Malpractice Insurance & the VA system?

[prominence]

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Do you need to maintain malpractice insurance if you work at the VA (Veterans Affairs)?

Also, do you need to obtain tail coverage for your existing malpractice insurance policy if you decide to join the VA after working elsewhere? Or does the VA offer prior acts coverage on behalf of VA physicians they hire (eliminating the need to obtain tail coverage)?

Any insight to the above would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[dragonfly99]

I used to moonlight at the VA associated w/my residency program, and I did not obtain malpractice insurance. This was after I was done being a resident. They let me work there w/o malpractice insurance. In general it's pretty hard to sue the VA, though maybe not totally impossible. Also, I had no money to take so I wasn't overly worried about it. I also didn't work very many hours. If I worked there a lot or full time, I definitely would have investigated the situation more...I felt my risk was low given that it's hard to sue VA and I was only working occasionally, and I was trying super hard to be conservative and not do anything that could get me sued.

 

[45408]

I believe that VA employees (including physicians) are covered through the VA and its malpractice insurance. Like dragonfly said, lawsuits against the VA are few and far between, because you are literally trying to sue the federal government.

I would also think that you need to keep the tail on your existing coverage, unless someone at the VA can specifically tell you that you don't need it.

 

[prominence]

thanks guys for the knowledge