Employees and volunteers are at the heart of your Post, and as an organization, one of your greatest responsibilities is ensuring they all are adequately protected. You may need Workers’ Compensation and Volunteer Accident Insurance to fully protect them.

While your Post likely has Workers’ Compensation coverage if you have employees, it’s important to know this coverage isn’t for volunteers, who are best protected by Volunteer Accident Insurance. Understanding Workers’ Compensation and Volunteer Accident Insurance is crucial to ensure all your people are protected.

Here’s what to know about the difference in these two types of coverage and why your Post may need both types of coverage.

Understanding Workers’ Compensation for Posts

Even with the best training and safety precautions, accidents are bound to happen. The consequences of an accident can be severe and may result in:

  • Hospitalization
  • Rehabilitation
  • Accidental death
  • Dismemberment
  • Paralysis
  • Permanent disability

Workers’ Compensation exists to cover your organization and your employees when such an accident takes place during the course of work.

Workers’ Compensation can protect both employees and their employer from the high costs of medical care, damages and legal fees. This coverage exists to make sure that Post employees and their families have a remedy for workplace injuries and that the Post is not overly burdened with high costs in the event of an accident.

Some key facts to know about Workers’ Compensation:

  • Workers’ Compensation insurance is required by law in almost every state.
  • Salaried, hourly, exempt, non-exempt, part-time and full-time workers all need to be covered by Workers’ Compensation.
  • Even some commission-only workers, contractors and subcontractors and paid family members of an organization may need coverage.

With a Workers’ Compensation  policy from Lockton Affinity, you can get the coverage you need to meet state requirements and minimize the risks your Post faces. Plus, it’s easy and fast to find the right coverage for your Post today.

Understanding Volunteer Accident Insurance for Posts

While Workers’ Compensation provides broad coverage for your Post and its employed workers, Workers’ Compensation won’t apply if a non-paid volunteer is injured. This is why Volunteer Accident Insurance  is recommended to protect these members of your Post community.

Some key facts to know about Volunteer Accident Insurance:

  • Volunteer Accident Insurance isn’t required by law, but is recommended to protect your Post and your volunteers.
  • Volunteer Accident Insurance compliments your Post’s general liability policy, covering incidents where your organization was not at fault.
  • Volunteer Accident coverage may apply prior to or in excess of the volunteer’s individual health insurance coverage.
  • Without coverage, your Post may be held liable for costs and fees in the event a volunteer is injured when working on behalf of your organization.

For many Posts, volunteers play a big role in your operations and events. An accident or injury for a non-paid volunteer put your organization at risk. Without protection for your Post’s volunteer workforce, your Post could again face high costs for medical care, damages or legal fees if someone is injured while volunteering.

Conclusion

Safety and training can’t eliminate all risk, and an employee or volunteer may one day suffer a serious injury at the Post. To fully protect your Post, you may need both Workers’ Compensation coverage for your employees and Volunteer Accident Insurance for your volunteer workforce.