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K-State Research and Extension
123 Umberger Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-3401
785-532-5820
extadmin@ksu.edu

May 4, 2021

An Update Regarding Local Unit COVID-19 Protocol Option

Submitted by Gregg Hadley

Please note that the following email excerpt was circulated on Monday, May 3, 2021.

Dear Colleagues:

Last Friday morning, April 30, we announced via an email with the subject heading “Local Unit COVID-19 Protocol Updates” in bullet point 2 that our local unit Extension Boards could elect to follow local public health COVID-19 protocol guidelines or Kansas State University’s/K-State Research and Extension’s guidelines. In the attachment entitled “Waiver of KSRE COVID 19 Safety Protocol 043021 2," the following was written:

“It should also be known that the COVID-19 related liability coverage from the supplemental local-unit accidental coverage that is purchased through the 4-H program fees program could be affected if the local unit elects to follow local Department of Health safety practices that are less restrictive than those of Kansas State University and K-State Research and Extension.”

We received further information late Friday from the insurance provider, American Income Life Insurance Company, regarding this matter. Not only will the COVID-19 related liability be waived if local unit Extension Boards voted to follow local COVID-19 protocols, the local unit will lose its supplemental local-unit accidental coverage in its entirety.

What does this mean? Local unit Extension Boards may still elect to follow local COVID-19 protocols instead of Kansas State University’s and K-State Research and Extension’s. If local units do this, however, the local unit will need to look into other options for supplemental local-unit accidental coverage until such time that Kansas State University and K-State Research and Extension policies are relaxed. I have no information when that may occur.

I wanted you to have full information when I sent out Friday’s email, and, while we believed the information to be complete, it was not. I do believe that a good faith effort was put forth by K-State Research and Extension and the American Income Life Insurance to explore the implications of this option over the last month, but today’s update is unfortunately still necessary. We apologize for any and all inconvenience this causes, and I take full responsibility for that inconvenience.

Please find a letter from American Income Life Insurance Company explaining their perspective of the situation.

Please also find the latest revision of the waiver document. Please disregard the one sent on Friday, April 30, 2021.

Once again, I apologize for needing to send you this update.

Sincerely,

Gregg Hadley