FAQ

Accidents involving employees during the course and scope of employment or individuals in a structured volunteer program must be reported to DOAS (1-877-656-7475) within 48 hours.

• Go to DOAS Georgia Auto Training Program.
• Click on the blue video in the middle of the page, under Auto Liability Coverage.
• Click on the “register your participation” link verifying you have seen the video.

State vehicles should be driven only by state employees during the course and scope of employment or individuals in a structured volunteer program.

If you are performing your official state duties at the time of the accident, then liability (bodily injury and/or property damage to others) coverage is provided to you per the State Tort Claims Policy.

View State of Georgia Travel Regulations for Rental Cars

No, however, if the University of Georgia employee was injured while performing official state duties, workers’ compensation coverage would be available to respond to the employee’s injuries.

No. The Automobile Physical Damage Agreement only provides coverage for damage to state owned vehicles. You should check with your insurance agent to verify whether or not your personal automobile insurance policy will cover any damage to your own vehicle while using it on University of Georgia business.

No. The injured passenger(s) will need to file a liability claim under the State Tort Policy when the driver is at fault.

Click on the following link to print a copy: Georgia Liability Insurance Identification Card. Insurance & Claims Management at [email protected] or 706-542-5845 if you need assistance.

The operation of golf carts or other personal transportation vehicles on official University business also falls under the UGA Motor Vehicle Use Policy. Only UGA employees or individuals in a structured volunteer program are authorized to drive golf carts on official University business. Golf cart drivers must also comply with the annual motor vehicle policy training requirements.

Additionally, golf carts operated on the roadway must follow the same rules of the road applicable to other vehicles, including the cell phone hands-free law, and must be equipped with brakes, a reverse warning device, head lights, taillights, horn, rearview mirror, hip restraints, and hand holds. Golf cart drivers are encouraged to exercise extra care operating on roadways with other traffic since golf carts do not offer the same level of collision protection as automobiles and other vehicles.

You can find more information about the legal operation of golf carts, other personal transportation vehicles, and low speed vehicles here: Georgia Code: Low Speed Vehicles | Georgia Department of Public Safety.

To operate a state vehicle or drive a personal vehicle on state business, the minimum age requirement is 17 years old. This applies to any individual who is authorized to drive for state business purposes, including volunteers and employees. For 17 years olds, there are restrictions for driving on a public roadways.

Contact Insurance & Claims Management at [email protected] or 706-542-5845. The procedures and formalities regarding claims against the state of Georgia are governed by the Georgia Tort Claims Act, O.C.G.A. 50-21-1 et seq.

If you were performing your official state duties at the time of the alleged medical malpractice incident, then liability coverage is provided to you per the State Tort Claims Policy and the General Liability Agreement, regardless of the date the claim or lawsuit is brought against you and/or the University of Georgia. However, if you should receive notice of a claim or lawsuit you must immediately provide these documents to the University of Georgia Office of Legal Affairs to avoid jeopardizing your coverage.

The General Liability Agreement can provide you with a civil defense for alleged civil rights violations that were unexpected and unintentional.

No. However, should you be successful in your defense against all the criminal charges brought against you, then you may be eligible for reimbursement of some or all of your defense costs under the General Liability Agreement.

No. However, should you be successful in your defense against the Qui Tam action brought against you, then you may be eligible for reimbursement of some or all of your defense costs under the General Liability Agreement.

Employees traveling on state business in a rented motor vehicle are covered by the state’s liability policy while in their official scope of duties.

Certain student employees paid through UGA may be covered while acting within the scope of their employment. Coverage does not extend to activities outside their employment duties.

Yes. Approved volunteers participating in a structured volunteer program may be covered for liability claims arising from their authorized volunteer duties.

All claims should be filed within 48 hours of the initial damage. Please contact Insurance & Claims Management at 706-542-5845 or [email protected].

The State Owned Building and Personal Property Agreement covers buildings and personal property (i.e. contents) owned by the State of Georgia (BOR/University of Georgia).

Yes.

Visible lightning is not sufficient to support a claim for lightning damage. A Lightning Affidavit completed by a certified electrician is required for reimbursement of a property loss attributed to lightning.

DOAS supports the timely water damage responses by agency personnel; however, DOAS is concerned with the extraction of moisture that often remains within the interior walls that may cause future damage if this extraction is not performed by professionals.

Mysterious Disappearance is NOT COVERED. Loss due to mysterious disappearance or theft without visible evidence of forced entry or forced removal from a security device (e.g. cable lock) is not reimbursable under the State Owned Building and Personal Property Agreement. The loss must satisfy the “Burglary” definition in the Agreement in order to be covered.

You should contact our office immediately. DOAS Risk Management will have an adjuster inspect the recovered property and if damaged, determine its value. If you wish to keep the recovered property, DOAS Risk Management will negotiate its value and the department will need to reimburse DOAS/RMS. If you are not interested in keeping the property, DOAS Risk Management will take possession of the property and attempt to collect as much as possible for it. Salvage value might also exist in property damaged by lightning, wind, water, etc. Often, the amount of the repair bill is reduced by the salvage value of the damaged property.

Equipment that is taken outside or off campus should be insured under the All Risk policy. Transient coverage also includes “off road type equipment” that is excluded from the vehicle policy (i.e., backhoe, golf cart, tractor, etc.). Please contact Insurance & Claims Management for assistance at 706-542-5845 or [email protected]. DOAS Risk Management does require the following information when Fine Art, Non-State Owned Property and/or Transient Property coverage is requested: Detailed schedule of each item, description, replacement cost value, date acquired, original cost new, and location of item (physical address).

In most situations Insurance and Claims Management can insure artwork on loan to the University of Georgia, provided our office is notified ahead of time and furnished with a detailed list of the artwork, values, exhibit location, type of security and the dates of the exhibit.

Notify Insurance & Claims Management within 48 hours of the incident. Insurance & Claims Management at [email protected] or 706-542-5845.

If you are injured on the job, please report it to your supervisor or HR liaison regardless of whether medical treatment is needed.

You are not forced to see a doctor, but we recommend you seek treatment from a workers compensation in-network doctor if you feel the injury would benefit from medical care.

Please contact your supervisor to request medical treatment.

You are eligible to begin receiving weekly income benefits if you have more than seven days of lost time due to a work related injury.

All medical care for workers’ compensation claims must be received through the AMERISYS, INC. network of physicians. Using out-of-network or your primary care  physician can result in denial of workers’ compensation benefits, making the employee personally responsible for the medical bills.

Yes. However, the student must be in a working status at the time of the injury. If they are not working, they will be viewed as a student and will need to visit University Health Center for treatment of the injury or illness.

If your injury or illness is work related and a claim has been filed with DOAS, you can obtain your prescriptions by calling MyMatrixx  at 1-877-804-4900 or visit Client Quick Reference Guide . If you have already paid out of pocket for a prescription, please provide a valid receipt to your adjuster for reimbursement.

Please follow the instructions outlined in the Supervisors Guide Supervisor’s Guide to Workers Comp or contact Workers Compensation at 706-542-9504.

No, claims are no longer filed by supervisors and are filed by the risk coordinator.

Please direct your employee to the nearest open urgent care or to the nearest emergency room if an open urgent care is not available.

Supervisors are permitted to file a claim with DOAS in the event the risk coordinator is unavailable and/or the injury occurs at night/weekend. Please follow the reporting guide here Claim Filing Instructions.

Please contact Workers Compensation at 706-542-9504 or [email protected] for a claim to be filed.