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