Improve Your Bottom Line
Controlling your firm's risk isn't something that just happens. It's a learning process - one that CNA/Schinnerer's Voluntary Education Program (VEP) can take you through. VEP, our home-study course, was created to give design professionals the tools they need to control their professional liability exposure.
The VEP can help your firm learn to analyze, respond to and ultimately control the risk it faces. The course teaches design professionals how to evaluate clients and projects, how to present and resolve disputes, how to review a contract, and much more. You can see the course contents for a complete list of topics covered.
As a Schinnerer and CNA policyholder, you can get all of this for no added cost. VEP is a valuable resource available exclusively to Schinnerer and CNA policyholders.
Earn Premium Credits
By participating in VEP, Premier Program (firms with annual billings of $500,000 to $5 million) and Large Firm Program (firms with annual billings over $5 million) policyholders with a loss ratio of 80% or less can earn up to a 7% premium credit (applicable to the premium for the first $1,000,000 of limits). The credit is earned in two parts.
First, these policyholders can earn a 4% risk management credit if they meet at least 3 of the following 5 criteria:
- Uses AIA or EJCDC standard form contracts on 50% or more of its projects, or uses nonstandard contracts or letters of agreement that are reviewed by legal counsel for liability implications prior to signing.
- Has an in-house quality control program, or has held a peer review within the past 5 years.
- Has an in-house program for continuing education for professional employees.
- Uses specifications based on, or derived from, MASTERSPEC or SPECTEXT.
- At least one principal of the firm has attended one of Schinnerer's regional seminars in the last 12 months.
To earn the second part of the 7% premium credit, qualifying firms must have at least 50 percent of their applicable staff successfully complete VEP prior to their renewal date. Who are the applicable staff?
- Level 1 of VEP applies to project managers, PM candidates, firm managers, and principals.
- Level 2 of VEP applies to managers and principals with office or firm-wide responsibilities for contracts or risk management. Completion of Level 1 is recommended as a prerequisite for completion of Level 2.
Tool for Internal Continuing Education Training
Unlike previous editions, this version of the VEP is no longer an approved Continuing Education (CE) course administered by Schinnerer.
Insured firms that are currently CE providers have a license to take the VEP content and register the course as one of their own. This license is valid as long as the firm is insured in the Schinnerer and CNA program.
For individuals that depend on state regulations and professional society requirements for licensure, it may be possible to obtain credit through a "self-structured learning experience" using our VEP material. Please check with your state licensing board or applicable professional society for requirements.
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