both liability and Comp/collision coverage
are billed in July.
*Please note that all state vehicles purchased by University Departments are automatically covered with Liability Insurance, Comprehensive/Collision insurance is optional. Contact the Safety & Risk Management office for adding additional coverage.
Reporting of Vehicle Accidents
In the event of an accident involving a state owned vehicle contact WCU Campus Police
ext 7301 as soon as possible in order for the accident to be documented. Call 911
if you or other drivers are injured. Report the accident to the Safety & Risk Management
Office ext 7443 as soon as possible in order for a claim to be filed with our insurance
carrier.
*Motor Fleet vehicle accidents should be reported to Jean Andrei in Motor Pool at ext-3575.
Insurance for Short term Rental Vehicles
Comp/Collision and liability coverage is provided free of charge to departments who
rent vehicles for less than 30 days. Please contact the Safety & Risk Management
Office if the rental extends beyond 30 days. When a department rents a vehicle, the
rental firm’s liability insurance coverage is primary. The State’s insurance plan
will respond for physical damage to the rental car for which authorized employees
are liable. The state of North Carolina is a self-insurer and therefore the rental
firm may not charge any fees or surcharges for “collision waivers” or similar items
to State employees utilizing the contract. The state does not allow reimbursement
for fees or surcharges for “Collision Damage Waiver” and other extended insurance
coverage. Employees executing rental contracts should decline these coverages or
be prepared to bear the cost of this expense personally. Rental car insurance coverage
is provided in the United States, its possessions, and Canada. There is no coverage
in other foreign countries.
Other Types of Insurance:
State Fire Insurance Policy
All structures and contents are covered against fire, lighting, and windstorm damages
up to their replacement value. For items with high replacement cost or subject to
being stolen, expanded coverage for theft, vandalism or accidental breakage etc. is
available at an additional premium charge to the department.
*University Departments are encouraged to contact the Safety and Risk Management Office if they have purchased new equipment which will increase their content values. Certain contents including fine art and music instruments are not insured through the State Fire Insurance Policy. Separate private policies are available through the Department of Insurance for these items.
Property Losses - Property losses are to be reported to the Safety & Risk Management office within 24 hours so the necessary claims forms can be submitted to the State Property Insurance Fund. All losses are subject to current deductibles. Covered losses are reimbursed on a replacement cost basis based on property repair or replacement equal to property of similar, like, kind, and quality.
All Risk Coverage - All Risk coverage through the State Property Fire Insurance Fund can be purchased by University departments at an additional premuim of $.24 per $100 of value for Computer Equipment and $.40 per $100 of value for Miscellaneuos Equipment. All Risk coverage can be used to cover Computer and Miscellaneous equipment against direct physical loss. All Risk coverage can only be purchased for University owned equipment. The current deductible for All Risk coverage is $5,000. The Safety & Risk Management Office should be notified immediately if a piece of property insured with All Risk coverage is removed from campus. Insurance rates and deductibles are subject to change. Please contact the Safety & Risk Management Office for current rates and deductibles.
Equipment Leased / loaned to the University - Equipment which is loaned or leased to the University must be insured through a private policy with the Department of Insurance. Once insured, the leaser will receive a Certificate of Insurance which will serve as proof of insurance coverage.
Fine Arts/Musical Instruments Policy - Because of the unique nature of fine arts a separate commercial policy is written to cover items that are owned or loaned to the University. Each department with fine arts must maintain a current inventory of owned and loaned artwork and report the inventory to Safety & Risk Management each year. A separate policy is also available for musical instruments however, the coverage is optional .
Student Internship Insurance
Students whom are engaging in paid or unpaid internships can be covered by the Student
Intern Professional Liability coverage. There are two different policies available
to student interns:
HPSO (Healthcare Providers Service Organization) - This policy can be used for all medical student internships only. The policy covers student nurses, EMTs, Nutritionists, Lab Technicians etc. who are participating in internships at off site medical facilities. The policy offers $1,000,000.00 worth of coverage per claim brought against the student. The cost of this policy is $13.00 per year. A COI (Certificate of Insurance) will be provided to the student to take to their internship site as proof of insurance. Students or Faculty interested in enrolling their students in this policy should contact the Safety & Risk Management Office for an enrollment form.
Montgomery - This policy can be used for both medical and non-medical student interns. The policy offers $1,000,000.00 worth of liability coverage and has a per semester policy term. The cost of the policy is $15.75 per semester. A COI (Certificate of Insurance) will be provided to the student to take to their internship site as proof of insurance. Students or Faculty interested in enrolling their students in the policy should contact the Safety & Risk Management Office for an enrollment form.
*Please contact the Safety & Risk Management Office ext 7443 regarding current student internship policy rates.