Are you looking for ACA liability insurance for students? If yes then you are at the right place. As you are getting ready for your future career, it is important to think about protecting it.
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Even while you are still a student, there is a chance you could face a lawsuit for mistakes. So, it is smart to take steps to safeguard your future.
You will want to get liability insurance. This guide will help you understand why it is so important, what it covers, and how to choose the right liability insurance for you.
In this article, we will take a look at ACA liability insurance for students. Let’s get started.
Key Takeaways
- Who needs this insurance?
- Students taking counseling classes that require working with clients.
- Examples: HCE 622 Counseling Children and Adolescents, HCE 690 Individual Counseling Practicum.
- What does it cover?
- Up to $1 million per incident and $3 million total for lawsuits against you for mistakes while counseling.
- Lawyer fees if you get sued.
- Up to $25,000 to pay fines if you accidentally share a client’s private information.
- Covers costs if you have to go to court to answer questions about your work.
- Up to $1,000 per day for lost wages if you have to go to court because of a lawsuit.
- Covers medical bills if you get hurt at work because someone attacks you.
- Up to $25,000 to pay for the medical bills of someone who gets hurt at your work or home (because of your work).
- Covers some expenses if someone accuses you of saying bad things about them or not keeping their information private.
- Up to $10,000 per year to cover the costs of supplies you use to help someone who gets hurt.
- Up to $10,000 per year to fix someone else’s property if you accidentally damage it at work or home.
- Up to $25,000 per year for lawyers and public relations experts if you get bad publicity from your work (not available in all states).
- How much does it cost?
- Around $35 per year for students.
- Free for student members of the American Counseling Association (ACA).
What is Liability Insurance for Students?
Malpractice insurance is also known as liability insurance. It acts like a shield for students. It is there to protect you if something goes wrong while you are working.
This insurance helps cover any legal costs or money you might have to pay if someone sues you because they think you did something wrong.
Who Needs an ACA Liability Insurance For Students?
When you are taking certain courses like HCE 622 Counseling Children and Adolescents or HCE 627 Group Counseling, you will need to get professional liability insurance.
It is not just for those classes though, you will also need it for HCE 690/691 Individual Counseling Practicum Seminar/Laboratory and HCE 686 Internship in Counselor Education.
While it is not mandatory for HCE 621 Fundamentals of Counseling Skills, having insurance can still be a good idea to protect yourself.
The American Counseling Association (ACA) and HPSO
The American Counseling Association (ACA) joined hands with HPSO in 2003 to offer affordable malpractice insurance to its members. HPSO has been supporting the ACA for years. It started when the ACA needed help with insurance after a crisis in 2003.
At that time, ACA found HPSO as the best option to help its members. HPSO made it easy for ACA members to get new insurance quickly and smoothly.
Nowadays, HPSO provides various insurance plans to protect ACA members who work for others, run their practices, or have counseling businesses. 3 out of 4 ACA pros have insurance from HPSO.
What Does ACA Liability Insurance For Students Cover?
The American Counseling Association Insurance Trust, Inc. has teamed up with the Healthcare Provider Service Organization (HPSO) to offer a full professional liability insurance program.
If you are an ACA student member and you are studying for a master’s degree in counseling, your membership now includes liability insurance. Let’s have a look at it:
| Coverage | Description |
| Professional Liability | Up to $1,000,000 per claim, $3,000,000 per year |
| Defense Costs | Legal fees if sued |
| Information Privacy (HIPAA) Fines and Penalties | Up to $25,000 for data breach notification and fines |
| Deposition Representation | Lawyer to help prepare for lawsuits |
| Defendant Expense Benefit | Up to $1,000 per day, $25,000 per year for lost wages and other expenses |
| Assault Coverage | Up to $25,000 per year for medical bills or property damage due to assault |
| Medical Payments | Up to $25,000 per person, $100,000 per year for medical bills of others injured at work |
| Personal Injury | Coverage for accusations of privacy breaches or defamation |
| First Aid | Up to $10,000 per year for first aid supplies |
| Damage to Property of Others | Up to $10,000 per year to fix property accidentally damaged |
| Sexual Misconduct (except NY) | Up to $25,000 per year for defense against non-criminal sexual misconduct claims |
| Media Expenses (some states) | Up to $25,000 per year for legal and PR expenses to handle negative media attention |
| Cost for Students | Free for ACA student members |
1. Professional Liability
If something goes wrong while you are helping someone and you are legally responsible, this insurance can cover up to $1,000,000 for each problem or up to $3,000,000 total in a year.
