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US Lacrosse MemberInsurance Plans: FAQThe US Lacrosse Member Insurance Plans are designedto provide blanket insurance protection to all registeredmembers of US Lacrosse during the term of their membership.The insurance is provided on an individual basis to eachmember Coach, Official/Umpire, Youth, High Schooland Adult Player while participating in scheduled and/orsupervised amateur lacrosse activities. For additional detailson the member insurance coverages provided, please visitUSLacrosse.org.What type of insurance is provided to me as a USLacrosse member? As a benefit of membership, players,coaches and officials/umpires who register with US Lacrossereceive a package of insurance coverage. This includesAccident Insurance and General Liability Insurance thatprotects you while participating in covered amateur lacrosseactivities. See below for more detailed description of eachplan.How does my Member category affect the US LacrosseInsurance Plan? The member category you register underwith US Lacrosse dictates how the coverage will apply.For example, if you register as a Player, you are coveredwhen playing lacrosse (and not for officiating or coaching).Similarly, if you are registered as a coach you are coveredfor your coaching duties only; the insurance will not coveryou if you decide to play in a tournament. In order for theMember Insurance Plan to cover you for more than onecategory of participation, you must indicate these multiplecategories on your application (Note: There is no additionalmembership charge for selecting multiple categories).What are Covered Activities under theUSL Insurance Plan?Covered Activities are defined as:When does my Insurance go into Effect? The USLacrosse Member Insurance is effective upon the date ofreceipt of the new or renewal membership application inUS Lacrosse’s office. If you apply for membership on-line,the insurance is effective as of the date your credit cardtransaction is approved (usually same day). If you mail inyour application to US Lacrosse, or if your coach or leagueadministrator collects your membership application to mailinto US Lacrosse, coverage does not go into effect until theapplication is received in US Lacrosse’s office. If you areparticipating in an event sponsored by US Lacrosse with onsite membership registration, the insurance will go into effectupon acceptance of your application by US Lacrosse staff atthe event.1. Scheduled games, team practice sessions, and/orsponsored team/league activities, provided they areunder the direct supervision of a team official.2. Individual members are also covered while participatingin or working lacrosse camps, clinics and tournaments.Coverage is not automatically provided for hosting orsponsoring these activities. See below for “How toInsure Tournaments, Camps and Clinics” that you host orsponsor.3. Other supervised activities, such as team or leaguemeetings, banquets and usual, non-hazardousfundraisers are also covered. Examples of nonhazardous fundraisers are bake sales, car washes andother similar events. No coverage is provided for anyevent that includes fireworks.4. In addition to the above, US Lacrosse Member Officialsare protected by Liability Insurance while officiatingin any and all amateur lacrosse activities. MemberOfficials are also covered in their duties as Assignors,Trainers and Observers for Lacrosse activities.RPS BOLLINGER150 JFK Pkwy., PO Box 390Short Hills, NJ 18938Ph: 800.446.5311 Fax: 973.921.8474RPSBollinger.comMC 0000382A
5. With regard to Accident coverage only, members arecovered while traveling as a group directly to or fromscheduled lacrosse activities. Group travel refers to agroup of team members or a group of officials goingto or from a lacrosse activity. The Accident policy payson an excess basis; therefore, if a member is injured ina car accident, for example, the US Lacrosse Accidentpolicy will pay after any other primary insurance,including his/her own health insurance plan andpersonal injury or no-fault coverage under the applicableauto insurance.Officials. This coverage is provided to officials who areinjured during a lacrosse activity and will pay them forscheduled, missed lacrosse games (according to info.provided by their assignor). For games in the future thatwere not assigned due to injury, a copy of the previousyear schedule or two showing typical schedule must beincluded with the Assignor’s signature. The Catastrophic Accident policy covers claims forserious or catastrophic injuries, whose expenses exceedthe Basic Accident policy’s 100,000 limit 2 year s (theBasic Accident policy’s benefit period). The Catastrophicpolicy provides additional limits up to 1 million with a 100,000 deductible (meant to dovetail with the BasicAccident policy limits). Under the Catastrophic Accidentpolicy, you have an additional 8-year benefit period toincur medical expenses up to the 1 million limit. Thepolicy also provides a 250,000 Catastrophic Cashbenefit for claims involving Coma or Paralysis occurringwithin 180 days of the date of injury. The policy willpay a lump sum cash benefit to the injured participant,subject to the following: the paralysis or coma must last12 consecutive months (the waiting period); a physicianmust determine that the condition is