San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group Property/Liability Program
The Property/Liability Program began in 1979 as a self-insured Program. Claims were administered by a Third Party Administrator (TPA) until 1986 when claims became self-administered by SMCSIG staff.
The Group purchases excess property insurance through the Alliant Public Entity Property Insurance Program (PEPIP). PEPIP is a joint-purchase program consisting of over 6,000 public entities in 35 states. SMCSIG maintains a $250,000 Self-Insured Retention (SIR) for each loss.
Excess general liability coverage is purchased through Public Risk Innovation , Solution, and Management (PRISM). PRISM is a risk sharing pool of California public entities including Counties, Cities and School Districts. Coverage is to $5 million per occurrence with a $250,000 SIR. Additional excess general liability coverage to $55 million per occurrence is purchased through the Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF). SELF is a risk-sharing pool of California School Districts.
The member districts are charged a deductible per occurrence by SMCSIG. The property deductible is $5,000 and the liability deductible is $1,500.
Beginning July 1, 2004, members may choose higher deductibles and receive credit on the premium rates on a voluntary basis.
All documents can also be found in the Document Library.
Workers' Compensation Program
The Workers’ Compensation Program began in 1977 as a self-insured program. Claims were administered by a Third Party Administrator (TPA) until 1989 when claims became self-administered by SMCSIG staff.
The Workers’ Compensation Program covers all San Mateo County school employees and volunteers (except Ravenswood School District and San Mateo County College District), who are injured during the course and scope of their employment. The coverage includes payment for:
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Medical Costs
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Temporary Disability
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Permanent Disability
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Vocational Rehabilitation
On July 1, 2003, SMCSIG joined the statewide workers’ compensation pool know as the Protected Insurance Program for Schools (PIPS). Claims were administered by a TPA (Keenan & Associates). Keenan & Associates is a private company who rented office space from SMCSIG and administers our workers’ compensation claims on behalf of PIPS.
On July 1, 2020, SMCSIG became self-insured and maintains excess coverage through Public Risk Innovation, Solution, and Management (PRISM). Claims are administered by a TPA, InterCare Holdings Insurance Services Inc.
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The Group is self-insured for the first $500K. The workers’ compensation rates charged to members in the Program are determined by the JPA Board. The base rate is established by May of each year. Individual district rates are higher or lower than the base rate and are determined by member loss data and our experience modification formula.
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SMCSIG is self-insured for the Workers' Compensation Program and maintains excess coverage through Public Risk Innovation, Solution, and Management to cover school employees and volunteers who are injured during the course and scope of their employment. Coverage includes payment for medical costs, time loss, and permanent disability. All workers’ compensation claims are administered by Intercare Holdings Insurance Services, Inc.
Occumetric is a tool to measure physical demands of the various job functions for SMCSIG member districts
All documents can be found in the document library
Our system is designed to streamline the transition from a doctor’s note to a formal Return-to-Work Assignment in just three simple steps:
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Submit: Email all doctor’s notes to Report@sentinelus.com.
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Update: Open the email notification in your inbox and click "Update the Work Status."
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Finalize: Verify the claim details and Print the modified duty assignment.
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Return-to-Work Software
Sentinel helps employers by designing safe Return-to-Work programs.
SMCSIG members use Sentinel's Occupational Software program as a compassionate way to return a person to a safe temporary position as they recover from the injury. Sentinel Software will provide a list of job-specific duties that comply with the doctor's recommended limits and a list of possible alternative duties. School Districts and Employees can be confident as they gradually return to full duty.
To enroll or if you have any questions, please contact Don Freeman dfreeman@smcsig.org
The following can be found in the Document Library
The Dental Program began in 1980 and covers all San Mateo County school employees (except Sequoia High School District & Cabrillo Unified School District) for dental coverage. The claims are administered by Delta Dental who pays the bills out of their San Francisco office. Alliant is the Group’s dental consultant and oversees the eligibility and billing process.
The school districts pay a premium to SMCSIG and we in turn, fund the claims so Delta Dental can pay the claims as they come due. The districts pay SMCSIG on a monthly basis according to their enrollment for the previous month. As a self-funded program, our goal is to collect enough premiums to pay claims, Delta Dental’s administration fee, Alliant consultant fee and SMCSIG’s operating costs.
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SMCSIG is a part of the California Schools Dental Coalition which provides for a reduced administration fee from Delta Dental. SMCSIG offers various dental plans with choices of coverages and annual maximums.