2. Defense Costs
If someone says you did something wrong and need to go to court, your insurance will pay for a lawyer to help you, even if the case does not go your way. This includes the cost of checking what happened. The money for this does not come from the amount your insurance will pay if you lose the case.
3. Information Privacy (HIPAA) Fines and Penalties
If someone steals or shares your private information without permission, your insurance can pay up to $25,000 to tell patients about it. It also helps if you have to pay fines because of this.
4. Deposition Representation
If you are asked to provide documents or speak in a lawsuit about your work, your insurance will help. They will pay for a lawyer to help you prepare for that.
5. Defendant Expense Benefit
If you have to go to court because of a claim against you, your insurance will help cover your lost wages and other expenses. You could get up to $1,000 per day or $25,000 in a year.
6. Assault Coverage
If you get hurt because someone attacks you at work or while you are going to or from work, your insurance can help cover your medical bills or damage to your things. You could get up to $25,000 a year for these expenses.
7. Medical Payments
If someone gets hurt at your home or business because of something that happened there, your insurance can help pay for their medical bills. They could get up to $25,000 each or $100,000 in total for the year.
8. Personal Injury
If someone says you did something wrong while you were working, your insurance can help. It covers things like accusations of privacy breaches or saying bad things about someone.
9. First Aid
If you help someone who’s hurt and needs to spend money on supplies, your insurance can cover it. You could get up to $10,000 each year for these costs.
10. Damage to Property of Others
If you accidentally damage someone else’s stuff while you are at home or work, your insurance can pay up to $10,000 a year to fix it.
11. Sexual Misconduct
You are covered for up to $25,000 each year for professional liability, specifically for situations involving sexual misconduct during your work. This coverage helps if someone claims you did something wrong, but only if it is not a crime, like consensual sexual activity. It is not available in New York.
12. Media Expenses
You are covered for up to $25,000 each year for certain expenses like hiring legal or public relations experts to handle any negative attention from the media about your work. This includes things like preparing statements or giving interviews. But remember, this coverage might not be available in all states.
How To Choose a Professional Liability Insurance For Students?
When you are getting insurance, it is important to make sure it covers everything you need for your job. Here is how you can do it:
- First, find out how much money the insurance will give you if something bad happens. This could be for each time something happens, or for all the times added together.
- Next, check if the insurance company is known for being good at helping nurses when they need it.
- Then, think about how much the insurance will cost and if you can pay for it.
- Finally, look for plans that are not too expensive and let you pay in different ways.
How To Apply for ACA Liability Insurance For Students?
The American Counseling Association wants to make sure all its members, whether they are students or professionals, have the right insurance to protect their money and their work. Applying for insurance is simple. Here is how to do it:
- You just need to provide your 7-digit ACA membership number.
- Once you confirm your membership, you will see your discounted rate.
- ACA offers discounts to members who qualify:
- If you are a professional member with a premium of $100 or more, you get a 10% discount.
- You might also get another 10% off if you take steps to manage risks.
- New graduates get 60% off in their first year, 40% off in their second, and 20% off in their third.
- Student members in counseling programs get their insurance for free from ACA.
- If you are part-time, retired, or on leave, you get a 50% discount.
Cost of ACA Liability Insurance For Students
You can get insurance for about $35 each year. This is not a lot. It covers you when you are doing things your school approves of and tells you to do.
When you finish school, the insurance might keep covering you for another six months or until you renew it, without making you pay more.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I am ready to join ACA. Can I pay for membership with a check?
You can send your check payment here:
– American Counseling Association
– P.O. Box 31110
– Alexandria, VA 22310-9110
– Just use this address when you are ready to mail your payment.
2. How do I get a receipt for an ACA order?
You need to log in to your account and go to the ACA Store. Then, on the right side of the screen, click on “View Previous Orders.” From there, you can print or email your receipts to yourself. This way, you will have a record of your purchase.
3. What are the requirements for student membership?
If you want to join as a student member, you need to be enrolled at least half-time in a college or university that’s recognized by a group called the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. To prove you are a student, you will need to send in some paperwork from your school, like your grades or a letter saying you are in the program. Make sure to send these documents to memberservices@counseling.org within a week of signing up. You can find more information on the membership webpage.
4. What are the terms of membership for students?
If you are doing a Master’s degree, your membership lasts for up to two years. If you need more time, you can ask for an extra year, but you will have to show that you are still enrolled or have special circumstances. For a Doctoral degree, your membership lasts for up to four years, unless your program lets you take longer to finish.
Conclusion
It is important to get ACA liability insurance for students. It is not just for your training. It is more like investing in your future job. When you understand why it is so important and pick the right liability insurance, you are making sure you will feel safe and secure in your career.
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