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Uninsured churches break law

By David E. Bohnert
UMConnection Correspondent

Churches that dont have workers compensation insurance are breaking the law and putting their pastors at risk, according to conference officials.

Most pastors, except for part-time local pastors and superintendent hires, are part of the conferences mandatory health insurance program. This plan, however, does not cover employment-related injuries, which are instead covered by workers compensation insurance.

According to Carole Chaloner Silberhorn, Baltimore-Washington Conference director of pensions and health benefits, some churches may not carry workers compensation insurance for their employees, even though coverage is mandated by the states of Maryland and West Virginia.

This leaves pastors injured during the course of performing their pastoral duties without medical coverage, because health insurance policies exclude such claims, she said. A couple of pastors have been left without coverage for work-related injuries during the past year, according to Silberhorn.

Maryland law guarantees workers compensation to every employee, according to the Rev. James Knowles-Tuell, conference treasurer. He said that churches in Maryland can choose from many insurance companies, such as the Injured Workers Insurance Fund of Baltimore which is the states best-known provider. In West Virginia, coverage must be purchased through the state-run Workers Compensation Division of the West Virginia Bureau of Employment Programs.

Knowles-Tuell said that conference churches are expected to follow state laws requiring participation in a workers compensation insurance program.