Coverage for churches and other institutions in the diocese is through the Province I insurance plan administered by Willis of Massachusetts. This insures that all congregations have adequate and appropriate coverages for any loss that may occur.

The plan covers property, casualty, liability, boiler & machinery, Directors and Officers, crime, employers liability, automobile and workers compensation coverage to the churches and other institutions of the dioceses of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Western Massachusetts.

Named Insured

"Province I of The Episcopal Church and the following named dioceses of the Church; the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, and all jurisdictional subdivisions, deaneries, convocations, organizations, committees, commissions, and boards and their respective missionary societies, and all other church parishes, mission or church institutions as included in the schedule of locations, including any church corporations and real estate trusts of the Province or Dioceses having the title or interest in the properties; and, also all Bishops, Officers, Seminarians, Clergy in training and all other Clergy and all lay Church Vestry and all other Officials, whether or not compensated, and non-compensated volunteers, including those serving on organizations or Boards, organized or sponsored by the Province or Dioceses, a parish or church institution listed hereon, all while acting within the scope of their duties as such and any person or organization while acting as real estate manager for the named insured."

How can we help keep the cost of the program as low as possible?

One of the criteria used by insurance companies to determine premiums, is the amount of claims they pay during the year. Obviously, less losses means that we are a better risk

Each year a number of congregations are visited by Great American Insurance Company to conduct a loss control inspection. This is covered by the premiums you pay.

In addition, congregations will have an appraisal done on their property in the next few years by Insurance Services, Inc. (ISO) at no cost to the congregation

Both these measures insure that your facility is valued appropriately and as safe as possible.

Sexual Misconduct & Safe Church Training

In the Diocese of Maine, sexual misconduct in any form is unacceptable behavior. The Diocese affirms the principle that employees as well as members have the right to be free from sexual misconduct including sexual harassment. Any behavior determined to be sexual misconduct will result in appropriate disciplinary action.

The Diocese of Maine requires Safe Church training on issues of child abuse in church settings for all clergy, volunteers who regularly supervise youth activities (excluding unpaid Sunday School teachers) and employees.

In addition, the Diocese of Maine requires Safe Church training on issues of sexual harassment in employment, mentor and colleague relationships and sexual exploitation in pastoral relationships for all clergy and employees.

Safe Church training sessions are offered regularly and all congregations are notified of the place, date and time of these sessions.

All complaints involving Sexual Misconduct by any cleric, lay employee or volunteer affiliated with the Diocese of Maine, or any Parish, Mission, or Institution affiliated with the Diocese of Maine shall be immediately referred to the Bishop of Maine.

A complete copy of the diocesan Policies and Procedures Concerning Allegation and Incidents of Sexual Misconduct can be found here.

Who to contact for questions

If you have any questions regarding your coverage, please call Melinda DeWolfe (1-800-244-6062, ext. 32; mdewolfe@diomaine.org ), Leah Millett (1-800-343-2896; leah.millett@willis.com ).   Whenever you have a question, no matter how small or large, please call one of the people above. It is always better to be safe than sorry and they are there to help in any way.

What are our deductibles and coverage

Click here for our 2004 deductibles and coverage through Willis.

Who will appraise our property?

Property appraisals will be done by Insurance Services, Inc. (ISO). It is hoped that appraisals will be done every 5 years.

What is the "reserve fund" and what is it used for?

A small portion of the premiums you pay is being put aside for two "reserve funds".

One "reserve fund" is to cover the cost of appraisals for all the congregations. This will not be done in one year, but we hope to build the fund, so that an on-going appraisal schedule can be established.

The other "reserve fund" is being established to cover a portion of the larger deductibles in case of a loss. As the fund increases, it is hoped that we can raise deductibles, which would result in lower premiums for all.

If the losses for the Diocese of Maine remain low, this fund could potentially be used for grants to congregations to enable them to purchase more expensive loss control equipment, such as fire alarms connected to local fire stations, etc.

Certificates of Insurance and Waiver Forms

A request for a Certificate of Insurance can be obtained through Willis at www.intellicerts.com .

A sample "waiver" that can be used or organizations that use your facilities and are unable to provide you with a Certificate of Insurance naming your church as an additional insured can be found here.

Insurance Handbook

Each congregation was provided with an "Insurance Program Handbook". Included in this handbook is contact information, reporting a claim, claim checklist, claim incident report, information on when to notify Willis of additions/deletions/changes in value/special events/etc., sample waiver of insurance; certificate request form; automobile change form and property change form.

If you have misplaced this handbook, contact Melinda (1-800-244-6062, ext. 32; mdewolfe@diomaine.org ) at the diocesan office and she can provide you with another copy. 

Diocesan medical insurance is provided either by an Aetna HMO or an Aetna PPO policy through The Medical Trust. 

For a summary of coverage for the 2004 National PPO program, click here.

For a summary of coverage for the 2004 National HMO program, click here.

Dental coverage is provided through Northeast Delta Dental. Click here for a summary of coverage and general information.