I. Purpose

This section was developed as a source of clarification of the UW System Uninsured Loss Fund (ULF). Some of the information in this section was provided from SYS 605.

II. Background

UW System Risk Management maintains an Uninsured Loss Fund for the benefit of all UW campuses. This fund was established at the system level to provide reimbursement for those loss expenses that a campus incurs which are not reimbursable from any other source. The Uninsured Loss Fund is administered jointly by the System Risk Manager and the System Accounting Office. Each loss is reviewed and decided upon on an individual basis by the System Risk Manager with final approval from accounting. Funding for the Uninsured Loss Fund is acquired through a number of sources within System Administration and from the campuses.

Recently, the Uninsured Loss Fund, which has accumulated to a significant level over the years, has been targeted as a potential source for the loss control efforts of the UW campuses. As part of a proposal for comprehensive loss control, the ULF would provide the seed money for funding a System Loss Control position as well as a Risk Management Information System.

III. Fund Uses

When a campus is unable to pay for repair or replacement for a loss from other sources, they may request payment from the ULF. The following sources of funds should be exhausted before doing so:

A. Collect from the insurer.
B. Collect from the person responsible.
C. Have the department that has suffered the loss pay.
D. Collect from the campus Chancellor’s Fund.

Payment from the Uninsured Loss Fund is dependent upon the merits of the specific claim. Consideration is also given to the extent of loss control used by the campus and the efforts made to avoid the loss. The amount paid will reflect the amount that would have been received by the campus had insurance been in force. In some cases a percentage of the loss will be reimbursed dependent upon the situation.

Requests for reimbursement from the uninsured loss fund should be made by the campus to the System Risk Manager.. All pertinent information regarding the loss and values involved should be included (See Section 2,A).

Note: Loss of books in shipment are no longer covered by the uninsured loss fund because of the small values involved which can most often be absorbed by the department and also because of the need for campuses to pursue these losses through the shipper or the post office.