GUIDE TO MANAGING RISKS OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

Foreign travel can provide many rewards but also presents many risks.  The procedures herein are driven primarily by Executive Orders and are designed to promote a safe travel experience and reduce the likelihood or severity of an injury or loss.  These are not comprehensive travel procedures, they are supplementary procedures intended to help reduce risks to students, faculty and the University.

References:
Executive Order 590: Student Air Travel
Executive Order 715: CSU Risk Management Policy

I. Review and Orientation Process

Travel should be evaluated to determine if it is safe based on health and political/cultural criteria.  Blatantly unsafe travel should not be allowed, or if there is some lesser degree of risk this should be evaluated carefully against the benefit of travel when deciding if the trip will take place.  Useful web sites for making this evaluation are the U.S. State Department (http://travel.state.gov/) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/) These websites provide status reports on foreign destinations regarding political/cultural and health issues respectively.

EO 715 guidelines suggest an orientation meeting covering a number of relevant topics (see EO 715, p-A3, attached).  At the orientation health and safety information, cultural and political issues should be discussed.  In addition an emergency plan should be developed.  The guidelines also suggest planning procedures and various types of information that should be assembled and distributed to the traveling group.

II. Liability Related Requirements

Foreign travel places a special responsibility on the faculty member to plan for all aspects of student health in the foreign location.  Illness and injury are virtually inevitable events in the course of conducting programs abroad. 

Medical disclosure provides an opportunity for the faculty member to be informed about medical conditions that may need special treatment and also provides a medical record that may be used in emergency situations.

Medical Disclosure
Medical Disclosure and Assumption of Risk form (PDF, 38KB)

All students participating in CSU-affiliated programs which require air travel shall be informed in writing that participation in such programs is voluntary and that air travel involves risk to personal safety which could result in damage to property, injury, or death.  Students participating in such travel shall be informed in writing that the California State University assumes no liability for damage, injury, or death occurring on such voluntary air travel and that students undertake such travel at their own risk.

All students participating in CSU-affiliated programs which require air travel shall be required to acknowledge that they have been informed of the risks of air travel required by such programs and to sign a statement certifying that they have been informed of and undertake such air travel voluntarily with full knowledge of such risks, and release and hold harmless the state of California, the California State University, California State University Channel Islands, and each and every officer, agent, employee and volunteer of each of them, from any and all claims and causes of action that the student, or any person(s) claiming through the student, may have against any of the above institutions or persons, by reason of any accident, illness, or injuries, death , or other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from or in any manner arising out of, or in connection with, the student being a passenger on a flight.

Release and Hold-Harmless Agreement - Air Travel
Notice, Release and Hold Harmless form (PDF, 26KB)

All participants should sign a general release prior to the trip.  Voluntary participants (any non-student, non-employee, or person not required to go by University) must sign a general release as a condition of participation.

General Release
Release of Liability Waiver  ((PDF)

III.  Insurance Requirements - Medical, Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation Insurance is required for foreign travel

The University maintains a foreign travel insurance policy.  All CSUCI employees and students traveling abroad for business are covered by this policy automatically, unless they are traveling to a war-risk or other high-risk country.  This insurance policy provides coverage for emergency medical care with access to multilingual medical providers, as well as personal, travel and security assistance services.  The campus Risk Manager can provide more detailed information about coverage under this foreign travel policy.

 

While foreign travel coverage is in place and automatic, per-traveler insurance premium is assessed based on length of travel time, and should be included in the total cost of the trip.  Current premium rates are:

 

Faculty/Staff           Trips to up 15 days                 $50.00 per trip, per traveler 

Faculty/Staff           Trips to up 30 days                 $65.00 per trip, per traveler 

Students                Trips up to 15 days                 $40.00 per trip, per traveler 

Students                Trips up to 30 days                 $50.00 per trip, per traveler 

 

Please contact the Risk Manager to discuss coverage for trips that will be longer than 30 days.  

 

A Travel Assist Card is needed prior to departure.  This card identifies the holder as insured, and contains contact numbers for each of the services provided by this insurance program.

 

HOW TO OBTAIN A "TRAVEL ASSIST CARD"

 

Prior to departure, the employee or employee’s department designee should contact the campus Risk Manager, who will obtain a Travel Assist Card for the traveling employee(s) and/or student(s).  The following information is needed by the Risk Manager:

 

Name of traveling employee/student

Destination

Dates of travel

Number of students traveling with the campus employee

Name of faculty or staff member traveling with the student

Number of non-student, non-employees traveling with employee/student

Purpose of travel

Any special needs

 

Please contact:

Katharine Richert, Risk Manager

(805) 437-8846

katharine.richert@csuci.edu

IV.  Additional Insurance Options

Students with medical coverage through his/her personal health insurance that extends coverage to the foreign location must show evidence of this coverage to the faculty member.   Most basic health insurance plans do not provide emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage.  Emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage insurance protection can be purchased by the student to supplement personal health coverage.  For non-credit bearing student foreign travel, students may purchase short-term medical insurance for U.S. citizens traveling abroad that includes emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage.  Somerton Student Insurance Services is one insurance agency which can provide these necessary coverages.  Somerton can be reached at (916) 314-5500.

The student may purchase CSU Health Link Accident and Sickness Insurance for California State University Students Studying Abroad.

This insurance for credit-bearing programs provides basic medical coverage for the student and can be purchased by the student in monthly increments through the internet at www.csuhealthlink.com.  This insurance becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on the date of the insured person’s departure from the United States and ends at 12:01 a.m. on the date the insured person returns to the United States.   Coverage is provided worldwide.  The student must show evidence of this coverage to the faculty member.

Executive Order 715 Attach. A-3
RISK MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES – INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

1.  Every trip should require attendance at one orientation meeting (minimum) where the following  information should be covered:

2.  Arrangements for any out-of-country visas, immunizations, etc.

3.  Discuss travel and packing tips, medical and health concerns, modes of transportation, hours  of departure and return.

4.   Review background information pertaining to upcoming cultural differences that a student may  experience while visiting foreign countries. 

5.  Obtain waivers and health forms.  Participants should file a waiver for medical treatment and a  health questionnaire explaining any special medical problems or needs to the trip leader.

6.  Remind participants to carry sufficient personal medication supplies and physician  documentation for medication to last the length of travel or to replace medication lost during  the trip.

7.  Review emergency preparedness processes and the crisis response plan.

8.   Provide current health and safety information to participants (i.e. prophylactic precautions, viral  infections carried by insects and how to protect themselves against known infectious disease  breakouts – check with the World Health Organization).  Provide information about emergency  medical assistance, emergency evacuation, and repatriation procedures.  Review options for  medical insurance coverage for foreign travel.

9.   Identify health and safety products or services that may not be available at overseas locations.

10.  Conduct orientation briefings once the destination is reached which include information on  health and safety, legal, environmental, political, cultural and religious conditions in the host  country.

11.   Communicate codes of conduct for staff and students, addressing such issues as fraternizing,  consuming alcohol, controlling activities, and conduct during “free time”.  Advise participants of  the consequences of non-compliance and take appropriate action when aware that participants  are in violation.

12.   Review International Programs Policies and Procedures.