irreversible andhas resulted in permanent disability; and the benefit ispayable according to this schedule: Coma --- 250,000(100%); Paralysis of 2 or more limbs (upper and/or lower) --- 250,000 (100%); Paralysis of one limb(upper or lower) --- 125,000 (50%); Paralysis of one ormore other parts of the body --- If the insured’s paralysisis a part of the body other than a limb, the percentageof the cash benefit will be determined will be madein conjunction with case management of the claimprovided by Markel Insurance Company.6. Important Note: No liability coverage is providedto parents, coaches or volunteers while using anyautomobile to transport team members or volunteers toany practice, game or activity. Therefore, RPS Bollingerand US Lacrosse strongly advise teams or leagues whoare transporting participants to make certain that thevehicle and the driver(s) are properly licensed and fullyinsured.What is Accident Insurance? Accident insurance providescoverage for medical and dental expenses incurred as a resultof an accidental injury during a covered lacrosse activity. Anaccidental injury is defined as a “sudden, unexpected andunintended event which is identifiable and caused by anexternal force.” This policy does not cover expenses incurredfor non-identifiable injuries nor for illness, sickness or disease.What is covered by the US Lacrosse AccidentInsurance? The Accident Insurance is comprised of twoparts: a Basic Accident policy and a Catastrophic Accidentpolicy. The Basic Accident policy is an Excess policy with a 100,000 limit to cover accident medical and dentalexpenses. The deductible is 500 for youth and highschool players. This deductible is 3,000 for adultmale players and 1,000 for adult women and NonUS Lacrosse Certified Officials and Coaches. For USLacrosse Certified Officials and Coaches, the deductibleis 500. (the deductible applies regardless of whetheryou have other primary insurance). The policy has a 2year benefit period, meaning that it covers medical anddental expenses you incur up to 2 years from the date ofinjury. There is an Accidental Death & DismembermentBenefit of 20,000, which includes Accidental Deathcoverage for incidents involving Cardiac & Circulatoryevents. In addition, the Accident plan provides GameFee Reimbursement for officials. The policy pays up to 200 per missed game, subject to a 7-day waitingperiod (the game fee deductible) and will pay up to amaximum benefit of 7,500 for US Lacrosse CertifiedOfficials per policy term and 5,000 for Non-CertifiedRPS BOLLINGERWhat if I have my own primary medical/healthcareinsurance? Accident medical expenses are covered under theUSL Accident policies on an Excess Basis, meaning that benefitswill only be paid under this plan after your own personal orgroup insurance has paid out its benefits. Once you havesubmitted the claim to your primary insurance plan, you cansubmit any remaining balances or out of pocket expenses tothe USL Accident plan. Send your itemized bills and EOB’sfrom your primary carrier with a completed USL claim formto Bollinger to have your claim processed. Please note: It isvery important that you follow your primary insurance carrier’seligibility criteria (e.g., to be treated in-network, if required byHMO, etc) in order for your claim to be eligible for coverageunder the USL Accident plan. If you go out of network fromyour primary plan and your primary insurer denies coveragefor your expenses, this policy will also exclude coverage forthose expenses incurred.150 JFK Pkwy., PO Box 390Short Hills, NJ 18938Ph: 800.446.5311 Fax: 973.921.8474RPSBollinger.comMC 0000382A
What happens if I have no other insurance? If you haveno other insurance, the US Lacrosse insurance coverage isprimary subject to the deductible and other policy limitations.Send the itemized bills from your doctors or hospitals alongwith a completed US Lacrosse claim form to Bollinger to haveyour claim processed.Is there a deductible or coinsurance on the USLacrosse Accident plan? Yes. Adult male players havea 3,000 deductible. The deductible for youth and highschool players as well as Certified Coaches and Officials is 500. Adult women players as well as non-certified coachesand officials is 1,000. The deductible applies per injury,regardless of whether you have other insurance or not. Thereis no coinsurance under the US Lacrosse program.Do the US Lacrosse Accident Plans cover everything?No These policies are designed as a supplementalinsurance plan purchased by US Lacrosse to help membersminimize out of pocket expenses that you may incur whileparticipating in lacrosse activities. There are limits, conditionsand exclusions within the policies, which may mean that youwill not be reimbursed 100% of your medical or dental costs.These limitations include: The deductible Usual and Customary basis for claims payments.Insurance companies use the “usual and customary”guideline for determining the maximum reimbursableamount for a particular service or treatment. This amountis determined by the average amounts for similarservice or treatment by physicians and providers in yourarea. Our claims data tables are updated monthlyby zip code for determining the usual and customaryallowances. Policy sublimits: The Basic Accident policy limitscoverage for Physical Therapy and Chiropractictreatments to a