Benefits

As more news coverage is given to home care and the claims that can arise from it, it will become common for a potential client to ask to see proof of your liability insurance prior to hiring you.

Just as everyone asks to see proof of insurance before hiring a contractor or roofer, it’s not just PSW’s in the homecare sector that benefit from liability insurance. Nursing homes are beginning to manage and mitigate their risk exposure by transferring liability to the PSW via the employment contract.

Look for the phrases waiver of subjugation or hold harmless in your contact. Even if no such clause exists, the patient or their family could elect to name the PSW personally in addition to the nursing home in the lawsuit. The nursing home will only cover their defense costs, not the PSW’s.