Winter 2014


The Mutual Effort is provided to members of the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation and Community Insurance Corporation. This publication provides the latest company updates, industry news, trends and upcoming events.

We are dedicated to serving Wisconsin's counties, local governments and school districts and the people they serve by providing long-term stability in insurance coverages, while proactively working to control costs.



In This Issue
Complete Catalog of Online Safety Training Courses Now Online
See All Available Risk Management Topics; Presenters

The Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation and Community Insurance Corporation's online safety training program has a broad range of topics for members to explore.

In a new document, Coursework Database Available Courses Overview, you can see an overview of all available courses, from bloodborne pathogens to bullying in the workplace, as well as presenters on each topic.

Read more and view the County Mutual and Community Insurance Corporation Online Safety Training catalog here.

Highway Safety Days Coming in May
Four Dates, Three Locations to Choose From in 2014

Plan to participate in the 2014 Annual County Mutual Highway Safety Days. The event, held at three separate locations on four different dates, will be a day of learning and networking for county highway and municipal employees.

Sponsored by Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation, Highway Safety Days will include hands-on training from industry leaders and will highlight some of the biggest hazards our employees face every single day.

Four Dates Available
Monday, May 5: Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center, Stevens Point.

Wednesday, May 7 & May 8: Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, Rice Lake.

Tuesday, May 13: Glacier Canyon Conference Center, 45 Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells

See 2014 Highway Safety Days topics, speakers and registration information here.

Legal Report: Are Family Vacations Protected Under The Family and Medical Leave Act?
Ronald Stadler, Partner; Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP

As you are likely aware, the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") entitles qualifying employees up to 12 workweeks per year of leave "to care for" a spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition. 29 U.S.C. � 2612(a)(1)(C).  

 

Suppose you have an employee who comes to you to seek FMLA leave to accompany her terminally-ill mother on a vacation trip. Can she invoke FMLA leave? Whether the trip qualifies for coverage under the law hinges on how the term "to care for" is interpreted, which as of now varies by jurisdiction.  

 

Both the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (which covers Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, and Rhode Island) and the Ninth Circuit (which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington), have found that there must be some type of ongoing medical treatment connected to the type of trip in order for it to fall under the purview of the FMLA.

 

School News: February School Safety Newsletter
Focuses on Keeping Kids Safe During International Travel
Complete Library of Past Issues Now Online

Community Insurance Corporation regularly publishes the School Safety Newsletter, which focuses on risk management topics related to keeping our schools and our kids safe. From lightening up backpacks to stopping bullying, this publication targets the latest topics.

The complete library of the School Safety Newsletter is now available online. We encourage you to browse through past issues, as well as check out the February 2014 issue, which focuses on keeping students safe during international travel.

View our entire Community Insurance Corporation School Safety Newsletter library here.

Cyber Spotlight: Cyber Risk Insurance Now Part of County Mutual Policy
Stay Tuned for Cyber Security Training; Resources in 2014

The breach on Target shoppers' personal information late last year was eye opening for many of us. The reality is, cyber attacks are a very real threat to not just shoppers swiping their cards, but also to government at all levels.  While a number of safeguards exist to help prevent a cyber attack, even the best controls are no match for human error.

In 2014, we at the County Mutual plan to spotlight cyber security, focusing on cyber risks and risk management training in these areas. This month, we start out with an article by WCA Director of Programs and Services Josh Bindl on a new policy the County Mutual Board approved in December of 2013 to add cyber coverage to its liability policy covering its 52 member counties.

Effective February 1st, cyber liability was automatically endorsed to all county members and current school districts policyholders, at no additional cost to.  Cyber coverage for municipalities will be endorsed, at no cost as they renew.  Any new Community Insurance Corporation policyholders will have this coverage included as part of our liability program quotation.  

This policy includes coverage not only for the cost and defense of a claim made in relation to a security breach, wrongful acts of website publishing by the covered entity and computer fraud, but also for the cost of public relations efforts to protect or restore the reputation of the covered entity, notification to those impacted by the act, and post- event call-in centers and credit monitoring for the victims of a breach.

"We at the County Mutual and Community Insurance Corporation have always stayed on top of the latest issues and challenges facing our insureds and liability for cyber attacks have never been more relevant," said John Dirkse,  Executive Vice President of Aegis Corporation, which provides general administrative services to both companies.  "Once again we are on the forefront of providing vital coverages to our policyholders and the cyber liability coverages are another way we are separating ourselves from others in the industry."

Read the "Cyber Risk Insurance" article that ran in the February 2014 issue of Wisconsin Counties magazine by WCA Director of Programs and Services Josh Bindl here.

Save the Date: 3rd Annual Law Enforcement Challenge
October 7th in Lincoln County and October 9th in Sauk County

Mark your calendar for the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation and Community Insurance Corporation's 3rd Annual Advanced Law Enforcement Risk Training (A.L.E.R.T.) Law Enforcement Challenge. The 2014 event will be held October 7th in Lincoln County and October 9th in Sauk County.

The Tuesday, October 7th Law Enforcement Challenge will be held at the Lincoln County Sports Club and the Thursday, October 9th event will be held at the Sauk County Law Enforcement Training Center.

The A.L.E.R.T. Law Enforcement Challenge is FREE to member law enforcement departments of the Community Insurance Corporation and County Mutual and includes all training sessions and lunch.

Read more about the 2014 A.L.E.R.T. Law Enforcement Challenge, as well as see last year's winners and pictures here.

Grant Writing Workshop for Government and Schools
Learn How to Write Grant Proposals; Track Opportunities 

Grant Writing USA is excited to present their two-day Grant Writing Workshop in partnership with Milwaukee County Sheriff's Training Academy on April 14-15, 2014.

In this workshop they cover how to write grant proposals start to finish and how to locate and track relevant grant opportunities.  
 
This training is appropriate for all city, county and state offices as well as area educators and non-profits.

Read more on Grant Writing USA here.

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