National Association of Social Workers

ASI offers new liability program

By Rena Malai, News staff

NASW Assurance Services Inc. recently announced a liability insurance program for NASW members that offers new discounts, enhanced benefits and extended customer service.

Tony Benedetto, executive vice president of ASI, said the program is designed to meet the needs and challenges unique to social work. It is intended to protect members from parties who might seek damages or hold the social workers in question accountable for malpractice.

Social workers who already have coverage under the liability policy of their employer, agency or school are encouraged to purchase their own individual coverage as well, he said. 

“Having the right malpractice insurance will help our members to have the right people in place to support them,” Benedetto said. “The coverage we offer is the best in the industry. Because of our role, we look to control costs so we can offer the most affordable price to members.”

The program is the only malpractice insurance that NASW endorses. Some highlights include a simplified application process, access to expert claims managers for assistance, a risk-management helpline and free prior acts coverage (also known as “tail coverage”) for social workers without a pending claim.

“The NASW board asked ASI to review and suggest improvements to the professional liability insurance program,” said NASW CEO Elizabeth J. Clark. “NASW is extremely pleased with the new product offerings they’ve selected, which meet the high standards that our association demands for its members. For more than 40 years, NASW has been providing a liability insurance plan created with the specific needs and challenges of social workers in mind.”

Benefits include:

• New discounts, including a 5 percent rate reduction for applying online and a 10 percent discount for completing a risk-management workshop or online training course sponsored by NASW and ASI.
• A waiver of the $5 NASW purchasing group fee.
• At no extra cost, expanded benefits can include an automatic increase in licensing board coverage up to $35,000, new HIPPA privacy coverage, emergency first aid coverage, medical payments and first-party assault coverage.
• Online quoting and enrollment.
• Customer service representatives ready to assist members during extended evening and weekend hours.
• Subpoena and student practicum coverage.

ASI also decided to move from existing program administrator American Professional Agency (APA) to a new administrator, CPH and Associates. Benedetto explained that APA had asked for an increase in its commission to 30 percent — far above the industry average — compared with CPH’s commission of 10 percent. 

“This alone saves NASW members, as a whole, several millions of dollars annually, which is reflected in the lower prices in this new program,” he said.

Some members have received correspondence from APA about the transition, and NASW and ASI have prepared information to address member questions, including a video message from Clark, accessible on the NASW website homepage at www.socialworkers.org. 

Policyholders of the NASW-endorsed professional liability program must be NASW members. Membership creates a group program that allows ASI to manage all aspects of the program, to make sure the benefits stay current to meet the needs of the profession, and to help keep costs low.

It also means that ASI is able to advocate on behalf of NASW members if they are unfairly denied coverage or renewal, a benefit not available in other companies’ programs.

NASW members will receive communications from NASW and ASI with details on how to enroll in the new program. Current policyholders should look for these communications at renewal time, or contact NASW member services at 800-742-4089 or the ASI call center at 855-385-2160. For more information, visit ASI’s website at www.naswassurance.org.

From October 2012 NASW News. © 2012 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.