Good Driver Discount
Numerous homeschool families that applied for the Good Driver Discount for their qualified student teens were denied the discount by their auto insurance company. HEAV received several phone calls concerning the financial difficulty this was creating for the families whose students had excellent academic records.
HEAV contacted Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Company to resolve this situ- ation, and I’m pleased to report that HEAV has had a positive response from Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Company. According to their written policies, Virginia Farm Bureau had set a higher standard for homeschool students than for public and private school students. HEAV addressed the discrepancies:
- Homeschool students must be in the upper twenty percent on the PSAT, PLAN, SAT-1, or ACT in order to qualify for the discount. However, these tests are for students who are at the highest level of academic success and plan to attend college.
- In contrast, public and private school students must be in the upper twenty percent of their entire class.
- Homeschool students must score in the upper twenty percent on select standardized achievement tests. This translates into a grade distribution of 3.6 and 3.7 on a 4.0 scale. In contrast, public and private school students are required to have a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale to qualify.
- Homeschool students may provide the results from a limited number of standardized achievement tests (only three) or a test administered by the local school district. This eliminates families who are not required to test, such as those who have a religious exemption; parents who use the certified tutor option; and parents who provide an independent evaluation in lieu of a standardized test. All these are legal homeschool options that are not addressed in the company’s policy.
HEAV appealed to the underwriters at Virginia Farm Bureau to provide equal treatment for homeschool students. We stressed that the laws of Virginia do not require third-party verification of homeschool documents. Parent-generated and parent-signed documents are widely accepted by the most elite colleges, the U.S. military, and employers. HEAV encouraged the company to also accept these documents—a grade report, report card, or transcript signed and dated by a parent.
After an extended discussion of the Virginia homeschool laws, Virginia Farm Bureau addressed our concerns by expanding acceptable documentation for homeschoolers—including a parent-generated grade report or transcript with qualifying grades.
On behalf of Virginia homeschoolers, we thank Virginia Farm Bureau for considering the unique needs of homeschooling families.
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