Let’s be protected against the unexpected
Although accidents while Girl Scouting are extremely rare, insurance protects people, property and peace of mind in case of the unexpected. That’s why every person who participates in any Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri program or activity must be either a registered member of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, or must be covered by appropriate Girl Scout insurance. In addition, all vehicles and locations must be appropriately insured. Review the menu below for requirements and additional information.
Member and Non-Member Activity Insurance 
Basic Accident Insurance (Plan 1)
Provided as part of the Girl Scouts of the USA membership registration fee, the basic accident insurance (Plan 1) covers every registered girl and adult Girl Scout when they are participating in an approved Girl Scout activity lasting three days and two nights or less. The basic plan is effective during the regular membership year (October 1-September 30), with up to 14 months of coverage provided for new members who register in August. For some activities in which you will participate as Girl Scouts, such as troop trips, it is strongly encouraged that you purchase additional insurance.
Non-Member Insurance (Plan 2)
Insurance is available for non-members who participate in Girl Scout activities (Plan 2). If you need to purchase non-member insurance or have questions about when to purchase non-member insurance, contact your Community Engagement Manager.
Accident and Sickness Insurance for Trips
Troop Trips (Plans 3E, 3P and 3PI)
If your troop is taking a trip of longer than three days and two nights or an international trip, it is strongly encouraged that you purchase additional insurance, as such trips are not covered under the basic accident insurance (Plan 1) that comes with Girl Scout membership. (A third consecutive night is covered when one of the nights is a federal holiday.) There are three accident and sickness plans available for purchase for such trips:
- Plan 3E (coordinates with family health plan) Enrollment Form
- Plan 3P (primary coverage) Enrollment Form
- Plan 3PI (international) Enrollment Form
If you need to purchase travel insurance, or to begin approval for any travel longer than a day trip, contact the Senior Manager, Risk Management at 314.592.2317.
Multi-Level Troops, always use the adult-to-girl ratio for the lowest grade level in the troop. For example, if the troop consists of Daisies and Brownies, the Daisy adult-to-girl.
Girl Scouts at all levels may participate in day trips, backyard camping and non-camping overnights at places such as the YMCA, church, school or leader’s home. Other types of trips are dependent upon age and level:
- A Girl Scout Daisy troop may only participate in a volunteer-led overnight experience with a registered adult leader and one parent/guardian for each Girl Scout Daisy. Girls who have completed kindergarten may independently participate in Day Camp and Resident Camp experiences, lasting up to three nights. Girls who have completed first grade may independently participate in Resident Camp experiences lasting four or more nights.
- Brownies and older girls may participate in domestic trips of up to two nights and three days.
- Juniors and older may participate in domestic trips of up to four nights and five days.
- Cadettes and older may participate in longer trips and travel internationally.
Filing an Insurance Claim
Filing a Claim
- Review the coverage information. Also review the descriptions of coverage for troop trip insurance, above, if you purchased one of those plans.
- Read the instructions and complete a claim form.
- Complete a Standard Incident Report.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Girl Scout coverage is secondary to any health insurance a member already has (with the exception of 3P and 3PI coverage for travel, above, which must be purchased). Submit your claim to your primary health insurance company first. When you receive an Explanation of Benefits statement, send it to your Community Engagement Manager, or the Senior Manager, Risk Management if the incident occurred on a trip, with your itemized bill and the completed claim form. Payment will be made to the provider(s) of service (hospital, physician, etc.) unless a paid receipt statement accompanies the bill at the time the claim is submitted.
Certificates of Insurance (COIs)
A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is a form that identifies how much insurance coverage the holder possesses.
Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is obligated to ensure, to the extent reasonably possible, that any external entities, such as vendors, program providers/collaborators, organizations, companies, sites or facilities used are safe. One measure of safety is evidence of adequate insurance coverage. When planning something on behalf of GSEM, such as a troop meeting or district/neighborhood event, you should obtain a COI from any involved external entities.
Likewise, external entities may request COIs from Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri when a Girl Scout group has a meeting or event at their site or hosts a cookie booth in front of their business. This is standard practice and is commonly requested in contracts.
Please review the list of Program Partners first when making plans for your troop. Program Partners offer opportunities for girls to enhance their Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). All Program Partners have completed applications, provided COIs, and been inspected, and provide excellent opportunities, such as horseback riding, rock climbing, etc., when appropriate. For external entities that are not Program Partners, you must submit a copy of their COI to Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri.
