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But the Flyer Says $1,000,000 Job Protection Insurance -

CHECK THE FINE PRINT

A flyer provided to Utah educators states that educators can have "Peace of Mind For Just $99 a Year." The flyer states in bold letters "$1,000,000 of Professional Liability Coverage Designed Exclusively for Educators." To this we say, read the fine print-the devil is in the details (and exclusions) in this case. The flyer is provided by Educators Protection Group (EPG) and is underwritten by the Continental Casualty Company.

In this case, the $1,000,000 is limited to a wrongful act or omission committed by the insured in rendering educational services. The one million dollars does not apply to claims based on or arising out of the actual, attempted, proposed or threatened abuse, assault or battery,[1] or claim based on or arising out of discrimination, humiliation or harassment based on any civil rights statute. [2]    No coverage is provided for criminal defense, the most expensive part of the UEA/NEA insurance program in terms of money expended in Utah to defend members falsely accused of job-related crimes. In Utah, small claims court jurisdiction is $5,000 because most litigation costs that much just for attorney's fees and court costs. The EPG policy states that it will pay up to $2,500 (that's $2,500) to represent you if you face a formal termination hearing, a demotion, or suspension; it pays only $2,500 if the Utah State Office of Education decides to take your teaching license. After EPG pays $2,500, you're on your own. The average cost of a hearing before the Utah Professional Practices Commission exceeds $5,000 in attorney's fees. Even more surprising is the limit on property damage to others while on district business--$500 per incident. You can't dent a fender for $500.

The EPG policy also provides that the company will pay only if the claim is in excess of all other insurance. That means the insurance company will not pay any claim that the school district is obligated to pay or if there is other insurance. For NEA/UEA members, this means that the EPG policy would pay in less than 0.01% of the cases we handle and then only if the judgment exceed $1,500,000! Why pay $99 per year for a policy that has limited coverage and pays only if there is a judgment in excess of $1,500,000?

We concede. The EPG policy has one area of coverage not provided in the UEA/NEA job protection policies. The policies do not pay $2,500 for an attorney to advise you if you are subpoenaed, but then no teacher has ever had to be represented just to tell the truth when subpoenaed. We provide legal counsel in cases in which members are subpoenaed as part of membership services. The service comes with membership and there is no dollar limit.

[1]              The EPG limit is $50,000.

[2]              The EPG limit for civil rights claims is $100,000.