Insurance Policy Declarations Page

Someone from Dallas, Fort Worth, Mansfield, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Benbrook, Aledo, Burleson, or anywhere else in Texas might ask. What is the declarations page?
One web-site describes the “declarations page”, otherwise known as the “dec page”, very simply as “this page contains the basic terms of coverage. It is an outline of who and what is covered.”
Insurance policies normally contain a declarations page or pages. This page sets forth the identity of the insured, the policy limits, and the duration of coverage, and it identifies the attached policy forms. The main function of the declarations page is to customize the policy for the particular insured and the specific risks covered by the policy. This is set out in the 14th Houston Court of Appeals case, Frazier v. Wallis, decided in 1998. And the San Antonio Court of Appeals case, Ortiz v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, in 1997.
The first thing an experienced Insurance Law Attorney wants to do when trying to determine coverage in a case is to carefully review the declarations page, which will list the various forms and endorsements that constitute the complete policy. This is important because sometimes the insurance company attaches the wrong forms or endorsements. Sometimes the insurance company inadvertently omits forms or endorsements at the time the policy is sent to the insured. By comparing the list of forms and endorsements set forth on the declarations page, it is possible to verify the precise forms and endorsements issued to the insured.
So what exactly is suppose to be on the declarations page? Answer:
1) the named insured (this may be a person or persons or a company)
2) the policy period
3) the designation of coverage 4) the policy limits and deductibles 5) forms and endorsements (what is an endorsement?)
6) certificates of insurance (1) The named insured would be the individual or entity that is expressly identified by proper name in the policy. It usually also includes an address.
(1a) The named insured is also followed by “additional insureds” in some policies, such as a parent corporation may wish to add its subsidiary.
(2) The policy period will normally have two dates, the beginning date for coverage and the ending or expiration date of coverage.
(3) Lots of policy forms are preprinted and may contain many distinct coverages. The person or entity buying coverge chooses the coverages they want and the declarations page state’s which coverages are provided.
(4) The policy limits and deductibles are usually easy to understand. The policy limit is the most an insurance policy will pay. The deductible is the amount the policy holder has to pay.
(5) The forms and indorsements that are named and listed in the policy are part of the policy. This is true even when they are not actually attached to the policy, so long as they are named in the policy. One issue for fights here is when endorsements are added later.
(6) Certificates of insurance may not make sense at first but here is what they are: Example, a corporation buys health insurance for its employees. The corporation has the policy but the employees get “certificates of insurance.”