Requesting Casualty or Professional Insurance

Some vendors have minimal assets immediately available to finance an unexpected liability claim. Insurance is the most common means to ensure that money will be available to pay a claim. In the absence of proper insurance, it is possible that the cost of a claim for which a vendor is responsible might be unduly shifted to the Diocese of Arlington.

Minimum requirements for contractor's insurance coverage:

  • Commercial General Liability (all contractors) - $1,000,000 CGL combined single limit, occurrence based.
  • Auto Liability (if vehicles are used to perform work on-site) - $1,000,000 limit.
  • Excess Liability (when CGL is less than $2M) - $1,000,000 umbrella or excess.
  • Workers' Compensation (when employing more than five people) - statutory limit where work is performed.
  • Employer's Liability - $500,000 per accident/per disease total and per employee.
  • Professional Liability (for certain professions, such as architects, lawyers, accountants) - $1,000,000 per claim.

Certain activities and events do not involve multiple workers or driving operations, and therefore are exempt from having to provide auto liability, workers' compensation, surety/bonding coverages, or professional liability. In these cases, the only insurance that is required is commercial general liability. The minimum requirements for liability insurance coverage include:

  • The insurance carrier providing Commercial General Liability must have an A.M. Best rating of B+ or better, and a financial rating of X or better.
  • The minimum coverage amount is $1,000,000/occurrence, $2,000,000/aggregate through a single carrier or as combined coverage using excess liability.
  • Include this additional insured wording:

The Most Rev. Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, VA, and his successors in office are named as additional insured for those operations of the Named Insured.

  • 30 days' notice of cancellation must be provided to the Diocese for all policies.

The information above details minimum requirements. Please see SAMPLE Certificate.  Additional requirements may be imposed by the Office of Risk Management or the Office of Planning, Constructions, and Facility Maintenance dependent upon a number of variables, including, but not limited to, the following: extent of exposure, previous history, and nature of exposure. The Diocese also reserves the right to modify any insurance requirement at its discretion. Please list the Certificate Holder as the following:

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington
Office of Risk Management
200 North Glebe Road, Suite 630
Arlington, VA 22203

 

Vendors with Multiple Contracts

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington recognizes some vendors may have contracts with multiple diocesan parishes and/or schools. One certificate of insurance carrying the correct insurance limits with the additional insured language on the general liability and listing the Catholic Diocese of Arlington as the certificate holder is sufficient to cover all contracts written for a parish, school, or Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington.

 

Contract Review

The Office of Legal Counsel reviews contracts or agreements that may present a risk of accidental loss to the Diocese of Arlington. Contracts with third party vendors, business contractors, or equipment leasing company contracts would fall under this requirement for review.  If the contract contains insurance provisions, waivers of subrogation, additional insured status, liability limitations, or waivers, indemnification, or hold harmless clauses, then the Office of Legal Counsel will consult the Office of Risk Management on those issues.

 

Requesting Certificates of Insurance

Whenever a parish or school activity is held at a private or publicly owned facility, that owner may request a certificate of insurance for that activity (like what we require when outside vendors perform work on our premises). Refer to the Office of Risk Management (ORM) form, Request Proof of Diocesan Insurance, for an explanation of what information is needed to provide non-diocesan locations with the proof of insurance requested. Certificates of Insurance are legal documents; therefore, it is important to include the requestor's official name and all essential information for the activity.

 

Performers Risk Awareness Agreement

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington appreciates the use of individual performers to enhance devotional services or special events and recognizes it may be difficult for individual performers to obtain traditional insurance for their work. A Performers Risk Awareness Agreement eliminates the need for insurance from musicians, singers, or speakers specifically invited to perform or speak at a church or school function. Once an agreement is signed, it applies to any parish or school within the diocese for one year and will be included in the list of current certificates on file with the Office of Risk Management.

 

Adding or Removal of Real Property

Adding or removing structures (e.g., shed, garage, maintenance building) needs to be reported to Risk Management on the Property Inventory Change Report. Selling or demolishing a piece of real estate also needs to be reported to the Office of Risk Management along with the assisting from other offices such as Office of General Counsel and the Office of Planning, Construction, and Facility Management.

 

Buying or Selling Diocesan Vehicles

The Office of Risk Management needs to be notified when purchasing a vehicle or selling a current vehicle. Complete the Vehicle Ownership Change form before picking up a vehicle. The Office of Risk Management will prepare an insurance certificate showing coverage of the vehicle under the diocesan policy which is required by the dealer before taking possession of the vehicle. Please contact the Office of Risk Management if you have any questions.