Insurance Information for Volunteers

(Revised January 2008)

Below are brief outlines of insurance coverage provided by or through the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America:

Primary Comprehensive General Liability Insurance

This coverage provides primary general liability coverage for registered volunteer Scouters with respect to claims arising out of an official Scouting activity with the exception that the coverage is excess over any insurance which may be available to the volunteer for loss arising from the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle or watercraft. This insurance is only available while the vehicle or watercraft is in the actual use of a Scouting unit and being used for a Scouting purpose.  Coverage is more than $5 million for bodily injury and property damage. Because of the high limits, volunteers should not be placed in a position where their assets are jeopardized because of a negligence liability claim or lawsuit.

The insurance provided unregistered Scouting volunteers through the BSA General Liability Insurance program is excess over any other insurance the volunteer might have to his or her benefit, usually a homeowners, personal liability, or auto liability policy.

There is no coverage for those who commit intentional or criminal acts.

Secondary Automobile Liability Insurance

All vehicles must be covered by a liability insurance policy.  The amount of this coverage must meet or exceed the insurance requirement of the state in which the vehicle is licensed.  (It is recommended, however, that coverage limits be at least $100,000 combined single limit.) Any vehicle carrying ten (10) or more passengers is required to have limits of $500,000 single limit.  In the case of rented vehicles the requirement of coverage limits can be met by combining the limits of personal coverage carried by the driver with coverage carried by the owner of the rented vehicle.  All vehicles used in travel outside the United States must carry a liability insurance policy that complies with or exceeds the requirements of that country.

The Council's automobile liability insurance is excess of the insurance the owner of the auto carries, providing insurance protection above the limits carried on the auto up to the Councils $15 million limit of coverage.

A tour permit or a Council short-term camping permit or a LFL outing permit is required when units or groups travel outside the Council.  National tour permits are required for all trips more than 500 miles one way and all trips outside the United States of America.  These permits should list the drivers names and limits of automobile liability insurance carried.  Leaders must file local tour permits two weeks before the activity and national tour permits one month before the activity.

What about the Troop's trailer?

Following is a reprint from Scouting magazine.

Other Scout units may be experiencing the same problem our troop is having with equipment insurance.  When about $2,000 worth of tents, cook kits, and a first aid kit was stolen, the insurance carrier for our chartered organization delayed payment, saying the equipment is owned by the BSA and not the chartered organization.

We are confident this will be resolved, but in the meantime, I offer the following advice to other troops; carefully check your chartered organizations insurance to avoid the problem we are having.

And do an equipment survey annually to keep the insurance carrier on notice of the property under coverage.  About five years ago, we notified the carrier that troop equipment was part of property covered by the policy.  However, we did not submit a complete inventory of our equipment at that time, and now when a claim is submitted, payment can be painfully slow or none made at all.

Tim Millington

Committee Chairman, Troop 346

San Antonio, Tex.

Debra C. Griffith, director of BSA Insurance and Risk Management, responds:

A Scout troop or Cub Scout pack is usually an unincorporated association, not a legal entity that can bear title to property.  The chartered organization owns the unit and has responsibility for selecting leadership and operating it within the Scouting program.  All property and funds used by the troop or pack remain the responsibility of the organization as long as the charter issued by the BSA remains in place.

I like your idea of providing the insurance carrier with a complete annual inventory.  Clarifying property ownership prior to a claim being made should result in more expedient claims handling.

Secondary Council Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan

The Greater St. Louis Area Council provides secondary Accident and Sickness Insurance for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, Learning for Life Explorers, and adult volunteer leaders registered in the Council, and covers them for accidents and sickness (as well as accidental death and dismemberment) while participating in any official Scouting activity or Learning for Life Exploring activity.  The Council purchases this coverage annually from Health Special Risk.

Benefits are excess of any other insurance covering the individual.  Accident medical benefits are limited to $15,000; sickness to $7,500; ambulance to $6,000.

When seeking medical care, it is important to remember that the patient or the patient's parents are to be recorded as the responsible party, not the Boy Scouts.  Also remember to keep copies of all documents, including bills, receipts, diagnoses, and insurance advice.

Begin any claim by calling the Council service center.  Call the Council service center any time to get a brochure with more information on coverage, limits, etc., or a copy of Health Special Risk's Memorandum of Coverage (required for out-of-Council resident camps).

Please report all serious incidents, accidents, sicknesses, or if a summons is served on a volunteer, to the Council Service Center immediately.

Call 314-361-0600 or 800-392-0895 and ask for Risk Management & Insurance if you have a question related to insurance.