maximum benefit of 2,000 per injury,subject to a 50 maximum per visit. Coverage forDurable Medical Equipment is limited to 2,500 perinjury. Out of network exclusions: If you go out of network fromyour primary health care plan and your primary insurerdenies coverage for your expenses, this policy will alsoexclude coverage for those expenses incurred. It is veryimportant to follow you primary plan’s guidelines inorder for your claim to be eligible under this plan.RPS BOLLINGERAre there guidelines under the US Lacrosse Accidentpolicy for getting treatment and submitting a claimform? For claims to be eligible for coverage, you must seekmedical treatment within 60 days from the date of injury. TheUS Lacrosse claim form must be submitted to Bollinger within90 days from the date of injury (or as soon as practicable ifyou have other insurance).How can I make sure that my Accident claim gets paidas quickly as possible? The most important thing you cando is to fill out the claim form completely and have it signedby your coach, league official, tournament director, campdirector or your local officials’ board (if you are an injuredofficial). Incomplete claim forms are the most common reasonfor delays in the claims process.Another way to avoid delay is to provide RPS Bollinger withitemized bills (a “CMS-1500” is the standard form used bydoctors and dentists, “UB-04” or “UB-92” are the standardform used by hospitals). Note that billing statements or copiesof credit card receipts are not acceptable as they do notprovide the proper doctor id #’s or the diagnosis codes foryour treatment or services. And if you have primary insurance,you will need to include the Explanation of Benefits (EOB)from your primary health insurance carrier.For Officials who are submitting a claim for Game FeeReimbursement, they must provide a schedule directly fromtheir assignor of games missed, along with the amount of thefee for each game.What is General Liability Insurance? General Liabilityinsurance basically protects members from lawsuits or claimsfor Bodily Injury or Property Damage to others that arise outof covered Lacrosse activities. This means if you are suedbecause someone was injured (bodily injury) or because youdamaged someone else’s property during a covered lacrosseactivity, then those claims would be covered by the USLacrosse liability insurance.The policy “trigger” for claims is an incident involving eitheran injury to spectator, player or other person; or propertydamage, such as a broken windshield to a car passing by,or damage to a facility where you are holding a game orpractice. The General Liability policy excludes AutomobileLiability (no coverage for coaches or parents who transportparticipants), as well as claims stemming from pollution(misapplication of pesticides on fields, for example), andclaims involving trampolines or fireworks, among others.150 JFK Pkwy., PO Box 390Short Hills, NJ 18938Ph: 800.446.5311 Fax: 973.921.8474RPSBollinger.comMC 0000382A
What liability limits do I get as amember of US Lacrosse?In the event of a liability claim, such as a lawsuit from aninjured player or spectator, or even something as simple asa bill for a windshield broken by an errant ball, you will beasked to provide a roster of your team or league to verify100% membership. If it is determined that you did not have100% registration at the time of the claim, the insurancecompany will deny coverage for the claim. The US LacrosseInsurance/Risk Management Committee has developedguidelines that you can use to ensure liability coverage foryour team or league. These “Guidelines for Insuring USLacrosse Teams & Leagues” are attached at the end of thisFAQ document.Your membership in US Lacrosse automatically provides:General Liability & Excess Liability Policy Limits(combined)Per Occurrence Limit 3,000,000General Aggregate Limit per Location 7,000,000Products & Completed OperationsAggregate 4,000,000Personal Injury/Advertising Injury Limit 3,000,000Sexual Abuse & Molestation Limit peroccurrence 2,000,000Sexual Abuse & Molestation aggregate 3,000,000Damage to Premises Rented by you 1,000,000Medical Payments (to non-participants)Deductible 10,000 0How do I get Liability Insurance for my Team orLeague? To insure your team or league as an entity forGeneral Liability insurance, the team/league must becomprised of 100% registered members of US Lacrosse,meaning all players and coaches must be current members ofUS Lacrosse.It is important to have liability insurance for your team/league to protect you from liability lawsuits (see below forwhat coverage is provided by General Liability insurance).In addition, you will need liability insurance in order tosecure fields or facilities; the field owner typically requiresa certificate of insurance showing that they are named asan “Additional Insured” onto the liability policy. In order toobtain that certificate, you must be a 100% registered teamor league.Because US Lacrosse membership (and the insurance itprovides) is done on an individual basis, the only way toextend liability coverage to a team or league – and to thefields and facilities that you use – is to make sure 100%of players and coaches are currently registered with USLacrosse. By mandating 100% membership, your team orleague will then be insured for 3 million of general