Bureau of Risk Management

Our Responsibilities 

The Bureau of Risk Management is responsible for directing and coordinating all functions relative to the Risk Management Program. The Chief of Risk Management will work with agency heads and other managers and employees to identify and respond to issues concerning the program and to provide training and education on safety and risk reduction.

Our Objectives

• To provide to the extent possible an exposure-free work and service environment for employees, citizens and visitors
• To protect and preserve city assets and work force; wherever possible, against losses which could deplete city resources or impair the city's ability to meet its legal obligations to provide services to its citizens
• To institute all practical measures to eliminate or control injury to citizens, employees and visitors; loss to property or other loss producing conditions
• To implement sound business practices of risk financing that protect the city against catastrophic loss
• To administer claims against the city ethically, efficiently and in the best interests of the city

Property & Casualty Insurance 

Property & Casualty Insurance Manages the city property & casualty insurance programs including but not limited to:

• City Owned Building & Contents
• Special Property Risks
• Boiler & Machinery
• Automobile Physical Damage
• Automobile Liability
• General Liability
• Fidelity Bonds

If you are a city employee, please see StarNet for more information on the city's property & casualty insurance policies.

Safety & Loss Prevention 

The Safety & Loss Prevention unit established within the Bureau with the express intent to coordinate and monitor city operations in order to reduce accidents, losses, and associated costs.

If you are a city employee, please see StarNet for more information on the city's safety & loss prevention policies.

Workers' Compensation Insurance

Workers' compensation is a benefits program created by state law that provides medical, rehabilitation, income, death and other benefits to employees and dependents due to injury, illness and death resulting from a compensable work-related claim covered by the law.

If you are injured on the job, you have certain rights, benefits and responsibilities. Your employer also has obligations and responsibilities regarding all employees.

The main focus of the City of Richmond Bureau of Risk Management Workers' Compensation unit is to assist job-related injured workers in receiving immediate and quality medical care, to administer workers' compensation claims from the initial injury until the closing of the claim, and to safely return lost time employees to productive employment. We believe that a healthy, safety conscious and productive city is the result of healthy, safety conscious and cooperative employees.

If you are a city employee, please see StarNet for more information on the city's workers's compensation policies.

How to File a Claim

If you have been involved in an accident and /or wish to file a claim against the City of Richmond, it is necessary to submit a written claim. The claim letter should be sent to the following address.

Laura Drewry
900 E. Broad Street, 4th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219

Claim letters must be submitted within six (6) months of the incident and include:

• Date and time of incident
• Specific location of incident
• Description of incident
• Contact phone number and/or e-mail address

Upon receipt of the claim, a claims representative will contact you. However, an investigation must be conducted into the claim before a final decision on liability and /or payment(s) will be made. This process can take four to six weeks depending upon the nature of your claim.

In the event that you have any questions regarding damage to your property or filing a claim against the city, please contact:

Nathan Barnette 
Chief Risk Officer
(804) 646-6165
Nathan.Barnette2@RVA.gov 

Donnell Stewart 
Risk Manager
(804) 646-0107
Donnell.Stewart@RVA.gov

Special Note

Sole authority to settle and/or pay claims rest with the governing authorities and select personnel of the Risk Management Division. Employees are not authorized to determine liability or obligate the City of Richmond for payment of a claim. Therefore, the Risk Management Division will not be obligated to provide any payment(s) toward a claim based on statements of employees prior to completion of an investigation into the claim.

Required Insurance 

The City of Richmond has certain minimum insurance requirements for contractors, vendors, events, and use of city property.
Contractors and vendors providing services to the City of Richmond must furnish Certificates of Insurance to Bureau of Risk Management. Our office also handles requests for certificates of insurance. 

Certificates of Insurance

The City of Richmond requires a Certificate of Insurance from contractors and vendors providing services to the city. All requests must flow through Bureau of Risk Management.

A certificate is not a binding document. It is merely a statement that a person or company has insurance. It requires that notice be given to the certificate holder 30 days prior to the policy being cancelled or amended. 

Minimum Insurance Limits 

All contractors/vendors should have the following minimum insurance limits.

• Comprehensive General Liability, including bodily injury and property damage, $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence
• Comprehensive Automobile Liability, including bodily injury and property damage, $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence
• Workers' Compensation, following Virginia statutory limits with the Alternate Employer Endorsement WC 000301

These are the most common minimums requested by the City of Richmond. Other lines of insurance coverage may be required for certain types of exposure and limits of liability may vary depending on the type of contract. 

Additional Insured 

There are many alterations to insurance policies that can be noted on certificates. The City of Richmond must be shown as Additional Insured on all general liability and automobile liability policies, as insurance is extended to entities named as Additional Insured on a policy.

Principally, this means that they can make a claim directly against the policy. The insurance coverage provides the financial security needed to support the indemnification agreement.

For more information on insurance requirements, contact the Bureau of Risk Management. 

Certificate of Insurance Requests 

The City of Richmond is often required to send out a Certificate of Insurance in order to verify some aspect of the city's insurance program. All requests must flow through Bureau of Risk Management, allowing us to review the request and notify the city's insurance broker, if appropriate, to issue the certificate.

The city's insurance broker will not issue a Certificate of Insurance unless authorized by the Bureau of Risk Management.
Please submit requests for certificates as early as possible. Don't wait until the day they are due, as we may be unavailable or our broker may be tied up, or the first certificate issued may need revisions and may have to be reissued, causing further delay and possibly holding up operations on your end.

The Bureau of Risk Management will arrange for the issuance of certificates when required for City of Richmond use of outside facilities or the rental of vehicles. The following information must be provided in order to require a certificate:

• Name of outside organization
• Point of contact at organization
• Address
• Telephone number
• Fax number (required)
• Purpose of certificate
• Dates certificate is to be in effect
• Limits required (if specified)
• Whether Certificate Holder is to be named an Additional Insured

When the required information is provided, it is generally possible to have the certificate faxed to the recipient within 48 hours.

While this site provides basic coverage information regarding the city's insurance coverage, it should not be relied on for policy interpretation. Contact the Bureau of Risk Management for answers to specific questions. 

Tenant Users Liability (TULIP) 

Users of a City of Richmond facility for events that are not sponsored by the city (tenant users) must demonstrate possession of an insurance policy that extends coverage to the event, or acquire insurance through the Tenant Users Liability Insurance Program.

Events that are not sponsored by the City of Richmond (i.e. meetings, parties, weddings, block parties,etc.) must be insured for liability. Tenant users must give a Certificate of Insurance as evidence of such coverage to the office booking your event and to Safety Services and Risk Management 10 days prior to the event.

How do I Access TULIP coverage?

You will need to complete the TULIP Application Form and pay for your coverage by check made payable to the City of Richmond. Costs are based upon the risk of the activity, the number of days of the activity, the number of participants, and if there are any special requirements.

Upon completion of the transaction, you will receive a copy of the application and a binder of coverage via regular mail. A copy will automatically be sent to the office booking your event and maintained within the Bureau of Risk Management.