The Vision Program began in 2000 and covers various member school districts for vision coverage. The claims are administered by Vision Service Plan (VSP) who pays the bills out of their San Francisco office. Alliant oversees the eligibility and billing process.
The school districts pay a premium to SMCSIG and we fund the claims so VSP can pay the claims as they come due. The districts pay SMCSIG on a monthly basis according to their employee enrollment. As a self funded program, our goal is to collect enough premiums to pay claims, VSP’s administration fee, Keenan & Associates eligibility fee and SMCSIG operating costs.
Each school district has its own unemployment insurance fund. SMCSIG has an unemployment program that contracts with a company, TALX, to provide administrative assistance to members with respect to unemployment claims filed by former employees. Most members avail themselves of this service.
The employee assistance program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems. The EAP program can help reduce employee absenteeism, provide counseling to troubled employees, help increase productivity, and reduce the cost of employment liability claims.
Employee assistance programs address a broad and complex body of issues affecting mental and emotional well-being, such as alcohol and other substance abuse, stress, grief, family problems, and psychological disorders. EAP counselors also work in a consultative role with managers and supervisors to address employee and organizational challenges and needs. In addition, EAP programs can offer trauma services to sites as a result of staff deaths, emergencies, and disasters.
The SMCSIG JPA Board approved school district members EAP coverage effective 2015-2016 fiscal year. The premium to provide EAP coverage for all school district is paid by redistributing funds from the surplus in the dental program.
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San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group (SMCSIG) is pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2015, each member district now has access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), called OPTUM, for benefit eligible employees and their family members. The employee assistance program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems. An EAP program can help reduce employee absenteeism, provide counseling to troubled employees, and help increase productivity.
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Employee assistance programs address a broad and complex body of issues affecting mental and emotional well-being, such as alcohol and other substance abuse, stress, grief, family problems, and psychological disorders. EAP counselors also work in a consultative role with managers and supervisors to address employee and organizational challenges and needs. In addition, EAP programs can offer trauma services to sites as a result of staff deaths, emergencies, and disasters.
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OPTUM offers employees and their household dependents up to 3 counseling sessions per issue with a licensed professional to assist with work/life concerns. OPTUM offers one-on-one support from master’s-level specialists whom employees can easily access by phone or online. They also provide training to foster a productive and resilient workforce, management consultation and critical incident response services. These services are confidential so employees can use them with full trust that their issues will not be discussed with their employer.
The San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group Health Care Consortium ("SMCSIG HCC”) program operating under the San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group Joint Powers Authority ("SMCSIG").
The purpose of the SMCSIG HCC is to provide school districts and the County Office of Education, within San Mateo County with access to cost-effective, high-quality health benefit plans through shared pooled risk, group purchasing, health and wellness programs, and related benefit administration services.
Our weekly tailgate training sessions cover work topics designed to keep you informed, prepared, and confident on the job. Each week brings a new focus, helping you stay sharp and safe.
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Weekly tailgates can be found in the Document Library.
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Want to stay in the loop on our weekly tailgate training topics? Simply reach out to Don Freeman at dfreeman@smcsig.org to be added to the email list.
Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Meetings
Our quarterly M&O meetings are a great chance to connect, collaborate, and swap ideas with fellow M&O directors. It’s all about sharing what’s working, tackling challenges together, and building strong connections across districts.
Next Meeting:
April 23, 2026. 10AM-11:30AM
San Mateo County Office of Education – 101 Twin Dolphin Drive. Redwood City, CA 94063
Come join the conversation—we’d love to see you there!
Risk Management is located on the About page.
Winter Preparedness Plan
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2025-2026 Insurance Policy Binder
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District Declarations can be found in the Document Library, in the Insurance Folder.
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The San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group Health Care Consortium ("SMCSIG HCC”) program operating under the San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group Joint Powers Authority ("SMCSIG").
The purpose of the SMCSIG HCC is to provide school districts and the County Office of Education, within San Mateo County with access to cost-effective, high-quality health benefit plans through shared pooled risk, group purchasing, health and wellness programs, and related benefit administration services.
Insurance Programs Overview
San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group (SMCSIG) is a Joint Powers of Authority (JPA) made up of 23 school districts and the County Office of Education all located within the boundaries of San Mateo County. SMCSIG serves the school districts by providing insurance and loss control/prevention related services such as property and liability, worker’s compensation, dental and vision programs to its members. These programs and services are designed to reduce overall risk to our member districts. SMCSIG insures over 177 buildings with an insured value in excess of 3 billion dollars, serve 11,000 employees, and a student ADA of over 97,000.