Dr. David Marlett, IIANC Distinguished Professor of Insurance at Appalachian State and Directing Manager of the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center, interviewed with Risk & Insurance Magazine for a feature on coverage issues for foster parents.
Dr. Marlett and his wife, Emily, served as foster parents for children in North Carolina for ten years. It was during this time he looked more closely at coverage issues surrounding foster casr and the liability exposures that foster parents faced. "We were raising our own three kids, shared Marlett, "and I feel like we’re good parents, but we’ve taken all three to the ER at some point. If you live an active lifestyle — baseball practice, hiking, whatever — stuff happens...I just thought it’s pretty easy to envision a scenario where if a child gets hurt, I could see their parents suing us. And I just want to make sure that the state has our back if this happens."
Marlett's discussion with reporter Dan Reynolds revealed that he partnered with now-Chief Diversity Officer Jamie Parson to help advocate for some partially protective legislation titled "Foster Care Family Act of 2015", no companies have yet adopted the policy. These gaps in coverage for foster parents can be, unfortunately, another likely deterrent to people who might otherwise have a positive impact on foster children.
You can read the full article on the Risk & Insurance website at https://riskandinsurance.com/5-questions-for-appalachian-states-david-marlett.
About the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center
App State maintains the sixth-largest insurance program nationally and has been ranked second in the nation by AM Best, the world’s largest credit rating agency specializing in the insurance industry.
The Brantley Center enhances the academic experience by providing space and staff to assist students interested in the RMI program with networking, job placement, and faculty engagement. It provides students with opportunities for scholarships, international and domestic travel, and professional designation and licensing programs. The center brings industry leaders to classrooms, fosters research and faculty development, assists the insurance industry with continuing education programs, and helps educate the public about the insurance industry.
Learn more at https://insurance.appstate.edu.
