RAC Insurance Programme

The following information is provided for informational purposes only. Please review the Policy Summary or contact the   for complete details on coverage.

An "insured Affiliated Club" shall mean a Canadian Amateur Radio Club that is officially Affiliated with the Radio Amateurs of Canada and is participating in the RAC Insurance Program.

Highlights for 2012

1. RAC Insurance Program continues for 2012 for Affiliated Clubs and RAC members of those Clubs with the insurer, AON Insurance.
2. Improved coverages added last year, such as liability coverage for portable operation, advertising liability and personal injury will continue for 2012.
3. Radio equipment Loss/Damage coverage will continue to be available at low cost.
4. The yearly aggregate limit of liability coverage, irrespective of the number of claims per year is $10,000,000/yr, with a limit of $5,000,000 per occurrence.
5. Certificates of Insurance in the Club's name are provided by the Insurer for participating Clubs.
6. RAC members of insured RAC Affiliated Clubs will continue to receive liability coverage at no cost, for their personal amateur radio activities.

The Radio Amateurs of Canada has been able to offer the RAC Insurance Program to its members and incorporated Affiliated Clubs as a benefit for its members and Affiliated Clubs for several years. These programs harness the group buying power of the RAC membership to provide low cost insurance options for our members and Affiliated Clubs.

The RAC Insurance Program operates on a not for profit, cost recovery basis. The cost for insurance is below comparable offerings in the industry and with better coverage.

Radio equipment loss/damage coverage is offered for Affiliated Clubs that are participating in the liability insurance program. This insurance is available at extremely competitive prices and provides loss/damage coverage for amateur radio equipment.

The RAC Insurance programs are constantly under review and are subject to changes by the Insurer. At this time RAC is researching the possibility of providing Director's Liability Insurance for RAC Affiliated Clubs and low cost auto, home and travel medical insurance for our members in the future. The travel medical insurance program will be of special interest to Snowbirds.

Overview of the Insurance Program

The RAC Insurance Program is an extra cost service that is made available to RAC Affiliated clubs as a benefit of affiliation. It provides coverage to protect the club as a whole, for liability claims arising from normal club activities and at greatly reduced rates. These Clubs can also purchase equipment loss/damage insurance coverage at very attractive rates for Club radio equipment such as repeaters and club stations. To be eligible for the insurance, a radio club MUST be incorporated and affiliated with the Radio Amateurs of Canada. For more information on Affiliation please click here.

As a bonus, RAC members of an Affiliated Club that is insured under the RAC Club Insurance Program also receive the same liability coverage for their own personal amateur radio activities at no cost, as a benefit of their RAC membership. Due to Insurance company requirements, RAC members MUST be a member of an RAC Affiliated Club to be eligible for these insurance coverages.

The fees for this liability and loss/damage insurance coverage are substantially below the cost of comparable insurance available on the open market. The cost of the liability program to the Radio Amateurs of Canada is based on the total number of people covered, whether they are RAC members or not, because the coverage applies to all Club members. As this program is offered as a benefit of membership in the Radio Amateurs of Canada, there is a surcharge for members of an Affiliated Club who are not members of RAC.

For complete details on the policy and coverage please review the policy summary or contact the .

Program Description and Coverages

There are two types of Insurance available under the  RAC Insurance Program:

	Liability Insurance
	Equipment Loss/Damage Insurance

Liability Insurance:

Liability insurance coverage is available for:

	Canadian Amateur Radio Clubs that are Affiliated with the Radio Amateurs of Canada to cover their normal Club activities.
	Members of RAC that are also members of an RAC insured Affiliated Club to cover their normal personal amateur radio activities.

Affiliated Club Coverage

A Canadian Amateur Radio Club that is officially Affiliated with the Radio Amateurs of Canada can apply to participate in the Liability Insurance Policy issued to RAC by the AON Insurance Company. This liability insurance coverage is available for a club's normal amateur radio activities as detailed in the Policy.

The policy provides liability insurance coverage of up to an aggregate amount of $10,000,000/$5,000,000 per occurrence for normal radio club activities such as Club meetings, Field Day, club repeater installations, public events and demonstrations. The Insurer will assess each Club's application to determine eligibility and any extra charges that may apply for activities that are considered beyond the scope of normal radio club activities.

1. To be eligible for Club liability coverage, a radio club MUST be incorporated and an RAC Affiliated Club.
2. Club liability coverage is offered at extra cost, as a benefit of being a RAC Affiliated Club.
3. Cost for coverage is based on a fixed annual registration fee, plus a fee per Club member and a surcharge per club member who is not a current member of RAC. Addition charges may apply for activities that are considered beyond the scope of normal radio club activities. Liability coverage DOES NOT provide any loss, theft or damage coverage for equipment.
4. Please refer to the Policy Summary for details of coverage.
5. The Affiliated Club must have paid the annual affiliation fee to maintain coverage.

If you have any questions or require further assistance please contact the  .

RAC Member Coverage:

Members of RAC, who are also a member of an insured Affiliated Club i.e. a Club that is participating in the RAC Club Liability Insurance Program, are eligible to obtain liability coverage for your personal Amateur Radio activities, at no extra cost. This program provides the same limits of coverage as the Affiliated Club insurance for your personal station and activities i.e. a home station, mobile and portable operation.

