Today we’ll answer some common questions about A4DD’s most widely used driver benefit: Occupational Accident Insurance, or “OccAcc” for short.   Basically, OccAcc insurance helps out you (and your helper if you select that option) when you are injured while doing delivery work.  OccAcc pays for:

1. medical bills
2. replacement for lost income while you can’t work
3. a lump-sum payment to you or your survivors in the case of death or catastrophic injuries like paralysis or losing a limb (fun stuff!)

Question 1:  Am I Covered if I get sick from my work?

OccAcc is “accident” insurance so coverage for illness is limited.  First, the illness must be caused by your delivery work.  Second, instead of the $500,000 or $1 million in benefits that you can receive for accidents, the most insurance will pay for an illness is $10,000.  On the other hand, almost no OccAcc insurance covers illness at all, so A4DD’s program is far better than most.

Question 2:  When am I considered to be working and therefore covered?

For someone who works in an office or factory and “punches a clock”, it’s pretty easy to define when you’re working and when you’re not.  For example, employees are generally not considered to be working when commuting to and from work, out having lunch (except for a business lunch), and running personal errands.  For a driver who is an independent contractor, it’s not always so clear.  You would be covered while on a route or once dispatched to pick up a shipment until final delivery.  That is unless you stop working in the middle to take care of personal business.

• Commuting:  Getting ready for work at home and driving from your home to your first pick-up of the day is normally not considered working.  Similarly, once you end your workday and head home or begin taking care of personal business, you are no longer covered (except see below). This is no different from the rules that govern employee benefits.
• Drive-Back (Dead Heading):  When a job takes you outside your normal delivery territory (like a “hot-shot” run), you are covered while getting back to your normal territory because you wouldn’t be driving back except for the hot-shot work.
• Time Between Jobs:  If you are repositioning yourself for additional work while in communication with dispatch, you should be covered.  However, if you interrupt this to run a personal errand, or are simply cruising around town, then don’t expect to be covered until you accept or begin a new job.

We hope these explanations are helpful.  Of course, these only apply to A4DD’s OccAcc insurance benefit.  Don’t count on other policies to cover you so well.  As with any insurance product, the policy language governs.  However, the good news is that the law says if the policy language is unclear, then it must be interpreted in YOUR favor.  It’s always a good idea to refer to your insurance policy if you have questions.  A4DD members enrolled in insurance can download the policy from our website.  If you have a claim and don’t feel fairly treated, A4DD will assist and advocate for our members.  Just contact us if you need help.

We invite you to send us additional questions.

Click here to learn more about A4DD’s OccAcc insurance program and sign up for coverage.