liabilityinsurance at no additional cost.RPS BOLLINGERHow do I get a Certificate of Insurance for my Team orLeague? If you have registered all of your players/coachesand verified their membership status in the US Lacrossemembership database, you can obtain a certificate ofinsurance by going to the website provided by US Lacrosse’sInsurance Administrator (Bollinger) at RPSBollinger.com. Click on US Lacrosse, then select the “Certificates ofInsurance” tab on the right hand side. You will be required toenter your contact information along with a valid US Lacrosse# or US Lacrosse Group id #. If you do not have those onhand or need to register/renew for a new one, you can lookit up and/or register at USLacrosse.org. There is no chargefor certificates of insurance.Will my Insurance be invalidated if we don’t haveUS Lacrosse Member Officials at our Game? No. Iftwo teams are playing each other and both are 100% USLacrosse members, their coverage (and that of their playersand coaches) is still in force even if they do not have USLacrosse member officials at the game. Officials are notconsidered members of a team or league, and as such, donot impact the 100% membership requirement for liabilityinsurance to be in effect.However, it should be noted that if a non-US Lacrosse officialis sued as a result of an incident during the game, there isno coverage for that official under the US Lacrosse InsurancePlan. Further, to reiterate the statement above regardingmembership categories, if there are not enough officials at agame and one of the coaches steps in to officiate, there is nocoverage for that coach unless he or she is registered as acoach and official with US Lacrosse.150 JFK Pkwy., PO Box 390Short Hills, NJ 18938Ph: 800.446.5311 Fax: 973.921.8474RPSBollinger.comMC 0000382A
If we don’t have the Appropriate Number of Officialsfor our Game, does that affect the Liability Insurance?No – there is no limitation in the insurance policies statinghow many officials you need on the field in order forcoverage to apply. However, the rules of lacrosse are clearon how many officials are needed from a safety perspectiveat each level of play. By disregarding those rules, you areopening your team, league and coaches up to potentialcharges of negligence. From a risk management standpoint– to protect you from lawsuits and your players from injury-- the best course of action is to follow the rules, and to usethe appropriate number of certified US Lacrosse officialswhenever possible.Am I covered while driving my Players or my Childrento Lacrosse Activities? No. There is no Automobile Liabilitycoverage for coaches, parents or volunteers under the USLacrosse Insurance Program. The liability policy specificallyexcludes coverage for the transportation of players orparticipants. Therefore, US Lacrosse and RPS Bollingerstrongly advise teams who are transporting players to makecertain that the vehicles and drivers are properly licensedand adequately insured. Please refer to “Vehicle SafetyGuidelines” for additional risk management information (clickon “Risk Management” on the USLacrosse.org web site).It is US Lacrosse’s intent that the officials on the field bearthe ultimate responsibility for the safety of the game. Thisprovision means that if the officials allow a boys’ game tobe played without helmets and the official is sued as a resultof an injury caused by the lack of helmets, that claim couldbe denied because the official disregarded the safety rulesof lacrosse. This stipulation applies only to an official whoallows changes to the rules that directly affect the safety ofplayers. It does not invalidate liability coverage when officialsallow changes to other non-safety issues, such as havingshorter quarters, etc.There are also expanded insurance benefits for officials,which include Game Fee Reimbursement if you are injuredwhile officiating lacrosse and prevented from officiating otherscheduled lacrosse games. In addition, the Accidental Deathbenefit is extended to include coverage for fatalities involvingCardiac or Circulatory (heart attack or stroke) incidents whileofficiating. (Note: Heart attack and stroke are consideredillness-related incidents, not accidental injuries, and therefore,there is no coverage for medical expenses for cardiac orcirculatory claims. However, the Accidental Death benefithas been extended by US Lacrosse to provide coveragefor cardiac and circulatory as an additional benefit for USLacrosse members.)Note: If a US Lacrosse member is injured in a vehicleaccident while traveling as a group directly to or fromscheduled lacrosse activities, that claim will be covered byAccident Medical insurance. Group travel refers to a groupof team members or a group of officials going to or froma lacrosse activity. The Accident policy pays on an excessbasis; therefore, if a member is injured in a car accident,for example, the US Lacrosse Accident policy will pay afterany other primary insurance, including his/her own healthinsurance plan and personal injury or no-fault coverage underthe applicable auto insurance.How do I insure a tournament I am hosting? Thereare two ways to cover a tournament under the US LacrosseInsurance program. You can either mandate US Lacrossemembership for all participants, or go through the USLacrosse Sanctioning Program.If you mandate