Agency 10 Insurance Blog

WATER DAMAGE IS 7X MORE LIKELY THAN FIRE AND THEFT

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:40:32 GMT

WATER DAMAGE IS 7X MORE LIKELY THAN FIRE AND THEFT

Are you an Auto-Owners client? Click below to start protecting your home, 24/7 and receive the Water Shut-off System Discount on your Auto-Owners Homeowners policy.

Detect Leaks before they Turn into Disasters

https://meetflo.com/pages/partner-auto-owners

PROGRESSIVE - Coverage update: food delivery exclusions temporarily modified

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:29:55 GMT

Temporary modification to enforcement of Food Delivery exclusions

As more and more states enact restaurant seating bans and restrictions to help deter the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), many restaurants are moving to take-out or delivery-only service and may be asking their workers to deliver food using personal vehicles on an emergency/temporary basis.

Although coverage for food delivery is currently excluded in our Personal Auto and Motorcycle contract, please know that we will temporarily modify enforcement of policy exclusions to provide applicable coverage for claims involving food delivery activity by our Personal Auto and Motorcycle customers .

This temporary modification will go into effect for claims occurring, Friday, March 20, 2020 through April 18, 2020. Please be aware that, in the event of a claim, a Progressive claims representative will determine coverage at the time a claim is filed.

We will monitor events during this time period to determine the need to extend or modify.

Finally, as a reminder, please know that our dedicated agent and customer service teams are here 24/7, and keep in mind that your customers have access to their policy information any time through online servicing. Visit our Contact Us page for phone numbers, email addresses, and other useful information. We also encourage you to keep in touch with your agency associations for additional industry updates.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

COVID-19: Insurance Companies Helpful Links

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 20:24:21 GMT

Click below for messages regarding COVID-19 from various Insurance Companies

ACCIDENT FUND: http://www.accidentfund.com/our-response-to-covid-19 /

AUTO-OWNERS: https://www.auto-owners.com/special-message1

INTEGRITY: https://www.integrityinsurance.com/Coronavirus

PROGRESSIVE: https://www.progressive.com/support/covid19/

SECURA: https://www.secura.net/about/news-releases/covid-19/

SFM: https://www.sfmic.com/safety/covid-19-resources/

TRAVELERS: https://www.travelers.com/about-travelers/covid-19-coronavirus-update

WESTBEND: https://www.thesilverlining.com/

WESTFIELD: https://www.westfieldinsurance.com/covid-19

Coronavirus and Business Income Losses

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 17:31:47 GMT

Coronavirus and Business Income Losses

Author: Chris Boggs

COVID-19, better known as the Coronavirus, originated in Wuhan, China. Latest theories point to bats and snakes as the origination points of the virus. Bats with a strain of the virus were hunted and eaten by snakes. The snakes were hunted, gathered and sold for food in markets within the Wuhan province. The disease-laden snakes were eaten by humans transmitting the virus to humans; at least this is the theory. (It's rather ironic that a mammal would transmit the virus to a reptile that transmitted the virus back to mammals.)

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Coronavirus is thought to be transmitted person-to-person through “respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes … these droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people … or possibly be inhaled into the lungs."

Major manufacturing operations in China have reportedly slowed or even ceased operations, travel into and out of China is at a bare minimum, and supply chains are severely disrupted in many industries. In reality, the ultimate global economic impact of this virus will remain unknown for many months after the danger and fear have passed. (Another irony of this virus is that some operations have enjoyed increased business. My neighbor teaches students in China online; since the outbreak of this virus, her student count has increased dramatically as kids are staying home to attend classes.)

The Virtual University continues to receive calls and emails nearly every day regarding the insurance implications of this virus, and the most common question relates to business income, specifically: “Is there business income coverage if a governmental authority (civil authority) requires businesses to close?"

