It is the constant public scrutiny, the politically motivated criticisms and the accountability demands that federal managers and executives in all agencies are subjected to that has increased professional and personal liability exposures. The need for Professional Liability Insurance (PLI) is greater now more than ever before - and the need to clear up common misconceptions about exposure is also greater than ever before.

Administrative complaints and civil actions brought upon by subordinate employees, co-workers, members of the public or some other entity often lead to EEO, OIG, OPR, OSC, Congressional or other management directed investigations and/or proposed disciplinary actions requiring the need to defend yourself.  Find out why EEO is included in this list.

Assuming these matters will be automatically dismissed or defended against by your agency would be a mistake.  Defending against allegations of misconduct or other wrongdoing is difficult and in many cases requires managers and executives to hire and pay for outside legal counsel - even if the allegation is ultimately disproved. Having an attorney experienced in federal matters to advise you of your legal rights and obligations and also the parameters of the law under which you've been accused is imperative in the initial investigative stages. Access to an attorney would also:

• defend against allegations;
• prepare you for the agency administration or investigation process;
• attend the investigative interview with you; and
• defend you in any resulting disciplinary action (both at the agency level and at the MSPB).

For coverage effective immediately, you can purchase PLI now.

FEDS panel of attorneys has successfully defended federal managers and executives in a variety of investigations and disciplinary cases. Most of the managers and supervisors represented never thought this would happen to them. Some had professional liability insurance in place and some didn't. Investigations and proposed disciplinary actions can happen to the innocent—and even the most well intended civil servant can unknowingly or unintentionally commit a violation, a civil service or other law, rule or regulation.

If it happens to you, having liability insurance will ensure that a complete legal defense is not cost prohibitive. Please read the Administrative Exposures for additional information.

Managers can also be exposed to civil suits and criminal investigations, albeit at a much lesser degree than the administrative exposures. These civil suits are typically called Bivens actions and the DOJ has the discretion as to whether or not it will defend you in a personal capacity lawsuit arising out of your scope of employment. A federal employee can be investigated criminally for even the most trivial matters and false allegations. See Civil Exposures and Criminal Exposures for additional information about these exposures.

A former federal executive had this to say about liability insurance: “In my experience, the potential liability management officials face is not so much the risk of a Bivens-type judgment, but the extraordinary cost of legal representation to defend civil suits, allegations of misconduct, or unfounded ethics complaints.” Read the entire quote in testimonials.

These are also some of the very reasons that Congress enacted special legislation requiring agencies to reimburse all managers and supervisors up to ½ of the cost of professional liability insurance. This congressional action clearly demonstrates Congress’ official support and belief that managers and supervisors have a sense of security while making the tough decisions that are part of the job. With annual costs at $270 and a net cost of only $135 a year after reimbursement for our minimum coverage limit, there is no reason not to have career and financial security protections in place.

FEDS continually works with the Senior Executives Association (SEA), the Professional Managers Association (PMA), and the Federal Managers Association (FMA) - to ensure that we provide the protection managers and executives need to do their jobs. Please read what these associations and other industry leaders have to say about professional protection and why they endorse FEDS over all other professional liability carriers.

FEDS founder is a former federal employee who has defended federal employees in private practice. He encourages all federal employees to be as informed as possible about the benefits of having PLI protection in place. Read more about how and why FEDS got started here. And if you can't find answers to your questions in Frequently Asked Questions , please call us at 301-229-2481.