Auto Insurance
The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is self-insured for liability from automobile bodily injury and property damage through the State of Nevada Torts Claim Fund. The Fund is administered by the Office of the Attorney General.
Liability insurance for NSHE owned vehicles
Liability coverage includes bodily injury or property damage to others, including passengers in our vehicle, arising out of a NSHE driver’s negligence. The NSHE employee is generally entitled to defense and indemnification in such situations.
A person who performs volunteer service under the direct supervision and control of and for the benefit of the NSHE is considered an employee and is also generally entitled to defense and indemnification.
Students cannot be defended or indemnified by the NSHE under Nevada law unless the student is also an employee and is acting as such at the time of the accident. Students performing required course work are not volunteers.
The NSHE does not provide uninsured motorist coverage [1] or vehicle medical payments coverage [2].
Physical damage coverage for NSHE owned vehicles
Vehicles can also be insured for Comprehensive [3] and Collision [4] (collectively known as Automobile Physical Damage coverage or APD) at your option through a self-insurance program administered by NSHE Risk Management. These coverages are not provided unless requested by the department owning the vehicle. The department bears the cost of repairs or replacement of a damaged vehicle when coverage has not been requested. Insured vehicles are subject to a deductible of $300. The deductible will be waived when it is recovered from another party.
Add, delete or change coverage
A request to have a vehicle covered must be made within 30 days of purchase. This request should be made by completing a URM-004 form. Once the form is completed, it should be submitted to the BCN Risk Management Office.
Requests to delete a vehicle or change liability or APD coverage should also be made by completing a URM-004 form.
Accidents involving NSHE owned vehicles
All accidents involving another party must be reported to the BCN Risk Management Office and to the Tort Claims Manager in the Attorney General's Office as soon as possible. Details of the accident should be reported on the URM-002 (Vehicle Accident Report).
Claims for damages to NSHE owned vehicles with APD coverage should be reported to the BCN Risk Management Office as soon as possible. Reports should be made utilizing the URM-002 (Vehicle Accident Report) form and filled out as completely as possible. The department is responsible for obtaining three repair estimates. Reimbursement will be made based on the lowest estimate. There is a $300.00 department deductible.
Effective July 13, 2007: NSHE owned vehicles insured with Automobile Physical Damage coverage while being used “Off-Road”, are subject to a $2,000 department deductible. For further details go to NSHE Vehicles Used Off-Road.doc
If a third party is responsible for the damage to a NSHE vehicle, the BCN Risk Management Office will subrogate against the the third party’s insurer for the repair or replacement of the damaged vehicle. If the third party has no insurance or is not able to otherwise pay for the damages; the cost of repairs will be reimbursed through the BCN Risk Management Office if there is APD coverage on the vehicle. The $300.00 deductible will be applied.
Personal/privately owned vehicles
The NSHE does not have insurance coverage on the personal vehicle of an employee. Persons using personal vehicles for official business must obtain necessary insurance from their insurance agent. Students may not be transported in private vehicles. The use of personal vehicles is reimbursed in accordance with state regulations. An employee shall not use a personal vehicle for transportation of students on official trips without informing his/her insurance company and to verify that the vehicle is properly covered. In the event of an accident, the personal vehicle insurance is primary.
Rented vehicles
The State of Nevada Purchasing Department has multiple contracts for vehicle rentals that may be used by all State Agencies, including the Nevada System of Higher Education. Information regarding these contracts is available on their website at: http://purchasing.state.nv.us/pur_info/car_rental.htm. IMPORTANT: Please read the Frequently Asked Questions section.
State Contracted Car Rental Vendors, Pricing and Contracts
Rental Car Exclusions For All Contracts:
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- Driving off road;
- Vehicles rented principally for personal use;
- Vehicles driven by non-employees (which means students cannot drive unless they are also paid employees and acting as such at the time they are driving); and
- Anyone under the age of twenty one.
Accidents involving rental vehicles
Damages to rental cars should be reported to the rental agency and the BCN Risk Management Office as soon as possible.
Glass Repairs
If the damage is such that a repair, rather than replacement, will take care of the damaged glass, departments are encouraged to make the repair. These repairs usually cost between $30 and $50 and are 100% reimbursable. Multiple estimates are not required for glass repairs and the usual $300 comprehensive deductible is waived.
Glass Replacement
The NSHE Risk Management Office uses the contracts awarded by the State of Nevada. Departments utilizing these vendors will not be required to obtain competitive bids for automobile glass replacement. The URM-007 (Windshield/Glass Loss Report) form should be completed and submitted to the BCN Risk Management Office with a check for the $300 deductible. Attach the original invoice if you wish BCN Risk Management to pay the vendor directly. Go to the Windshield Repair Vendors form for a list of authorized vendors. Departments unwilling to utilize preferred glass replacement vendors must obtain three (3) estimates for vehicle glass replacement and have the glass replaced for the lowest available cost. Exceptions to this rule may be made on a case-by-case basis in rural areas where there are not three available vendors. Because of the nature of glass replacement claims, agencies may obtain telephone estimates for windshield and other vehicle glass replacements. However, these estimates should still be documented for the file. Reimbursement of claims not utilizing contracted vendors must also be made using the URM-007 (Windshield/Glass Loss Report) form which also helps to document telephone estimates.
Addresses
Attorney General's Office |
BCN Risk Management Office |
100 N. Carson Street |
Mail Stop 241 |
Lisbet SherwoodProgram Officer |
Lisa SchallerRisk Management Specialist |
Stan MillerTort Claims Manager |
VacantRisk Manager |
[1] Coverage for bodily injury to a vehicle occupant caused by an at fault driver who does not have insurance or enough insurance. An injured NSHE employee in this situation would have his medical bills and part of his lost wages paid by Workers Compensation insurance.
[2] Medical payments coverage provides limited medical expense to anyone injured in a vehicle accident regardless of fault.
[3] Comprehensive provides coverage for damage to a NSHE vehicle when it is not in motion. Examples include fire, flood and theft.
[4] Collision provides coverage for damage to a NSHE vehicle when the vehicle is in motion. Examples include hitting another vehicle or a stationary object.