Stay Fully Protected With An Occurrence Form Policy

It is not always clear which option to choose when selecting insurance, and some companies hide their policy details. We’re here to clear the confusion when it comes to the different types of policies.

Occurrence Form is the industry-preferred policy type over Claims Made because you are covered for any incident that happened while your policy was in effect.

Career Shield offers the Occurrence form Policy so that our customers do not have to rely on their patient or client that is suing them to file a claim in a timely manner.

What is the difference between Occurrence Form and Claims Made policies?

  • Occurrence Form – Any claim filed after the policy expires will still be covered, as long as the incident took place while the policy was active.

 

  • Claims Made – Any claim filed after the policy expires will not be covered, even if the incident in question took place while the policy was active. 

Occurrence Form vs Claims Made Insurance Policies

If you are insured from January 1st 2021 to December 31st 2021 and an incident occurs in May 2021 but the claim is not filed until May 2022, Career Shield still covers you even if your insurance has expired. This is “Occurrence Form” coverage which many insurance companies don’t offer.

Occurrence Form Policy

Occurrence Form policies only need to be active when the incident in question occurs to trigger coverage, regardless of when it’s reported. In other words, any claim filed after an occurrence policy expires will still be covered, as long as the incident took place during the policy term.

Claims Made Policy

Claims-Made policies must be active when the claim is reported in order to trigger coverage. In other words, any claim filed after a claims-made policy expires will not be covered, even if the incident in question took place while the policy was active. This policy type can leave you at risk.

Claims-Made Policy + Tail Coverage

Tail coverage, also know as extended reporting period (ERP) coverage, responds to incidents which occur during the policy term but are not reported until after the policy expires. Claims-made insurance providers often sell this as an add-on for an addtional cost.

See The Difference

Occurrence Form FAQs

What is the difference between other insurers’ claims-made forms and Career Shield's occurrence form policy?

If you have an occurrence form policy through Career Shield, any incident that occurs during your policy period will be covered. No ifs, ands, or buts. We want you to have peace of mind and spirit when you choose to make the important decision to be insured through Career Shield, so we only offer occurrence form coverage on our policies. This means that even years later, and even if your policy has long-since expired, if someone files a claim for the time when your policy was in effect, we’ll make sure you’re covered.

With a claims-made form, the policyholder is usually only covered while their policy is still active or for a set period thereafter if a special endorsement is purchased. If you don’t have an active policy, you probably won’t be covered and you can be putting yourself and your practice at serious risk should a future claim be filed.

Why does Career Shield offer occurrence form coverage?

Career Shield chooses to offer occurrence form coverage over claims-made form coverage because we have seen how much more beneficial this coverage is to our health and wellness professionals. We believe in showing our true selves to our customers, so we strive to maintain transparency in everything we do. 

We also believe that covering a claim that occurs during a policy term is the right thing to do. Period. It doesn’t matter if that claim happens 10 years after a policy term ends, doing the right thing is providing the coverage our customers paid for, for the time the policy was in effect. We want you to have peace and to be informed when you choose a Career Shield insurance policy so we have built some of the most robust coverages available on the market.

How long do I have to file a claim on an occurrence form after my policy expires?

 Theoretically, forever. We’ll cover any claims that are filed against you that are covered by the terms of your Career Shield insurance policy, even after expiration, as long as the claim incident occurred during your policy term.

What types of claims are covered under an occurrence form policy?

All types of claims falling under your Career Shield insurance policy would be covered using an occurrence form coverage option. Years down the road, a claim for a slip and fall case occurring under your general liability coverage, or a patient filing against your professional liability provisions, have confidence knowing Career Shield still has you completely covered. You’ve already paid to be covered for a specific period of time, why should it matter if a claim is filed years down the road for an incident that occurred while you were covered?

Contact a Career Shield insurance specialist when you want to be covered no matter what, by insurance coverage that’s made especially for health and wellness professionals.

Are there reasons to purchase a claims-made policy instead of an occurrence form policy?

 There are definitely pros and cons associated with each form policy. Career Shield only offers occurrence form policies after spending years in the health and wellness insurance business and actively listening to our customers. The most advantageous part of an occurrence form policy is the idea that, even if you let your policy lapse and have no insurance coverage at the time a claim is made, if that claim occurred during the term when you were covered with Career Shield, you can have peace of mind knowing you’re absolutely covered.

Claims-made forms can prove beneficial if you were worried about an insurer not being around in the future to pay on an old claim. With Career Shield’s solid financial backing, excellent track record with our customers, and commitment to providing the best coverage at the best rates, you don’t have to worry about us going anywhere. Plus we are a subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher, which was established in 1927 and is one of the largest insurance brokers in the world. Having Arthur J. Gallagher as a parent company ensures your coverage is 100% secure for years to come.

What happens if I need to file a claim?

You can rest assured that when an incident does occur, you have complete coverage. While all parties hope that you never need to file a claim, if such a need arises, here are the three steps you will want to take:

  1. Assess the Situation. Although we cannot give any legal advice, it is recommended to be cautious with any open lines of communication directly with the injured party, as you could open up the assumption of risk.
  2. Contact Us. Call our customer service team at 866-945-1699 between 8am and 6pm ET Monday-Friday. One of our licensed agents will provide you with a claim form to fill out with details of the incident, and instructions on where to send that form.
  3. Breathe Easy Knowing Our Team of Professionals Are On It. Once the claim form is received by the appropriate party, you will receive an acknowledgment letter in about 2 business days that will contain the name and contact information of a claims adjuster who will work with you for the remainder of the process.
What if I have more questions?

If you have any quesitons at all about your coverage, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (866) 945-1699 or email us at info@careershieldinsurance.com.