Manifestation Clause

A Manifestation Endorsement on a General Liability policy requires that the occurrence  manifests (becomes apparent or visible) during the policy period in order to be considered for coverage.  A loss can be reported at any time and there is no limitation on when a loss can be reported but the occurrence must have manifested during the policy period to be considered for coverage.

The intention of manifestation wording is to prevent multiple policies paying on the same initial occurrence.

Given a choice, if all else in the policy remains the same, the policy without the Manifestation Endorsement is the better choice. 

Some policies however are written as a Manifestation policy and there is no endorsement but the wording is incorporated right into the policy. These types of policies are also Manuscript policies in that they are not a standard Insurance Services Office form but have been drafted by the particular entity that is offering the policy.