Am I covered for slip-and-fall?
Yes. The policy includes "premises liability" or "slip-and-fall" coverage as a
part of the standard policy. No additional premium is charged for this
coverage. Premises liability coverage is designed to protect the insured
psychologist if another person is injured in the psychologist's office. For
example, if someone slips on the carpet in the office and sustains an injury,
the premises liability portion of the policy would be triggered. That is why
this coverage is commonly referred to as "slip and fall" coverage.
When does premises liability apply?
An injury that occurs in your office is clearly covered. On the other hand, a
patient who is injured when he or she stops at the gas station on the way to
your office would not be covered under the policy. The policy would also respond
when clients are seen at offsite locations where the psychologist provides
services. This is particularly helpful for psychologists doing consultation
outside their office (providing workshops, Coaching, I/O, or Geriatric
Psychologists who spend time in a nursing home where their clients reside).
What are the dollar limits of coverage?
Premises liability is part of your primary coverage. You have the full limits
of the policy available to pay for an injury. If you have a $1 million per
incident policy, the policy limits may go up to $1 million for damages. The
Trust policy also includes no-fault medical payments for bodily injury.
Does Premises Liability coverage apply if the office is in the home?
Yes. The Trust Policy covers you whether the office is in the home, at a large
hospital, or in a small suite of offices. If your office is located in your
home, your Homeowners policy may or may not apply to business pursuits.
It is important to talk to your Homeowner’s agent to find out if you need to
modify your homeowner’s insurance for a home office. The premises
liability coverage in your Professional Liability Policy would not cover an
injury sustained outside your psychological practice.
My landlord has asked to be named on my policy. Can that be done?
The Trust Policy automatically covers landlords as additional insureds.
If the landlord would like proof that they are covered, you may submit a
written request to have that landlord specifically listed on your policy.
We will then send you an endorsement with their name listed. There is no
cost for this service.
Should the landlord be added as an additional insured to the Professional
Liability Policy?
You can choose to list the landlord on your policy. However, in the event of a
claim, your policy limits will apply to all additional insureds, including the
landlord.
What does the Premises Liability not cover?
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Premises Liability only responds when someone who is not an insured under
your policy sues you for damages due to an injury sustained in your office.
This means that the injured party must first suffer an injury on your premises,
and then must make a claim for the damages they suffered.
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The policy would not cover injuries to the insured, or the insured’s
employees who make claims for injuries. This type of claim would be handled by
worker’s compensation coverage.
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Premises liability coverage does not provide coverage for damage to
property or office contents due to fire, water damage, etc. If one is looking
for protection for property or contents (office furniture, computers, client
records, etc.) then one should look for a business property policy like a
Business Owners Policy described below.
What does a Business Office Package (BOP) policy cover?
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The BOP policy covers your business personal property, such as furniture
and office equipment, that you use in your practice.
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Business interruption coverage is available if your premises sustains a
covered property loss and you are forced to set up a temporary office
elsewhere.
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General Liability coverage is included on the BOP policy and covers you for any
visitors to your premises for slips and falls, as well as contractual
liability, personal and advertising injury, host liquor, and fire legal
liability.
What is General Liability coverage?
General Liability coverage is coverage for premises liability as well as
contractual liability, personal and advertising injury, host liquor, and fire
legal liability.
What is non-owned automobile coverage?
Non-owned automobile provides coverage to the named insured against automobile
accidents involving employees, when the employees use their own automobiles for
the insured's business purposes.
What is the difference between a BOP policy and the General Liability policy?
General Liability coverage does not provide any first-party coverage for your
owned business property (building or contents) or business interruption.
Liability coverage is the same for both the BOP and General Liability.