No, there is no business income coverage. This is the short answer. Before business income responds there must be damage to property leading to the cessation of a business. This requirement applies to business income dependent property losses (supply chain) and civil authority losses covered by business income policies. Additionally, there is a specific property exclusion applicable to viruses that may (generally will) apply. This is true of “standard" business income forms; there may be some proprietary forms that respond, but these are rare.

Insurance Services Office (ISO) continually monitors emerging issues and trends that may affect the insurance industry, and the unknown ultimate result of this virus certainly qualifies as an emerging issue. In response to the Coronavirus, and because many if not most policies contain a virus exclusion, ISO created two business income endorsements as a specific response to the Coronavirus:

Business Interruption: Limited Coverage For Certain Civil Authority Orders Relating To Coronavirus ─ Edition February, 2020; and
Business Interruption: Limited Coverage For Certain Civil Authority Orders Relating To Coronavirus (Including Orders Restricting Some Modes Of Public Transportation) ─ Edition February, 2020

Note that neither endorsement is assigned a form number. Why? Because ISO did not file these endorsements on behalf of the industry. Rather, ISO made these advisory forms available for use by any member carrier. Any carrier that desires to use either or both endorsements must file them with the relevant regulatory authority. (On a side note, if ISO had filed these endorsements, both would have been assigned a CP 15 XX number because they are business income endorsements.)

Coverage provided by both endorsements:

Begins immediately upon suspension of the insured's operations (there is no waiting period).
Extends for the time period specified in the schedule.
Is provided on an annual aggregate basis limited to the amount stated in the Schedule.

Both endorsements:

Provide limited coverage when/if there is a suspension of operations due to closure or quarantine at the insured location ordered by a civil authority attempting to avoid or limit the spread of infection by a Coronavirus.
Extend dependent property coverage (contingent business income) for named locations, if the policy includes dependent property coverage, when there is an interruption in the insured's business due to closure or quarantine to avoid or limit the spread of infection by a Coronavirus ordered by a civil authority at the dependent property.
Apply to income loss suffered by insureds operating from a vehicle or mobile equipment, if the policy is endorsed to recognize such vehicle-based operation.

The Business Interruption: Limited Coverage For Certain Civil Authority Orders Relating To Coronavirus (Including Orders Restricting Some Modes Of Public Transportation) ─ Edition February, 2020, contains one additional feature not found in the other endorsement. This endorsement adds coverage if the insured suffers a suspension of operations due to mandated closure or restricted usage of public bus, rail or ferry lines or related stations or terminals serving the area where the insured's business is located.

Lastly, both endorsements specifically exclude:

Intentional action by any person, group, organization or sovereign state to introduce or spread the virus;
Costs to clean, disinfect, dispose of or replace any property;
Costs to disinfect or dispose of any bodily fluids or waste materials;
Costs of testing for or monitoring the presence or absence of the virus;
Loss or expense due to fear of contagion, e.g., when customers, tenants or vendors avoid a part of the insured's premises not under quarantine;
Loss or expense related to absence of infected workers or those suspected of being infected; and
Any fines or penalties.

ISO specifically states in this filing that it has not developed policy-writing or rating rules. Each company is responsible for assessing the exposure for the classes of business written under these endorsements, developing its own rules and filing the forms as required by the regulatory authority.

Whether these will be the model for future “pandemic" endorsements from ISO is not clear. For now, it is up to the individual carrier to decide whether to use these endorsements or not.

Last Updated: March 5, 2020

Coronavirus and Workers' Compensation

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 17:19:23 GMT

Coronavirus and Workers' Compensation

Author: Chris Boggs

A pandemic is defined as, an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population." Although the media lives by the motto, If it bleeds, it leads," declaring a pandemic anytime more than a few people contract a virus, this time even the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of a possible Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One Coronavirus expert, Professor Gabriel Leung, Chair of Public Health at Hong Kong University, says that unchecked , the virus could infect 60 percent of the global population meeting the definition of a pandemic.

My intent is not to accuse the media of sensationalism, nor to intimate that WHO is overreacting (I don't think they are); my purpose is to answer the question, what makes an illness an occupational illness" and thus compensable under workers' compensation? More specifically, how does or might workers' compensation respond to the Coronavirus?