Please review the Certificates of Insurance Overview & FAQ for information about obtaining a COI, when a COI does and does not need to be requested and what to do when an external entity requests Girl Scout of Eastern Missouri’s COI from you. Contact your Community Engagement Manager if you need assistance obtaining a COI or have questions.
Organizations Providing Acceptable Evidence of Insurance Coverage
The below database can be used to determine if an external entity has provided Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri with acceptable evidence of their insurance coverage.
Using Private Vehicles and Residences for Girl Scout Activities
Does GSEM’s insurance cover accidents in which a volunteer is transporting girls in a privately-owned vehicle?
The insurance on the vehicle is always primary. GSEM’s insurance is secondary. The vehicle must be registered and the insurance coverage on the vehicle must meet state minimum requirements for the vehicle to be used to transport girls. The driver must be a registered, background-checked and approved adult volunteer at least 21 years old who has a good driving record and valid driver’s license.
Adult-to-girl ratios must be followed when transporting girls. If a group is traveling in one vehicle, there must be at least two unrelated approved adult volunteers in the vehicle, one of whom is female. If a group is traveling in more than one vehicle, the entire group must consist of at least two unrelated approved adult volunteers, one of whom is female, and care should be taken so that a single vehicle is not separated from the group for an extended length of time. State laws must be followed. The use of 15-passenger vans is prohibited.
What is required when a Girl Scout activity takes place at a private residence?
GSEM’s commercial general liability policy provides liability coverage for volunteers who hold meetings in their homes, but GSEM’s property/casualty insurance does not cover a volunteer’s home or personal property, whether the home is owned, rented or leased. It is the homeowner’s/renter’s/lessor’s responsibility to ensure there is adequate property/casualty insurance coverage in place. Registered members who are injured while participating in an approved Girl Scout activity at a residence are covered by Girl Scout activity insurance provided as part of the GSUSA membership registration fee. This insurance only provides coverage for accidents.
Adult-to-girl ratios must be followed, and girls must be supervised during all Girl Scout activities. As with all locations used for Girl Scout activities, ensure the residence is appropriately insured, safe, clean and large enough to allow for the participation of the whole group in all planned activities, has access to restrooms and can accommodate girls and parents with allergies and/or disabilities.
High Risk Activities
In Safety Activity Checkpoints, certain activities are considered high risk. This is noted on the “Activities at a Glance” chart starting on page 25 of Safety Activity Checkpoints.
All activities that are considered high risk have additional requirements for Certificates of Insurance compared to non-high-risk sites. Any high-risk activity requires a Certificate of Insurance that provides proof of a minimum of $1 million dollars in liability coverage as well as listing Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri as additional insured on the policy and naming Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri as certificate holder on the COI.
Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri has determined that some of the high-risk activities also need a site visit before troops can visit. The site visit is conducted by Council staff to review Safety Activity Checkpoints and consider whether all safety guidelines are met.
See below for the activities that require a site visit. If your troop would like to participate in one of these activities at a specific location that isn’t already a Program Partner, please have the facility complete this form to begin the process.
If your troop would like to participate in a high-risk activity that doesn’t require a site visit, please ensure we have a current Certificate of Insurance in the COI database for the facility you would like to visit. If we do not have one, you can reach out to secure one or ask for assistance from your Community Engagement Manager.
| High Risk - Site Visit Required | High Risk – No Site Visit Needed |
| Challenge Courses | Backpacking |
| Climbing and Rappelling | Community Clean-Up |
| Recreational Tree Climbing | Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding |
| Zip Lining | Go-Karts |
| Horseback Riding* | Indoor Skydiving |
| 3-D Archery | Offshore Water/Large Passenger Vessels |
| Air/BB Guns | Canoeing |
| Archery | Kayaking |
| Axe/Hatchet Throwing | Standup Paddle Boarding |
| Knife Throwing | Whitewater Rafting |
| Muzzle Loading | Sailing |
| Pistol | Scuba Diving |
| Rifle | Snorkeling |
| Shotgun | Spelunking/Caving |
| Surfing | |
| Tethered Balloon Rides | |
| Travel/Trips | |
| Tubing | |
| Waterskiing and Wakeboarding | |
| Windsurfing/Sail Boarding |
*In addition to the requirements listed in Safety Activity Checkpoints, GSEM also requires that all instructors wear helmets for horseback riding.
