Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Covered Diseases (Beef Cattle)Q: What is a specified disease? A: A specified disease is a disease named in your warranty as being eligible for coverage for losses due to certain instances of death and/or quarantine as described in the warranty document.Q: What diseases are covered? What are the specified diseases for beef cattle warranties? A: The specified diseases covered under the uslp Warranty for beef cattle are Foot and Mouth Disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Bovine Tuberculosis, Bovine Brucellosis, and AnthraxQ: Why would I need financial protection from these five diseases? A: These five specified diseases have a history of causing animals to be quarantined, die or be destroyed by an appropriate authority (usually a government agency). If your herd contracts one or more of these diseases, there is a very high likelihood that you will suffer some financial loss as a result. For example, in 1916, 77,000 cattle were destroyed by the federal and state governments when they were exposed to FMD. In 2003 and 2004, the federal government euthanized more than 800 cattle in two states as a result of BSE being found in a single animal in the state of Washington. Q: Why aren't all diseases covered? Why are there only five diseases under warranty? A: The risks associated with most livestock diseases can be managed by vaccination or treatment. However a small number of particularly virulent and/or infectious diseases that are not amenable to treatment or control are particularly perilous. The five specified diseases associated with the uslp Warranty program each have occurred in the United States and each can potentially result in catastrophic losses for the operation owning the cattle that contract the disease.Q: What if my animals come into close contact with each other, how likely is the disease to pass through my entire herd? A: This depends on the disease. FMD and TB are very likely to pass from one animal to another when the animals come into close contact while BSE and Anthrax do not pass from one animal to another.Q: If I believe my animals are infected how do I confirm this infection? A: Only trained veterinarians can confirm the presence of a disease in your animals and in some cases – Anthrax – only a certified lab. If you have cause to believe your animals may have contracted one or more of the covered diseases, contact your veterinarian.Q: What if my neighbor’s herd has a confirmed case and my animals come into contact with a diseased animal, how likely are my animals to become infected? A: This depends on the disease. FMD and TB are very likely to pass from one animal to another when the animals come into close contact while BSE and Anthrax do not pass from one animal to another.Q: How easy are diseases transmitted across and within animals? A: The ease with which a specified disease may transmit between animals depends on multiple factors not the least of which is the overall health of the animals subjected to the contagion. Please see the specified disease write-ups in the Learning Center of the uslp website.
Purchase WarrantyQ: What kinds of warranties are currently available? A: uslp currently offers warranties for beef cattle.Q: Are there any other types of warranty coverage currently available on the market? A: The uslp Warranty is a revolutionary concept in providing livestock and poultry producers’ access to one of a kind, next generation risk management options not previously available in the market.Q: What do I have to do to buy a uslp Warranty? A: To purchase a warranty, you must first be a member of uslp, then you create your own warranty by choosing the value of your animals, the daily cost you think maintaining those animals under quarantine would be, and the value you believe your operation stands to lose if you were part of a traceback investigation. Once you’ve accomplished this, you agree to abide by the uslp Membership Guidelines, accept the warranty agreement including its attached exhibits, select your payment option and purchase the warranty.Q: Is there an option to buy my warranty over the phone? A: uslp does have staff to assist you in creating and purchasing a warranty. Contact us at (800) 439-9706.Q: What practices are required to maintain my warranty coverage? A: Any beef cattle separated from the herd must have a program compliant identifier affixed at the time of separation. You must comply with the uslp Membership Guidelines including the Minimum Management Standards. To maintain the full coverage you have chosen, you must enroll the maximum number of animals (by Class) you expect to have in your herd at any time during the warranty period. In certain limited regions, you must have complied with specified disease regional requirements before a covered event occurs.Q: When does my warranty take effect? A: A uslp Warranty will become effective on the date uslp receives payment for that warranty from the warranty holder. uslp will send an email confirmation of payment to the warranty holder that will indicate the effective date of the warranty. This could take as little as two days for some credit card transactions or as long as 15 days for some paper check transactions depending on the payment option you choose.Q: Cattle on our operation are comingled but owned individually by two (or more) parties. Do each of us have to purchase a separate warranty? A: No. Each owner of the animals can choose to purchase a warranty for their individual stock. However, in the event of a claim by the covered owner, that covered owner is required to provide uslp with proof that the uncovered owner’s animals meet all the requirements of the warranty and the uslp Membership Guidelines.Q: I am not worried about contracting FMD or BSE, can I buy coverage for selected diseases at a reduced rate or do I need to buy coverage for all diseases? A: The uslp Warranty for beef cattle provides coverage for FMD, BSE, TB, Brucellosis, and Anthrax. Due to the amount and type of historical data supporting the warranty concept it is necessary to offer the uslp Warranty as a package to insure the broadest possible safety net for producers.Q: Is the warranty transferrable (specific to the producer or specific to the cattle)? A: The uslp Warranty is non-transferrable. In Section 2.4 of the uslp Beef Cattle Warranty (a link to a sample uslp Warranty can be found in the online Learning Center) states that “coverage under each Warranty with respect to Mortality and Revenue Loss/Additional Expense for an individual Enrolled Animal shall terminate on the earliest of the date the Warranty is terminated for any reason, or the date: Upon which you transfer ownership of such animal to another Person; A change in Possession of such animal results in a change in classification; or A change in classification of an Enrolled Animal while remaining in your Possession unless that animal is enrolled in a uslp Warranty by you in the appropriate Class(es) without a Break in Coverage.Q: What are the approximate costs to cover my animals with a Warranty? A: The cost to cover your herd under warranty protection is based on several factors. One factor is the value you believe your animals are worth by type of animal. Another factor is what you believe it would cost you, per head, to maintain your animals under a quarantine action. The final factor is what financial risk you believe you have in the event of a traceback claim naming you in the legal documents filed with a court. Each of these factors is chosen by you when you create your warranty and each has an associated cost based on your choices. The higher the values you choose the greater the resulting premium you are asked to pay. Likewise, the greater the potential coverage you have for your operation should your animals contract one or more of the specified diseases. As an example: for a cow/calf pair covered under basic coverage for all three coverage types (coverage values selected by you for: mortality - $1,000, revenue loss - $90.00, and traceback - $20,000) the premium is 93 cents a head. If you choose the platinum coverage level (coverage values selected by you for: mortality - $2,000, revenue loss - $500.00, and traceback - $1,000,000) the premium is about $1.76 a head (depending on the size of your herd).Q: Do I get anything in the mail that outlines my warranty or is everything over the internet? A: Once you have decided to purchase a warranty, the warranty documents with the specifications chosen by you when you created the warranty are generated. You have the option at this point to open these documents and print them.
