Additional Insured (Blanket)

Overview

Additional Insured (Blanket) refers to AI status conferred automatically on any person or entity the named insured is required by written contract to name as additional insured — without that party being listed by name on the policy or COI. It is the dominant mechanism for AI coverage in modern commercial insurance and contrasts with Scheduled AI, where each AI entity is specifically named on an endorsement schedule.

A blanket AI endorsement is the underlying policy provision that grants this automatic status. The typical endorsement form is CG 20 33 (Automatic Status for Owners, Lessees, or Contractors — Ongoing Operations) or CG 20 38 (similar, with additional triggering language). These forms say, in effect: "Any person or organization for whom you are required by written contract to provide additional insured coverage is an additional insured on this policy."

How It Works

When AI coverage is granted on a blanket basis, the mechanism is:

1. The insured signs a contract requiring it to add the other party as AI.
2. The blanket AI endorsement on the insured's policy automatically extends AI status to that party — no separate filing or listing required.
3. The COI may either list the specific contractual counterparty in the Description of Operations ("RE: Project Main St. — ABC Corp named as Additional Insured") or simply reference the blanket endorsement form.

Blanket AI has become standard because it avoids the administrative burden of filing scheduled endorsements for every new contract. For a general contractor with hundreds of active subcontract relationships, scheduled AI would be unmanageable.

Example — Blanket: A subcontractor's COI DoO reads "Additional Insured on a blanket basis as required by written contract per CG 20 33." The GC doesn't need to appear by name — the endorsement grants status automatically.

Example — Scheduled: A large commercial tenant's COI DoO reads "ABC Property Management LLC, DEF Tower Holdings, and Ghi REIT are named as Additional Insureds per CG 20 26." Each entity is individually named; a fourth entity would need to be added by endorsement.

Comparison: Blanket vs. Scheduled

Key subtlety: A blanket endorsement is only as broad as its trigger language. CG 20 33 triggers on "written contract" — if no written contract exists (handshake deals, implied agreements), the blanket status does not attach. Certificate holders relying on blanket AI must also have a written contract in place.

On the COI / Where it appears on ACORD 25

Blanket AI has two potential footprints on the ACORD 25:

1. The ADDL INSD checkbox in the GL / AL / Umbrella rows — marked "Y" or checked when AI status is granted (blanket or scheduled; the checkbox alone does not distinguish).
2. The Description of Operations — must contain the specific language identifying the endorsement form and indicating blanket status, e.g., "Additional Insured on a blanket basis per CG 20 33 as required by written contract."

Inori's extraction schema captures additional_insured_blanket as a boolean derived from DoO parsing, supplementing the checkbox state, which does not distinguish blanket from scheduled.

Why It Matters for Compliance

• Contract-match precision: Requirements such as "AI for ongoing and completed operations" are not satisfied by a single CG 20 33 blanket (ongoing-only). Inori evaluates whether the blanket endorsement language covers the required scope.
• Missing-contract risk: When a vendor claims blanket AI but no executed written contract exists, AI status is illusory. Inori flags vendors with blanket-AI COIs and missing contract records for immediate follow-up.
• Scheduled verification: When the COI indicates scheduled AI, Inori verifies that the certificate holder's legal name appears in the DoO schedule. A typo'd or abbreviated name (e.g., "ABC Corp" vs. "ABC Corporation LLC") may defeat scheduled AI.
• Audit trail: The distinction between blanket and scheduled is recorded per-certificate so that, during claim tendering, the exact mechanism of AI status is evidentiary.

Related Concepts

The underlying concept is Additional Insured; the blanket delivery mechanism is often referred to as Blanket Additional Insured. Both depend on a specific Endorsement to the policy and typically pair with Primary Non-Contributory language to give AI status real teeth. Blanket AI attaches to General Liability and often Auto Liability and Umbrella policies.