Two tests must be satisfied before any illness or disease, including the Coronavirus, qualifies as occupational and thus compensable under workers' compensation:

The illness or disease must be occupational," meaning that it arose out of and was in the course and scope of the employment; and
The illness or disease must arise out of or be caused by conditions peculiar " to the work.

Whether an illness arises out of and in the course and scope of employment is a function of the employee's activities. The simplest test toward determining whether an injury arises out of and in the course and scope of employment" is to ask: Was the employ ee benefiting the employ er when exposed to the illness or disease? Be warned, this test" is subject to the interpretations and intricacies of various state laws.

Qualifying as occupational" is the relatively low hurdle. The higher hurdle is whether the illness or disease is peculiar" to the work. If the illness or disease is not peculiar to the work, it is not occupational and thus not compensable under workers' compensation. An illness or disease is peculiar" to the work when such a disease is found almost exclusively to workers in a certain field or there is an increased exposure to the illness or disease because of the employee's working conditions.

For example, black lung disease in the coal mining industry is a disease that is peculiar to the work of a miner. Coal miners are subject to prolonged exposure to higher-than-normal concentrations of coal dust leading to black lung disease. This makes the disease peculiar to the coal mining industry.

Another example of an exposure peculiar" to the work is a healthcare worker contracting an infectious disease such as HIV or hepatitis as a result of contact with infected blood. The worker's unusual or peculiar" exposure to such diseases results in an illness that is occupational and compensable.

Qualifying an illness or disease as occupational and, more importantly, peculiar to the work (and thus compensable) may ultimately require industrial commission or court intervention to sort medical opinion from legal facts. No one test" is available to declare an illness or disease compensable or non-compensable; each case is judged on its own merits and surrounding circumstances.

Concluding that an illness is occupational, peculiar to the work and ultimately compensable is not necessarily based on the disease in question but on the facts surrounding the worker's illness. Factors investigated and considered by medical professionals and the court include:

The timing of the symptoms in relation to work: Do symptoms worsen at work and improve following prolonged absence from work (in the evening and on weekends);
Whether co-workers show or have experienced similar symptoms;
The commonality of such illness to workers in that particular industry;
An employee's predisposition to the illness (an allergy or other medical issue); and
The worker's personal habits and medical history. Patients in poor medical condition (overweight, smokers, unrelated heart disease, etc.) and/or with poor family medical histories may be more likely to contract a disease or illness than others in similar circumstances. Bad habits and poor medical history (and heredity) cloud the relationship between the occupation and the illness. For example, smokers may be ill-equipped to fight off the effects of illnesses to which others may have no problem being exposed.

What About Coronavirus?

Judged against the qualifying factors presented, does any disease or virus declared a pandemic create a true workers' compensation exposures? Does the Coronavirus crate a workers' compensation exposure? The short answer is, not likely." Other than the fact that the Coronavirus is currently garnering intense attention, in most cases it is no more occupational than the flu.

Unless!

Only if it is proven that the employee has an increased risk of contracting the virus due to the peculiarity of his or her job might the Coronavirus be considered occupational and thus compensable. Remember, compensability as an occupational illness requires something about the job that increases the risk of exposure and illness.

As intimated earlier, healthcare workers may be able to prove the necessary peculiarity being face-to-face with sick people ALL day to assert a compensable injury.

Which Policy Responds to Qualifying Occupation Illnesses and Diseases?

While the Coronavirus has a relatively short gestation period, other occupational illnesses and diseases often have long gestation" periods. Employees may be exposed to the harmful condition for many years before the illness manifests. It is also possible that the employee doesn't contract the disease until years after the exposure ends.

The workers' compensation policy specifically states that the policy in effect at the employee's last exposure responds to the illness even if the employee is working for another employer or even retired at the time the disease manifests itself.