US Lacrosse membership, all players, coachesand officials must have current US Lacrosse Membershipconfirmed by roster (through the US Lacrosse memberdatabase, or by registering all tournament participantson USLaxTeams.com). If you would like to enter the USLacrosse Sanctioning Program, please contact US LacrosseMembership Department at 410.235.6882 ext.102 ormembership@uslacrosse.org. For a full overview of thesactioning program, please visit USLacrosse.org.Does the US Lacrosse Insurance Plan cover IndoorLacrosse? Yes, but indoor lacrosse is only covered whenfield rules are used (allowing for modifications to the numberof players on the team or other changes to field rules thatdo not negatively impact the safety of players). For boxlacrosse played with dasher boards, US Lacrosse Box/IndoorRules must be followed without modification. The insuranceprogram does not apply to any play involving box lacrosserules or play that allow cross-checking (push checks areallowed) or boarding.RPS BOLLINGER150 JFK Pkwy., PO Box 390Short Hills, NJ 18938Ph: 800.446.5311 Fax: 973.921.8474RPSBollinger.comMC 0000382A
We are planning a fundraising event for our lacrosseteam. What type of insurance will we need? Nonhazardous fundraising events -- such as banquets, bake-salesor car washes -- are covered for general liability for teamswith 100% confirmed and current US Lacrosse membershipfor all players and coaches. Members who participatein these events are also covered for accidental injuries bythe US Lacrosse Accident insurance. If you are uncertain ifall team memberships are current, or if you are hosting asports event (clinic, alumni game, etc.) with non-members,you can purchase insurance for that day. One-day eventscan be insured as a “Special Event/Fundraiser” under theUS Lacrosse Event Insurance program. Exhibition or Alumnigames must be approved on a case by case basis by RPSBollinger. Please visit our website at RPSBollinger.com tofind out more information or contact us at 800.446.5311(press “5” for lacrosse) or Lacrosse@Rpsins.com.Do the coverages for US Lacrosse Event Insurance(for Booster Clubs, Camps, Clinics and Tournaments)differ from the insurance that Members receive? Yes,there are a number of differences between the two programs.The Event Insurance plans have restrictions not found on theMembers’ Insurance program. Under the General Liabilitypolicy, the Event Insurance has an exclusion for Sexual AbuseLiability. In addition, for Camps, Clinics and Tournaments,there is no Catastrophic Accident insurance: participants onlyreceive the Basic Accident limit of 100,000 (not the full 1 million that members receive). Note that no accident orcatastrophic accident coverage is provided for the BoosterClub insurance program.How do I get Insurance for our Lacrosse Booster Club?To cover the Booster Club and its fundraising activities, youcan purchase the Booster Club Liability coverage throughthe US Lacrosse Event Insurance program. This will provideyou with liability protection for your meetings, banquets andfundraisers throughout the calendar year. In addition, youmay need to provide proof of insurance to the facility whereyou are holding your meetings or events – or add the facilityas an additional insured. The Booster Club liability policywill allow you to do this at no additional charge. Coverageis in force whether or not your club members or attendeesare US Lacrosse members. Note: This is a liability plan only;no accident medical insurance is provided. Please log ontoRPSBollinger.com and click on “Buy Additional Insurance”to purchase this coverage.I’m holding a parents’ meeting (or registrations, ortry-outs) and need a Certificate of Insurance. My teamhas not yet registered because it is pre-season, but Iam a member of US Lacrosse. Is that good enough?No -- certificates of insurance can only be issued once allplayers and coaches have 100% US Lacrosse membership.However, you can purchase one day insurance to coveryour event through the US Lacrosse Event Insurance plan.Should registration/tryouts extend to more than one day, DayCamp insurance must be purchased. Both can be purchasedthrough the US Lacrosse Insurance Administrator’s website atRPSBollinger.com.RPS BOLLINGERIf you want to obtain the full benefits and coverages of theUS Lacrosse Member Insurance Program, ensure that allparticipants in your Camp, Clinic or Tournament are current,registered members of US Lacrosse. If you choose this optionto insure your event, not only will your event be covered forfree, but you and your participants will be covered with thefull limits of the US Lacrosse Member Insurance Program,without the restrictions listed above.If you have any other questions regarding the US LacrosseMember Insurance Program, please do not hesitate to contactRPS Bollinger for assistance at:RPS Bollinger Sports & Leisure150 JFK Parkway, 4th FloorShort Hills, NJ 07078Email: Lacrosse@RPSins.comLacrosse Hotline: 800.446.5311 press “5”Lacrosse Claims: 866.267.0093150 JFK Pkwy., PO Box 390Short Hills, NJ 18938Ph: 800.446.5311 Fax: 973.921.8474RPSBollinger.comMC 0000382A
The US Lacrosse Member Insurance Plans are designed to provide blanket insurance protection to all registered members of US Lacrosse during the term of their membership. The insurance is provided on an individual basis
