Agent News

May 2015

Earn a Spot on Our Next Incentive Trip to Bora Bora and Join Us in Paradise!

bora_boraEach year, we award our top performing agents with a spot on our annual incentive trip. We hope you’ll be motivated to build your performance in order to attend next year’s trip to Bora Bora, which travel magazines often refer to as “paradise.” Trip winners will stay at the Four Seasons Resort – Bora Bora in private, over-water bungalows complete with a private deck, private beach and windows in the floor that provide a breathtaking view to the colorful lagoon life below.

The trip takes place March 13-20, 2016, and is one you definitely don’t want to miss. We encourage you to visit our trip website to learn more and watch for the monthly incentive trip updates in your email.

Join Us for the 22nd Annual Westran Golf Outing

westran_golfThe Roy Westran Memorial Insurance Industry Scholarship Golf Outing celebrates its 22nd anniversary this year and we want you to be a part. Taking place Friday, Aug. 7, at Hawk Hollow Golf Course in Bath, Mich., the annual event gathers agents from across the country to help Accident Fund raise scholarship funds for students pursuing insurance-related degrees.

At the same time, the event recognizes the work of the late Roy Westran, an individual committed to the advancement of our profession. Established in 1990, the Westran Memorial Scholarship has awarded more than $810,000 to nearly 500 students and helped to ensure the growth of our industry.

We have plenty of room on the green as well as several sponsorship opportunities available. The four-person scramble will begin at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast, followed by a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. Lunch and an awards reception will follow in the afternoon. For more information, visit WestranScholarship.org or contact Kylie Olanowski.

Accident Fund’s Safety Campaign and Loss Control Materials

fightBecause workplace violence and crime prevention are key areas of concern when it comes to workplace safety, we recently launched a new campaign that addresses violence in the workplace to bring awareness and education to our customers. Clickhere to access various tools, including brochures, tip sheets and posters full of useful information. These materials cover everything from precautionary measures to operation setup and inspection checklists.

Aside from our campaign, we offer several other tools and materials to help customers build and maintain safe work environments for their employees. Our comprehensive toolbox offers a wealth of resources, including marketing materials, safety tools and training, and helpful claims and fraud information. Be sure to encourage your Accident Fund customers to take advantage of these resources and to check out our new campaign today.

Class Codes

Focusing on markets that Accident Fund knows the best helps your agency achieve profitability. Make sure you know which class codes are on top.

Arkansas

  • 9015 Buildings-Operation-By Owner, Lessee, or Real Estate Management Firm: All Other Employees
  • 5213 Concrete Construction NOC
  • 6400 Fence Erection-Metal
  • 9082 Restaurant NOC
  • 8044 Store: Furniture & Drivers

Georgia

  • 9052 Hotel: All Other Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
  • 5474 Painting or Paperhanging NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers
  • 8869 Professional Employees: School or College
  • 9082 Restaurant NOC
  • 9154 Theater NOC: All Other Employees

Illinois

  • 9052 Hotel: All Other Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
  • 9082 Restaurant NOC

Indiana

  • 9519 Household and Commercial Appliances-Electrical-Installation, Service or Repair & Drivers
  • 8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees

Iowa

  • 8264 Bottle Dealer-Used & Drivers
  • 5213 Concrete Construction NOC
  • 5221 Concrete or Cement Work-Floors, Driveways, Yards or Sidewalks-& Drivers
  • 9052 Hotel: All Other Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
  • 3629 Precision Machined Parts Mfg NOC

Kansas

  • 8391 Automobile Repair Shop & Parts Dept Employees, Drivers
  • 9101 College: All Other Employees
  • 8868 College: Professional Employees & Clerical
  • 0042 Landscape Gardening & Drivers
  • 8107 Machinery Dealer NOC-Store or Yard-& Drivers

Maryland

  • 0917 Domestic Service Contractor-Inside
  • 5223 Swimming Pool Construction-Not Iron or Steel-All Operations & Drivers

Michigan

  • 8829 Convalescent or Nursing Home-All Employees
  • 7380 Drivers, Chauffeurs & Their Helpers NOC-Commercial
  • 5022 Masonry NOC
  • 8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
  • 5183 Plumbing NOC

Minnesota

  • 9015 Buildings-Operation-By Owner, Lessee, or Real Estate Management Firm: All Other Employees
  • 9012 Buildings-Operation-By Owner, Lessee, or Real Estate Management Firm: Prof. Employees, Property Mgrs and Leasing Agents
  • 8842 Group Homes – All Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
  • 8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
  • 9079 Restaurant NOC

Mississippi

  • 7390 Beer or Ale Dealer-Wholesale & Drivers
  • 9052 Hotel: All Other Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
  • 9083 Restaurant: Fast Food
  • 8044 Store: Furniture & Drivers
  • 8033 Store: Meat, Grocery and Provision Stores Combined-Retail NOC