The Coronavirus Isn't Special

Coronavirus may be a humankind exposure rather than one peculiar to most employments. Contracting the virus at work is not enough to trigger the assertion that it is a compensable occupational illness. To be occupational and compensable requires something peculiar about the work that increases the likelihood of getting sick. It is unlikely that both the occupational" and peculiar" thresholds can be satisfied to make most illnesses compensable" for the vast majority of individuals; the same is true of the new Coronavirus.

Distraction Comes in Many Forms

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 17:48:23 GMT

Distraction Comes in Many Forms - Inattentive Driving

In the car, it could mean taking your eyes off the road to change the radio station, or taking your hands off the wheel to eat a snack.

From eating, to using a GPS, and talking or texting on a cell phone, there's no limit to the possible distractions while driving and each one puts the driver, passengers, and others on the road at risk.

In 2016 alone, 3,450 people lost their lives due to distracted driving. It's a common topic that we hear a lot about but that does not minimize it's importance.

Inattentive driving can be caused by many different distractions behind the wheel:

Mobile Phones
People using a cellphone while driving have a 34 percent higher risk of having a collision. Studies suggest that drivers who use car phones face an accident risk nearly as great as that of driving drunk.
The accident risk of using a hands-free model is just as great as using a hand-held phone. Your primary mission while behind the wheel is driving, and you must pay attention at all times.

Radios
Do not play a radio so loud that you cannot hear the sounds your vehicle is making or the horns or sirens of other vehicles. It is particularly dangerous to wear headphones while driving. You may not realize your turn signal is still clicking, or you may not hear a noise that means something is wrong with your vehicle's engine. If you cannot hear other vehicles, horns, or sirens, you may have a collision that you otherwise could have avoided. You should not play a radio or other sound system so loud that it can be heard 50 feet away from your vehicle.

Televisions
You cannot have a television in a motor vehicle in a location where the driver can watch it. Do not be tempted, on a long drive, to watch a video on your cellphone. Anything that distracts your eyes from the road is dangerous.

Dangerous Activities
It is very dangerous to remove a coat or jacket while driving. Other activities such as applying makeup, reading maps, or reading the newspaper while driving are also dangerous. These types of activities can place you in serious danger of a crash.

Please drive carefully.

My First Blog Post

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:14:57 GMT

It's official, I have a blog and I know how to use it.

I have finally decided to take the plunge and add a blog to my site. I always wanted an easy way to share information with visitors and I'm super excited to start this journey. Keep coming back to my site and check for updates right here on the blog.

10 Reasons You Should Love Blogging

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:14:57 GMT

Blog posts are a great way to get recognized within your community and share your voice. Here are the top 10 reasons you should love writing blog posts.

Anyone can make one:
For better or worse, anyone can write a blog post about anything they want. Everyone has a voice and the best voices will rise to the top.

The writer can show their personality:
In blog posts, the writer has more leeway to add in their voice and personality than other types of writing.

Blogs are a great form of mass communication:
You can help people, learn new things, entertain your audience-the possibilities are endless and amazing. Blogging opens up all of these to a very wide audience.

You can make money:
Get the right blog going and you can make a lot of money through advertising and sponsored posts.

It allows people to craft better thoughts:
Instead of reading haphazard, uneducated Facebook statuses, it's much better to see people's thought process in a well-written blog post.

You can establish a community:
Blogging allows you to connect with other individuals who share the same interests. Sharing ideas and opinions within your community helps establish yourself as a thought leader.

Good for SEO:
Keeping content on your site fresh and relevant, you can use your blog to boost the search engine ranking (SEO) of your site and your business.

It brings people back to your site:
If your blog is strong enough and updated regularly, people will come back looking for more and bring traffic back to your site as well.

It's free:
It costs you a grand total of zero dollars to post to the blog, so if you have something to say, there's nothing to stop you.

You can establish yourself as a thought leader:
A blog is a great place for your original thoughts, and it can be a wonderful way to show off your individuality. If people like your ideas, you can become a thought leader in your industry!

What else do you love about blogs? Let me know!