Optional LAA:
covering managers and self-employed SMEs
Managers and freelancers: accidents can't wait
Without mandatory LAA, protection depends on your choices.
In many SMEs, some key people are not covered like employees under the mandatory LAA: self-employed, active partners, managers according to their status, or family members involved in the business.
However, an accident can interrupt production, customer relations, or a sales agreement in an instant.
The optional LAA provides access to "LAA-type" protection for these profiles, with structured benefits and an insurance logic similar to the employee scheme.
The stakes are both personal and business-related: continuity, work capacity, fixed costs and credibility with partners.
Optional LAA: what it offers, and what it doesn't replace
One piece of the puzzle, to be articulated with illness, LPP and responsibility.
The optional LAA is an option in Switzerland for people who are not automatically covered by the mandatory LAA for employees, but who wish to benefit from structured protection in the event of an accident.
For SMEs, this often concerns self-employed individuals, certain managers depending on their status, or family members actively involved in the business. The main advantage is clarity: optional accident insurance focuses on accidents, with a benefits framework based on the principles of the federal accident insurance scheme (LAA), simplifying understanding and coordination with other coverages.
Generally, coverage includes elements such as expenses related to the aftermath of an accident, compensation in case of inability to work, and benefits in case of disability or death. The exact level, the insured income base, and the conditions are determined by the contract and the insurer.
The key points to consider are essential, because many entrepreneurs believe they are "covered" when they are only partially so. First point to consider: the scope.
Optional LAA does not cover illness, which means it often needs to be combined with loss of earnings sickness insurance if you also want to secure non-accident health-related disabilities.
Second point to consider: the basic insurance coverage. Depending on the contract, the income taken into account may be defined differently, and the required supporting documents will vary.
Third area of vigilance: exclusions and limitations.
As with any insurance, exclusions may relate to intentional acts, certain specific situations, or failure to comply with reporting and cooperation obligations.
Fourth area of vigilance: coordination.
If you have a LPP (voluntary or via employee status), private disability insurance, or other coverages, you must check the consistency to avoid duplication, over-insurance or grey areas.
Choosing the right level starts with a simple dependency analysis: which functions rely on you, how long the business can run without your presence, and which fixed costs continue no matter what.
Next, we examine your overall arrangement: do you already have accident coverage through another channel, what is the health coverage, how are disability benefits managed, and what continuity guarantees (delegation, powers of attorney, organization) exist.
Based on this, an income level to be insured is defined, and the realism of the budget is verified. A useful checklist to validate, before signing, is the definition of the insured income, the notification deadlines and processes, the documents required in the event of a claim, the key exclusions, and the coordination rules with your other insurance policies.
Finally, an optional LAA is managed over time. An SME evolves: change of status, change in income, growth, internationalization.
A periodic policy review with Mage & Associates helps maintain consistency between executive protection, employee protection, and the company's ability to absorb a shock, without paying for unnecessary coverage.
Three reasons to consider optional accident insurance
When an SME depends on a few people, insurance coverage becomes strategic.
Protecting the decision-maker's ability to work
If management is paralyzed, the company slows down.
An optional accident insurance scheme provides a framework for benefits in the event of an accident, useful for securing income and facilitating recovery.
The precise details depend on the contract chosen.
Clearly separate accident
and disease
Many private solutions combine accident, illness, and disability.
The optional LAA covers accidents, with rules similar to the LAA for employees.
This clarifies the arrangement and facilitates coordination with a loss of earnings due to illness, if you have one.
Strengthening credibility with partners
In certain sectors, clients, such as banks or large customers, expect a comprehensive insurance structure, including for key personnel.
An optional LAA can be part of a well-presented compliance and risk management package.
Immobilized executive: continuity and protections in practice
Realistic fictional example, centered on an SME in French-speaking Switzerland.
Realistic fictional example.
A small, artisanal business in French-speaking Switzerland, based near Geneva, employs around twenty people.
The independent founder manages quotes, purchases and supervises the construction site.
He suffered a severe fracture in a fall down a staircase and was unable to work. The company had to immediately delegate the client relationship and reschedule several interventions, all while continuing to pay salaries and fixed costs.
The manager had taken out optional accident insurance on recommendation, precisely because he was not covered like an employee.
The declaration is made quickly with the accident report, information on the activity and the supporting documents requested for the insured base.
After the usual medical and administrative steps, benefits are implemented according to the contract. Compensation does not "solve" everything: the SME still has to organize production, manage delays, and preserve cash flow.
But accident insurance helps prevent a break in income for the decision-maker and secures funding for critical weeks.
The resolution is gradual: partial resumption, adaptation of tasks, and strengthening of the internal organization.
The lesson for decision-makers is clear: if the company depends on one or two people not covered by mandatory LAA, optional LAA can be a pillar, to be articulated with sickness protection and business continuity planning.
