I may need to read the fine print but I expect my liability coverage to cover me whenever I am working a game, any kind of game.

But that said, I wouldn't work a forfeited game.

A couple of things:

How many of you have actually had to "use" your insurance? Not health insurance for illness or injury, but insurance based upon something you did or did not do, as an official?

Secondly, IMHO every insurance policy is probably different, and most will do anything they can "not" to pay, so I'd be certain what the specific exclusions / inclusions were, before I relied upon it.

For example, it's my understanding that in the ASA world, the insurance an official has for the annual fee DOES NOT cover that official if the game is not "sanctioned" by ASA. What that means to me, then, is that even though I'm ASA legitimate, when I call community recreation department slow pitch games in that league, I am not covered because the league is not "sanctioned".

That makes me think a little - who is more likely to seek legal remedy, high school kids (where I'm covered by the school and NHFS), or grown men / women playing under a much "looser" organization, city government?

I have PONY Baseball insurance, and I contacted their underwriters. They informed me that I am covered for any athletic event, at any level, at any sport, and to and from the contest. I did not at the time check to see if they covered working games past their legal conclusion, but I won't do that anyhow.

Everyone in my association was required to purchase PONY insurance. Not NASO, not ABUA. Just PONY insurance. Mandatory. No choice. Had to. Obligatory. Not optional.

In my forfeit, I was less concerned about MY well being as I was the participants. If little Johnny gets hit in the face with a ball and breaks his nose, I'm liable because that game should not have been played in the first place.

Its unlikely, but more likely than me, the umpire, getting hurt. I'll watch out for my $$$ in a settlement before my own health (seriously, at 19 years young, whats the worst injury I could get...)

You'll see. Stick around the game for 20 to 30 years, then get back to us about injuries.

Your right, these are not true scrimmages.

I should have said that it has only occurred for Adult Pay-To-Play, and Babe Ruth. I never would do that for HS, but then, they would never ask.

For the Babe Ruth, I do it because it's all about getting kids out on a ball field, and not on the streets. I'll take my chances.

For the Adults, they are not only paying me, but they are paying to play. I think they should get something for their money.

I have been lucky. So far, everyone has been very appreciative, and there has been no misconduct.

If I get hurt, no biggie. I have Kaiser. They'll put me back together no matter how or why it happened.

You are 100% right Tuss. You did the right thing. Sucks to be the bad guy sometimes, but we gotta do what we gotta do.

NASO's coverage is very broad, covering "all activities as an official." Other policies I'm familiar with are similarly broad, with a few very specific exclusions, none of which make any distinction between official games vs. scrimmages.

Dave:

During the school season, Washington umpires are considered "state employees" for the purposes of insurance during the actual time they work "official" games and are covered by the state Labor & Industries insurance (known as workmen's comp in some states). The state has advised us that we are not covered once a game is officially over, for any reason, forfeit, ten run, rain-out, regulation, whatever.

Due to the bureaucracy and accompanying red tape of dealing with the state, when I've been injured I've just opted to use my personal health insurance.

Personal health insurance is what I would think the "typical" amateur umpire would be relying on to treat injuries the umpire might sustain while working a game. My personal insurance doesn't care what I was doing when I got hurt, it sounds like yours doesn't either, but the guy I was responding to apparently thinks his personal insurance won't cover him if he gets hurt while working a game.