The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 29

INSURANCE INSIGHTS often bring more flood damage than wind damage as we have seen with Hurricane Harvey that hit Houston, Texas in 2017 and Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005. So depending on whether your home or facility suffers direct wind damage, there may not be any property coverage if you failed to purchase flood insurance. Unfortunately, most flood insurance policies will not provide you with business income coverage, but they will assist in getting your property repaired and contents replaced. Switching gears, we have also received a number of calls from APDT members regarding workers compensation insurance, and whether there would be any coverage with COVID-19. One caller advised she was currently training a dog for a man in quarantine and was questioning if workers comp would cover her. Unfortunately, the short answer again is no coverage. As the COVID-19 is a virus similar to the flu, which is not really considered to be an occupational disease, and therefore likely to be excluded by your workers compensation insurer. However, there are some business types that may be covered, such as nurses and doctors that are forced to treat COVID-19 on a daily basis for their occupation, or perhaps first responders who must respond to people infected. But once again, there will be challenges via lawsuits and there could also be government orders mandating Photo: Shutterstock workers comp coverage for those infected on the job. Therefore, if you or one of your employees believes they are or have been infected on the job, and you carry workers compensation insurance, I recommend turning the claim in, even if it may be initially denied. Once again, this event is unprecedented and no way to know what governments may decide to do in the future. David Pearsall is a licensed insurance agent and co-owner of Business Insurers of the Carolinas, an insurance agency specializing in business insurance for pet related services since 1992. David and his team have managed insurance programs for many national pet services associations, including the APDT Insurance Program since 2001. A licensed agent in all 50 states, he holds both the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and the Certified Workers’ compensation Advisor (CWCA) designations. Contact David at [email protected] or visit Business Insurers on the web at www.DogTrainerInsurance.com The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2020 27