Each of these options is discussed below. Accident and Injury Policies. Accident and injury coverage for volunteers finances the cost of medical treatment for volunteers who are injured while delivering services for the organization. Usually these policies do not have deductibles. One distinctive feature of an accident and injury policy is that it will pay a claim regardless of who is at fault.
Some states permit the inclusion of volunteers in a nonprofit's workers' compensation program.
On the surface, this appears to be an easy answer to the dilemma of providing a source of recovery for injured volunteers. WC policies may not, however, be the most effective way for a nonprofit to protect its volunteers. WC for employees include a number of benefits for which volunteers would not be eligible - reimbursement for lost wages, for example. In addition, WC premiums are based on the type of work performed and not the amount of time spent on the job. For example, the cost of insuring a patrol officer may be comparable to the cost of insuring a part-time police department volunteer who patrols a community as part of a crime deterrence effort.