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Invest in the best. You're listening to Rancho Maisie Studio One Parnas, where each week we break down complex insurance and safety topics to help your business thrive. I'm your host, Megan Lockhart, and I'm joined by Sam Brown, Vice President of the Human Services Group with Rancho Maisie. And today we're going to talk about closing coverage gaps for cross-border teams with foreign voluntary workers compensation insurance.
So, Sam, welcome to the show. Thanks Megan. I always enjoy being back in Studio One. Happy to have you.
Now, the San Diego and Tijuana communities have traditionally had a really close relationship due to their proximity and cross-border business activities. So, it's not uncommon for employers in the U.S. to consider hiring talent from across the border or have employees traveling to Mexico for business purposes. So, what unique challenges does this create for workers compensation coverage?
Great question. An important topic. So, what's important for employers to understand is that if they have employees who are traveling outside the United States and if they are injured, their workers' comp coverage and policies not going to respond to those injuries with any sort of benefits. That is where we introduce foreign voluntary workers' comp coverage to our clients to address this exposure.
So, where any employee can be assured that there's coverage because it's required by law, that is not the case with some of the alternatives. So, it's important for employers to ask themselves if it's the right coverage for them. Okay. So, what type of employment situations should cause employers to consider purchasing foreign voluntary workers compensation insurance?
Sure. Where we're starting to see this a lot is for San Diego-based employers who have employees who have moved south across the border and are commuting into work every day, especially for those employees that are working hybrid. So, maybe Monday Friday they commute into San Diego from south of the border and Tuesday through Thursday, they're working at home and have the potential to get injured there. We also have potentially employees on long-term international assignments and then we may also have employees on short-term business trips going across the border.
So, it could be a field trip for school, it could be on a mission of some sort. Those are the three areas that come to mind. Okay. That makes sense.
So, what specific benefits does VFWC insurance provide for employees injured while working abroad? And how does it differ from workers' compensation policies for employees in the U.S.? Yeah. So, FVWC stands for Foreign Voluntary Workers' Comp Covers.
And that's one avenue that employers can take to cover these injuries that happen outside of the U.S. order. So, as I mentioned, unlike workers' comp insurance, this is not a required coverage. But the benefits to injured workers are really helpful in sound.
So, number one, you've got medical expenses and lost wages. Number two, you have repatriation, which for those of you who don't know, that pays for the cost of transporting an ill or injured employee to a home country for treatment. Or at least to a suitable medical facility and can also cover the return of remains of an employee dies. Extended coverage can include 24-hour coverage, endemic diseases like malaria, acts of war or terrorism.
All these are often excluded by standard policies. Then, of course, you have employer liability protection, which protects the business from potential lawsuits if employees sue. And facilities care, which is important. Many policies will provide a point of contact to help employees navigate the foreign healthcare system, which can be a significant concern for those in unfamiliar countries.
Yeah. I could see how this would be really important coverage for some organizations. So, Sam, if listeners have questions about FVWC insurance, what's the best way to get in touch with you? I could be reached at 619-937-0175 or sbrown at racemason.com.
Alright, well Sam, thanks for joining me in Studio One. Yeah, thanks for having me, this is fun. Thanks for tuning into our latest episode produced by Studio One. If you enjoyed what you heard, please share this episode and subscribe.
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