COVID-19 Response: Moving Forward Together
March 25, 2020
In this time of unprecedented crisis, I can’t emphasize enough: We’re all in this together. United Educators (UE) has been, and will continue to be, here to support our members. While no one could have foreseen or planned fully
for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we’re all finding ways to navigate the best way forward for education.
As the pandemic forces your schools, colleges, and universities to operate in new ways, please know you can always contact me and my UE colleagues to share your challenges, the areas in which you need support, and your unanswered (and as yet unanswerable)
questions.
The pandemic situation keeps evolving, and so does our response to your concerns about the burdens facing you and your institutions. Here are some steps UE is taking.
COVID-19 Resources
We’re closely tracking news of the pandemic and impact on liability for our members. Your requests for general guidance and information have been addressed in our new Frequently Asked Questions document covering school closings, employment matters, and more. For those who are considering use of your facilities to support COVID-19 recovery, see our article on sharing resources during this time.
Bring your additional questions to our webinar on Thursday, April 9; we’ll have several experts who serve on the American College Health Association
COVID-19 Task Force, and an employment law attorney, ready to answer your questions.
Coverage
We understand the need to continue delivering medical and mental health services to students, especially during this critical time. We have expanded our CGL, BLX, GLU, and GLX policies to include telehealth coverage for medical and mental health counseling
with no additional premium. We recognize your difficult and rapid shift to a virtual environment and want to support you with a limited, yet reasonable amount of coverage. Please contact your broker or underwriter for details.
UE staff have been fielding questions about coverage applicability for various COVID-19 scenarios, such as medical device manufacturing through use of 3D printers and housing of COVID-19 patients. As your institutions implement unprecedented activities,
the questions about coverage that may arise as a result are equally unprecedented. Due to the extraordinary and evolving nature of this crisis, and because the application of UE’s policies depends on the facts of a specific situation, UE can’t answer
hypothetical coverage questions for COVID-19-related exposures until a claim is made against your institution.
RMPC Program Requirements
We are also exploring increased RMPC program flexibility. This should allow you to focus efforts on COVID-19 response and addressing any gaps necessary for securing sexual abuse and molestation coverage at your renewal. We know that this coverage is critical
to your institution. Please contact risk@ue.org with any questions during this challenging time.
UE’s first priority is the health and safety of your students, staff, and community. We’re fully operational as we continue to respond to and defend claims, renew coverage, and develop resources to help you keep everyone safe. Please be in touch and know
that we share your concerns. I’m available at jabraham@ue.org or (301) 215-8462.
Sincerely,
Janice M. Abraham
President and CEO