1. To be eligible for personal liability coverage, you MUST be BOTH a current RAC member AND a member of an insured RAC Affiliated Club.
2. RAC members who are NOT also members of an insured Affiliated Club are NOT eligible for coverage.
3. Liability coverage is offered at no extra cost to qualifying members, as a benefit of membership.
4. Liability coverage DOES NOT provide any loss, theft or damage coverage for equipment. This must be purchased separately.
5. Please refer to the Policy Summary for details of coverage.
6. You must be a paid up member of both RAC and a RAC insured Affiliated Club to maintain coverage.

If you have any questions or require further assistance please contact the .

Equipment Loss/Damage Insurance

The Radio Amateurs of Canada now offers equipment loss/damage insurance coverage for insured RAC Affiliated Clubs that are participating in the liability insurance program. This insurance is available at extremely competitive prices and provides loss/damage coverage for amateur radio equipment.

Equipment will be insured on an Actual Cash Value (ACV) basis.

It is available in increments of $100 for a cost of only $1 per $100 of coverage per year!

For Affiliated Clubs:

1. The Club must be a paid up Affiliated Club with the Radio Amateurs of Canada and a participant in the RAC Liability Insurance Program.
2. Equipment loss/damage insurance coverage is offered as an extra cost option to qualifying clubs, as a benefit of affiliation.
3. Please refer to the Policy Summary for details of coverage

To apply for equipment loss/damage insurance please complete and return the application form.

If you have any questions or require further assistance please contact the  .

Program Operation and Administration

The program operates on a calendar basis, renewing each year on January 1. All new applications and payments must be received by November 15th to ensure coverage for the following year. For renewals, all forms and payment must be received by RAC by December 1st to ensure continuation of coverage. NEW insurance applications received during the year may have their fees pro-rated as described in Fee Calculation Section below.

The premiums for Club insurance are based on two parameters: a fixed yearly registration fee that is common for all clubs, and a variable component based on the total number of club members and those who are NOT members of RAC. The fee per non-RAC club member is the same regardless of the size of the club. Some extra surcharges may apply for Club activities outside of the standard policy coverage limits.

In addition, there are fees to cover administrative requests such as requests for a paper copy of the policy (electronic version supplied at no charge) or adding a named insured such as a repeater site landlord.

Annual Insurance Fee Calculation

Note 1: The insurance policy is based on the total number of people in the club, therefore all members of a club whether licenced, non-licenced, social, life, or family must be listed. Multiple memberships such as Club Family Memberships must be broken down and reported as the total number of people covered by each family membership and the number of them that are RAC members.

Note 2: As this is a program of the Radio Amateurs of Canada for the benefit of its membership, the cost for non RAC members is significantly higher.

Note 3: In a few instances, some Clubs with activities outside of the normal scope of the policy may incur a surcharge from AON Insurance, in addition to the fee calculated below.

Note 4: For club liability purposes only, Affiliated Club honorary (as of Dec. 31, 2010), youth (under 18 years) and student (under 25 years) members are exempt from the $11 surcharge for NON-RAC club members.

Liability Insurance Fee Calculation:

Annual Fee = A+[# of Club members * B] + [# of Non RAC members * C]

where:

A = Annual RAC Insurance Program Registration fee = $150.00/yr
B = Annual fee per club member = $1.00/yr
C = Surcharge per NON RAC club member = $11.00/yr

It is the Club's responsibility to accurately report membership numbers.

Examples

Club A

84 members of which 64 are also members of RAC
Therefore, the # of NON RAC members = 84 - 64 = 20
Fee = $150 + [84*$1.00]+[20*$11.00] = $388.00

Club B

84 members of which 15 are also members of RAC
Therefore, # of NON RAC members = 84 - 15 = 69
Fee = $150 + [84*$1.00]+[69*$11.00] = $993.00

Loss/Damage Insurance Fee Calculation

Equipment Loss/Damage insurance is available to qualifying applicants at a rate of $10 per $1000 of coverage. This is for Actual Cash Value or ACV coverage. Fill in the equipment description form and enter the desired total amount of equipment value in $ on the RAC Insurance Program Application form.

Pro-Rating of Fees

For Clubs making NEW applications after Jan 1 in a given year:

Calculate the premium fee for the full year and then pro-rate this fee based on the ratio of the number of days between the application date and December 31.

Example using Club A above:
If the new application date is March 21 then,
Days left in year = 256 (from Mar 21 to Dec 31)
Yearly Insurance Fee $388.00 (see above)
Total Insurance fee for remainder of year = $388*(256/365) = $304.02

NOTE: a new application is one from a Club that has NEVER applied for RAC insurance previously.

For clubs RENEWING during year

Payment for the full year is required for renewal applications made between Jan 1 and June 30. For renewal dates after July 1, the annual fee will be reduced by 25%.

Example using Club A above:
If the date of the renewal application is before June 30, the full year Insurance Fee of $388.00 (see above) would apply.
If the date of the renewal application is after June 30, then a rebate of 25% applies,
Therefore renewal fee = $388.00- ($388.00*0.25) = $388.00 - $97.00 = $291.00

Additional Fees

NAMED INSURED: To provide evidence of insurance to a third party = $75 one time fee per request (can be for multiple names if done at one time)

Administrative requests i.e. paper copies of certificates,policy etc. = $50 each (note - email version of policy and certificate provided at no charge)

To Apply:

For new applications please fill out the following forms:

1. The RAC Insurance Application Form
2. The Club membership list form
3. The AON Insurance Information Form
4. The Insurance Fee Calculation Form
5. The Equipment Insurance Application Form
6. The Equipment Description Form

Forward these forms and payment to:

Radio Amateurs of/du Canada Insurance Program
P. O. Box 51,
Saint John, N.B.
E2L 3X1

If you have any questions on the application process please contact the  .