Warranty ClaimsQ: If I have a uslp warranty, am I covered no matter what the circumstances? A: No! You need to comply with required practices to maintain your warranty coverage. Q: What if one of my animals has a false positive test for a covered disease and I am required to quarantine – does uslp cover this expense and/or loss or revenue? A: No. The uslp Warranty states that revenue loss coverage is limited to revenue losses that result from “a Quarantine Action Initiated during the Warranty Period associated with Maintenance of Enrolled Animals during a Quarantine Period, provided the Quarantine Action was declared as a result of a Confirmed Positive Test for an Enrolled Animal included under the Warranty or provided you were forced by the action of an Appropriate Authority to destroy or slaughter Enrolled Animals that would otherwise be maintained in your Herd.”Q: When I want to file a claim where is the information located? A: You can access the uslp Member Claim Form from the Contact Information page on the website (or you can click “Here”). Once a claim is submitted, uslp staff will contact the warranty holder who submitted the claim and discuss the documentation requirements and process. Q: Do you have an example of the claim process? A: The claim process is as individual as the individual warranty upon which the claim is based. It is uslp’s goal to handle all claims quickly and efficiently to ensure our members can get back to what they do best – produce the world’s best beef cattle – and are adversely affected by contracting one of the specified diseases as little as possible.Q: On the file a claim webpage, it asks for my warranty ID (it states as identified on your Warranty Exhibit A), where is Exhibit A and what is the fastest way of finding my warranty ID? A: To find your warranty ID, you must be logged in to the website. Once logged in, go to your account by scrolling to the bottom of the Home page and clicking on the “My Account Information” text on the bottom of the page. Once you’ve selected that text, a page will open that gives you the opportunity to download and print your warranty documents. Click on the Exhibit A button, select Open, and your warranty ID is right below the words “Coverage, Limits, and Compliance”.Q: Do you have a sample claim form that I would fill out if I were to need to file a claim? A: You can access the uslp Member Claim Form from the Contact Information page on the website. Once a claim is submitted, uslp staff will contact the warranty holder who submitted the claim and discuss the documentation requirements and process.Q: Are all claims handled entirely over the internet? A: For those members who need assistance to submit a claim, trained uslp staff are available by calling (800) 439-9706.Q: How long does it take to settle a warranty claim? A: Warranty claims are handled as quickly as possible to ensure you are able to maintain your operation. Depending on the size of the claim, uslp will usually write a check within 10 to 15 working days of receiving the documentation required to verify your claim. This documentation is sent to uslp by you so the length of time to receive payment on your claim is highly dependant on the time it takes you to submit the required documentation to uslp. uslp staff are available and eager to help you through this process.Q: Is the warranty settled per animal or as a group? A: The mortality portion of the warranty is settled on a per animal basis. The revenue loss/additional expense portion of the warranty is settled on the number of animals you placed under warranty at the time you purchased the warranty. For traceback coverage uslp assumes your legal defense and pays all legal fees associated with defending you against the traceback action and any settlement cost you must pay up to the limit you chose when you purchased the warranty.Q: How does the warranty work once a confirmed case of disease is found on my ranch? A: The warranty holder must contact uslp and make a claim. Once the appropriate documentation is provided, uslp will confirm with the warranty holder’s veterinarian that a confirmed case of the disease was found in the warranty holder’s herd. Once that confirmation is received by uslp, depending on the size of the claim, the warranty holder will receive a check in the amount indicated in their warranty for the type of claim they make, providing the warranty holder has followed the uslp Membership Guidelines and the requirements of the warranty holder’s PVP and Approved Management Program.Q: How do the warranty payments work? Is it direct deposit? A: In the event of a confirmed warranty claim, uslp will send a check to the warranty holder for the amount required under the terms of the warranty.