Summaries / Status

Summary

This Statement establishes accounting and financial reporting standards for risk financing and insurance-related activities of state and local governmental entities, including public entity risk pools. The risks of loss that are included within the scope of this Statement include torts; theft of, damage to, or destruction of assets; business interruption; errors or omissions; job-related illnesses or injuries to employees; acts of God; and any other risks of loss assumed under a policy or participation contract issued by a public entity risk pool. Also included are risks of loss resulting when an entity agrees to provide accident and health, dental, and other medical benefits to its employees.

This Statement generally requires public entity risk pools to follow the current accounting and financial reporting standards for similar business enterprises, based primarily on FASB Statement No. 60, Accounting and Reporting by Insurance Enterprises. Pool premiums or required contributions are required to be recognized as revenue over the contract period in proportion to the amount of risk protection provided. Claims costs, including claim adjustment expenses and estimates of costs for claims relating to covered events that have occurred but have not been reported to the pool, should be recognized in the period in which the event that triggers coverage under the policy or participation contract occurs. Costs that vary with and are primarily related to the acquisition of insurance or pool participation contracts (acquisition costs) should be capitalized and charged to expense in proportion to premium revenue recognized. This Statement also requires disclosure of certain ten-year revenue and claims development data as required supplementary information.

State and local governmental entities other than public entity risk pools are required to report an estimated loss from a claim as an expenditure/expense and as a liability if both of these conditions are met:

1. Information available before the financial statements are issued indicates that it is probable that an asset had been impaired or a liability had been incurred at the date of the financial statements. It is implicit in this condition that it must be probable that one or more future events will also occur, confirming the fact of the loss.
2. The amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.

If a governmental entity other than a pool uses a single fund to account for its risk financing activities, that fund should be either the general fund or an internal service fund. Both funds must use the method described above for calculating claims liabilities. However, if an internal service fund is used, the entity also may use an actuarial method, including a provision for future catastrophe losses, to calculate the amount that the internal service fund charges other funds of the entity. Charges made on that basis should be reported as revenue in the internal service fund and as expenditures/expenses in the other funds of the entity. Charges in excess of those amounts should be reported as operating transfers. Any surplus fund balance in an internal service fund resulting from use of a provision for catastrophe losses is required to be reported as a designation of equity for future catastrophe losses. If the general fund is used, the entity may use any method it chooses to allocate loss expenditures/expenses to the other funds of the entity.

This Statement is consistent with proposed provisions of the GASB's August 14, 1989 revised Exposure Draft, Measurement Focus and Basis of Accounting-Governmental Fund Operating Statements (MFBA ED), which would require governmental funds to report expenditures when incurred, regardless of when paid. The MFBA ED proposes standards only for governmental fund operating statements, not their balance sheets. The Board will resolve issues about the balance sheet effect of liabilities arising from these expenditure accruals in its financial reporting project. Accordingly, this Statement does not provide guidance on the display of claims liabilities reported by governmental funds.

The requirements of this Statement that affect public entity risk pools are effective for financial statements for periods beginning after June 15, 1990. The requirements for entities other than pools are effective on the same date that the Board's final Statement on measurement focus and basis of accounting for governmental funds is effective. The transition date tentatively established by the MFBA ED is for financial statements for periods beginning after June 15, 1993. However, earlier application is permitted. Entities other than pools that use an internal service fund to report their risk management activities should report all claims liabilities in that fund and report the transfer of liabilities previously reported in the general long-term debt account group as an adjustment of internal service fund beginning retained earnings.

Unless otherwise specified, pronouncements of the GASB apply to financial reports of all state and local governmental entities, including public benefit corporations and authorities, public employee retirement systems, and governmental utilities, hospitals, colleges, and universities. Paragraph 16 discusses the applicability of this Statement.