TITLE 18
Insurance Code
Insurance
CHAPTER 65. Insurance for the Protection of the State
Subchapter III. Self-Insurance
(a) When the Administrator shall determine and declare it to be advisable to insure against a certain risk or risks through a self-insurance program, then a request shall be made of the General Assembly in an amount equal to anticipated claims and expenses for a Self-Insurance Fund Contingency Account, hereinafter referred to as “the Fund.”
(b) The Administrator shall be responsible for the administration of the Fund and the payment of claims and costs.
(c) In the event that the Committee shall elect to procure commercial insurance on risks which are self-insured, they may direct that the initial premium for such commercial policies covering such risk or risks shall be paid from the Fund.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6530; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 12;The estimated appropriation necessary for each fiscal year shall be determined by the Insurance Coverage Office and submitted to the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources for review and consideration as part of the annual budget requested by the Department. Upon appropriation by the General Assembly, the funds shall be utilized for the purposes of paying coverages.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6531A; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 59 Del. Laws, c. 279, § 2; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 14; 81 Del. Laws, c. 66, § 17;Repealed by 59 Del. Laws, c. 279, § 3, effective Mar. 27, 1974.
The Committee, from time to time, may declare and enforce such deductible limits on any insured risk covering loss to state-owned property, both real, personal and mixed, as it shall deem appropriate.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6534; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2;The Committee, from to time, may determine the advisability of purchasing commercial reinsurance contracts as to any risk or risks covered by the Fund and direct the Insurance Coverage Office to place such insurance, in such amount as the Committee shall have determined to be most feasible, in the manner herein provided for the placement of other commercial insurance coverage.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6535; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 17;The Insurance Coverage Office shall have the responsibility of adjusting all claims and paying all losses in risks covered by the Fund, and shall carry out its duties in conformity with appropriate regulations promulgated for that purpose by the Administrator, which regulations shall be in general conformity with the accepted practice in the commercial insurance industry in such matters, and shall be calculated to provide for prompt, efficient and equitable settlement procedures. The Insurance Coverage Office shall keep such records and files as shall be necessary and proper in its fulfillment of this obligation.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6536; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 18;(a) Any dispute between the Insurance Coverage Office and a state agency claimant, which cannot be amicably resolved, shall be referred to arbitration before an arbitrator selected by the Secretary of State. The expense of such arbitration will be borne by the disputants equally. The decision of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the disputants.
(b) Any dispute between the Insurance Coverage Office and a claimant under the workers’ compensation coverage, should same be covered by the Fund, which cannot be amicably resolved, shall be handled in the manner of a claim against a commercial insurer before the Industrial Accident Board with all normal rights of appeal.
(c) Any dispute between the Insurance Coverage Office and a claimant not otherwise covered in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, which cannot be amicably resolved, may be made the subject of litigation in any court of competent jurisdiction in this State.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6537; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 71 Del. Laws, c. 84, § 26; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 19;The Insurance Coverage Office shall have available to it the services of the State Fire Marshal and the State Fire Marshal’s deputies for the purpose of inspecting self-insured real and personal property of the State, and may call upon the Fire Marshal and State Fire Marshal’s deputies to conduct such inspections of such property as are reasonable and necessary to determine the risk involved in insuring same and to provide the basis for requests or suggestions as to how undesirable hazards may be corrected; and the Fire Marshal and the State Fire Marshal’s deputies shall cooperate with the Insurance Coverage Office in this regard, conducting such investigations as are requested and reporting the results thereof to the Insurance Coverage Office together with such recommendations as the investigator shall deem to be appropriate.
All state agencies, officials and employees will render full cooperation to the Fire Marshal and the Insurance Coverage Office in these matters and shall promptly correct such hazards as are found to exist, and failure to do so shall be referred to the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources by the Insurance Coverage Office for such remedial executive action as the Governor shall deem appropriate.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6538; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 20; 81 Del. Laws, c. 66, § 18;The Administrator shall first employ all resources available in the Insurance Coverage Office, the Insurance Department, the office of the State Fire Marshal, the Justice Department, and the Auditor’s Office before retaining independent contractors, but in the event that special expertise is required for the performance of the Administrator’s duties not otherwise available or not readily available to the Administrator when required, then the Administrator is authorized and directed to contract for the services of such independent contractors as shall be best equipped to render such services, including, but not limited to, accountants, actuaries, claims adjusters and investigators, attorneys and engineers, which contracts shall be on an ad hoc or per case basis, and for which the Administrator is authorized to make payment by drafts upon the Fund as an administrative expense of the Fund.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6539; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 79 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 21;In the event that the Committee determines and declares it advisable to self-insure the statutory required fidelity bonds of the officials and/or employees of the State or its herein covered subdivisions, and establishes a self-insurance program in that regard, then those provisions of the several statutes of this State requiring that such bonds be with corporate surety are superseded as to such bonds as are covered by such self-insurance program to the extent that said statutes required corporate surety.
18 Del. C. 1953, § 6540; 57 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 2;