General, Auto, and Employment Liability (GAEL) Rate
The GAEL rate is an assessment on payroll to pay for various types of insurance that covers liability for UC ANR employees, volunteers, vehicles, and property. The rate is based on an assessment that UC ANR receives from UC Office of the President (UCOP) to pay insurance premiums. The ANR GAEL rate for recent years, along with the rate for this coming fiscal year, are shown below.
| Fiscal Year | ANR GAEL Rate ($ per 100 payroll) |
|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 1.95 |
| 2024-25 | 1.95 |
| 2025-26 | 1.95 |
Background and Detail
UCOP assesses each campus, and ANR, to fund the University’s self-insurance program for general liability (GL), Auto Liability (AL), Auto Physical Damage (APD), and Employment Practices Liability (EPL). Together, this assessment is referred to as “GAEL.” This assessment is calculated based on actuarial analysis of claims history, both on a systemwide and individual campus level. Thus, the GAEL rate can increase year to year due to frequent or substantial claims from the campuses, as well as outside influences in the cost of managing risk claims. Similarly, an individual campus’ assessment may go up or down depending on that campus’ claims history and expected liabilities. ANR Risk Services reviews these annual actuarial reports and works with the actuary and UCOP Risk Services to ensure that the allocation of insurance program costs are fair and accurate.
ANR's allocated share of the UC insurance program premium decreased by approximately 16% this year, compared to an overall UC systemwide increase of approximately 14%. Increases in the systemwide insurance premiums are due to several factors: 1) the premiums for UC’s systemwide self-insurance program have increased due to significant continued pressure on the global insurance market, 2) increases in the frequency and severity of large property and certain liability claims; and 3) settlement of a liability case at one of the UC campuses resulted in a large payout which is financed by the insurance program over a ten-year period.
The ANR GAEL Rate is calculated as an assessment per $100 of payroll and every ANR unit is assessed this ANR GAEL Rate. Despite increases in the systemwide insurance premium, ANR’s GAEL rate that is assessed to payroll in all departments for 2025-26 was maintained at the same level as the previous two years. In addition to payroll assessment, a portion of the ANR GAEL rate has historically been subsidized by ANR central funds to maintain a more stable rate. After a few years of increased subsidy, this year the ANR central fund subsidy was decreased, while maintaining a stable rate and avoiding large fluctuation in the annual rate.
If you have any questions about the GAEL Rate, you may contact Chris Jakober, Director of Risk & Safety Services (cjakober@ucanr.edu) or Connie Tadesse, Director of Financial Services (connie.tadesse@ucop.edu).