A CCGA members insurance eligibility begins once the member has been enrolled and accepted as a member of an Auxiliary association and has signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the CCGA and the CCGA member.

A CCGA owner/operators eligibility for coverage under the CCGA insurance policies begins once the vessel has been enrolled and accepted by the Canadian Coast Guard as a vessel of an Auxiliary association and the owner/operator has been enrolled and accepted as a member of an Auxiliary association and has signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the CCGA and the CCGA member. Coverage applies during an Authorized Activity.

Yes. Expenses that are insured by Medicare cannot be re-imbursed by a private medical plan, with a few exceptions (e.g. in Ontario, private medical plans can now reimburse chiropractor charges that are partially covered by OHIP provided OHIP pays first; then, if there are any excess expenses for the visit, the private health care plan can pay those). After Medicare, an employee’s private health care plan, if there is one, becomes second payer and the CCGA plan sits on top as third payer. It should be pointed out that, if a member does not have a group medical plan through an employer, the CCGA plan will respond as a second payer after Medicare. It is illegal in Canada for insurance companies to sell insurance coverage for protection that is already provided by Medicare.

Yes, the member would be covered by CCGA insurances. We never want an administrative technicality to interfere with saving lives. However, every effort has to be made to obtain Memorandum of Understanding forms signed by members. Of course, at some time the CCGA would be forced to strike an individual from the membership list for refusing to submit a signed Memorandum of Understanding.

Since co-crewing onboard a CCG vessel is an Authorized Activity, CCGA members are covered by the CCGA insurance policies.

A spouse accompanying a CCGA member traveling to an Authorized Activity is NOT covered by CCGA insurance policies. The only time a spouse is covered by CCGA insurance policies is when the spouse is an enrolled Auxiliary member and is participating in an Authorized Activity. The trigger for insurance coverage is whether or not an Auxiliary member has been authorized to attend a CCGA function. If the spouse is an Auxiliary member and is authorized to attend then he/she is covered by the CCGA insurance policies.

For example, if a spouse accompanies a CCGA member to a Board of Directors meeting, a National Council meeting, a Regional SAR Skills Competition, a Boat Show, International SAR Competition or CCGA training session and the spouse has not been authorized to attend, that spouse is not covered by the CCGA insurance policies. Authorization to attend a CCGA function means that the CCGA member will be participating in training activities or actively contributing to the meeting or event. Simply accompanying a member to an Auxiliary activity does not constitute authorization to attend.

In most instances, authorization to attend a CCGA function is directly linked to the member’s eligibility for reimbursement of travel expenses. The exception to this is attendance at Annual General Meetings. Although a member has not been authorized to be reimbursed for travel expenses to attend their Annual General Meeting the member has the right to attend and therefore would be covered by the CCGA insurance policies.

Coverage is continuous with an annual anniversary date of June 1st. CCGA vessels may be subject to reexamination by the insurers on a periodic basis. The examination may be subject to verification by an authorized CCG Officer. It is the responsibility of the individual Auxiliary member to advise the appropriate CCG representative of the cost of any additions and/or alterations to their vessel that may affect the insured value of the CCGA vessel.

No insurance coverage is in place for the member’s vessel or the CCGA members since there is no Authorized Activity.

Normally, JRCC or MRSC would not task a CCGA vessel to a search and rescue (SAR) mission if passengers were on board. If an exceptional circumstance occurs, and the passenger volunteers and agrees to assist if the vessel is short of crewmembers, then they would be covered under the CCGA insurances.

No. CCGA members are not insured under the CCGA insurance policies for any diving activities.

Yes, the CCGA employees would be covered.

Each policy has its own requirements but, in general, the policies state that a claim should be reported as soon as possible after an incident has occurred (e.g. if a boat suffered damages during a search and rescue (SAR) mission, the damages should be reported immediately after completion of the SAR mission). If someone is being sued for something he or she did while involved in an activity for CCGA, then this should be reported to the CCGA insurance brokers or insurers as soon as the member becomes aware of the potential claim.

Yes, CCGA members are required to rent vehicles while on an Authorized Activity in the name of both the CCGA and the member. The vehicle must be rented in the name of the CCGA in order to be covered by the CCGA insurance. However, most daily rental agencies will not rent vehicles in the name of a company or corporation only (requiring the vehicle to be rented in the name shown on the credit card used for the rental) unless there is a pre-arranged agreement executed between the daily rental company and the CCGA association. Each of the CCGA associations, or the CCGA associations as a group should explore this type of arrangement for CCGA employees who may rent vehicles on a daily rental basis, as well as CCGA members if they have to rent a vehicle in connection with an Authorized Activity. The CCGA insurance only applies to daily rentals in Canada and U.S.A. and coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions for CCGA volunteer members.

The maximum value of a daily rental vehicle covered by the CCGA insurance policy is $65,000. Under CCGA policy and the CCGA insurance policy, short-term and daily rental of vehicles is limited to Private Passenger and Light Commercial vehicles only.