Are volunteers provided any liability protection under the Governmental Tort Claims Act?
In order for the Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act to provide coverage for a volunteer, the person must come under the definition of an “employee”. That definition is: “Employee” means any person who is authorized to act in behalf of a political subdivision or the state whether that person is acting on a permanent or temporary basis, with or without being compensated or on a full-time or part-time basis. If authorized to act in an official capacity, volunteers are provided protection as employees under the Oklahoma Tort Claims Act. Tort Liability Coverage is provided for volunteer actions only if performed “Within the scope of official University business.” The University does not provide Worker’s Compensation coverage for volunteers. For specifics on Worker’s Compensation coverage call the benefits department in Human Resources or go to their website, http://www.okstate.edu/osu_per.
