Dance Club Insurance
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Why should a club and it members participate in the USDA Insurance program.
This insurance program, especially designed for USDA dance groups, provides Accident Medical insurance, which helps protect club members from financial loss due to a covered accidental bodily injury, and Liability insurance, which protects the club and its members and association officials from financial loss due to unforeseen incidents which may develop into litigation against members and dance organizations.
- What forms are required for initial enrollment?
Initial club enrollment is as easy as logging onto the USDA Portal at http://usda.rpsbollinger.com and enrolling your club information and roster. Be sure to complete all screens and wait for the finish screen to pop up. If you don't wait for the finish screen, nothing will be saved and you will need to start over. Check out the How to Start article on the main insurance page for more details.
- What forms are required to cover Lessons?
Class roster of name of students enrolled in the class with a beginning and ending date for the class.
- What forms are required to cover Group Travel?
The Notification of Event form has a bottom section to be completed and submitted to USDA Insurance Coordinator before travel date begin - a list of names of travelers would be wise although the form does not request this.
- What is required to cover Exhibitions?
Your club insurance will cover exhibitions or dances at non-club locations, provided you notify USDA via the portal at http://usda.rpsbollinger.com. If the facility specifically requires a certificate of insurance for your event, check the appropriate box for such in the portal. - What forms are required for Incidents?
The club must complete the club Accident Report and submit it ASAP to their insurance chairman; the insurance chairman will submit to USDA Insurance Coordinator who will send a claim form to insurance chairman with instructions for the injured dancer.
- What else is really important to know to stay in compliance and correctly submit for valid claims?
- It is important that the club always have 100% of their members enrolled in the insurance program.
- All clubs should have a supply of "Club Accident Forms".
- Why should a club be incorporated?
If someone should sue your non-incorporated Club for liability in excess of your insurance coverage, for breach of contract or for civil damages, you and each member of your club could be held separately and jointly responsible. What that means is, if the court finds against your club and there isn't enough money in the Club Treasury, then the balance comes out of your pocket. If you are incorporated as a nonprofit entity, in a judgment against your club, only the club's treasury and the assets of the club may be attached.
- Does a club need Liability Insurance if we are incorporated?
It is important for your club to be incorporated, but it even more important to have liability insurance coverage for the Protection of your club treasury and it assets.
Clubs are very lax about this procedure. Any time a dancer joins the club after the initial enrollment has been completed a fee must be paid for that member. If the club does not keep 100% of its members enrolled the club is considered as in non-compliance and could lose their insurance coverage. If a member of a club is injured and has not paid an enrollment fee then that dancer will not be covered in case of an accident.
Bring these to each dance and always complete this form when an incident happens regardless of how small or insignificant the injury or incident may be at that time. The details are fresh in everyone's mind at that point and might not be several days or even weeks later when what may have seemed nothing important results in a major claim.