Missouri

  • 7228 Automobile Towing Company
  • 5645 Carpentry-Detached One or Two Family Dwellings
  • 9101 College: All Other Employees
  • 5221 Concrete or Cement Work-Floors, Driveways, Yards or Sidewalks-& Drivers
  • 3040 Iron or Steel: Fabrication: Iron Works-Shop-Ornamental-& Drivers

Nebraska

  • 8810 Clerical Office Employees NOC
  • 5606 Contractor-Executive Supervisor or Construction Superintendent
  • 4299 Printing
  • 8742 Salespersons, Collectors or Messengers -Outside
  • 5445 Wallboard Installation Within Buildings & Drivers

North Carolina

  • 3824 Automobile, Bus, Truck or Trailer Body Mfg: NOC
  • 8864 Social Services Organization – All Employees & Sales

South Carolina

  • 7390 Beer or Ale Dealer-Wholesale & Drivers
  • 9060 Club-Country, Golf, Fishing or Yacht-& Clerical

South Dakota

  • 0042 Landscape Gardening & Drivers

Tennessee

  • 5537 Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
  • 2095 Meat Products Mfg NOC
  • 5474 Painting or Paperhanging NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers
  • 9083 Restaurant: Fast Food
  • 5535 Sheet Metal Work Installation & Drivers

Texas

  • 9552 Advertising Co & Drivers
  • 5437 Carpentry-Installation of Cabinet Work or Interior Trim
  • 7602 Fire Alarm, Telephone or Telegraph Line Construction & Drivers
  • 3040 Iron or Steel: Fabrication: Iron Works-Shop-Ornamental-& Drivers

Virginia

  • 8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
  • 7600 Telephone or Telegraph Co.: All Other Employees & Drivers

Wisconsin

  • 3066 Sheet Metal Work-Shop
  • 8010 Store: Hardware
Rate Changes

Please take note the upcoming rate changes in various states.

Core States

 

The following core states have a pending rate change. New rates are not yet available in eLink; however, some renewing policies may be viewable in the renewal index. Please refrain from releasing quotes and renewals for these states until rates are updated.

State Effective Date
South Dakota 07/01/15

Arkansas

Effective July 1, Accident Fund will adopt NCCI’s loss costs in Arkansas. The NCCI overall average loss cost level change is -2.1%, but the actual impact will vary by class. New rates became available in our system on April 27.

Accommodation States

State NCCI/Bureau
Impact
Effective Date
Montana -4.8% 07/01/15

Please be sure to discuss pricing options for all new business and renewals with your business development consultant

Agency Hall of Fame

The Agency Hall of Fame is recognition for those agencies that write the most new business each month. The acknowledgment, given to top agencies in each state, allows us to show appreciation to our agent partners for their efforts.

Arkansas

  • BancorpSouth Insurance Services, Inc., Little Rock
  • Cashion Co. Inc., Little Rock

Georgia

  • BB&T Insurance Services, Kennesaw
  • Johnson & Bryan, Inc., Atlanta

Illinois

  • Dimond Bros. Insurance LLC, Paris
  • J. L. Hubbard Insurance and Bonds Agency, Inc., Forsyth

Indiana

  • Insurance Management, Marion
  • ISU Stewart Brimner Peters & Co., Fort Wayne

Iowa

  • Miller, Fidler & Hinke Insurance Agency, Inc., Clive
  • Millhiser Smith Agency, Inc., Cedar Rapids

Kansas

  • Holmes, Murphy and Associates, LCC – Overland Park, Overland Park
  • Ryan Insurance, LLC, Pittsburg

Maryland

  • Henry M. Murray Agency Inc., Annapolis
  • Rosenkilde & Associates, Hunt Valley

Michigan

  • The Huttenlocher Group, Waterford
  • Van Wyk Risk Solutions, Grand Rapids

Minnesota

  • Musty – Barnhart Agency, Inc., Red Wing
  • RJF, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company, Minneapolis

Mississippi

  • Bottrell Insurance, Jackson
  • Insurance & Risk Managers, Brookhaven

Missouri

  • CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc., Kansas City
  • Nixon & Lindstrom Insurance, Springfield

Nebraska

  • The Harry A. Koch Co., Omaha
  • UNICO Group, Inc., Lincoln

North Carolina

  • Central Carolina Insurance Agency, Inc., Salisbury
  • Sentinel Risk Advisors LLC, Raleigh

South Carolina

  • Keenan & Suggs, Inc. – Columbia, Columbia
  • Scheetz Hogan Freeman & Phillips, Greenville

South Dakota

  • Howalt McDowell Ins, a Marsh & McLennan Agcy LLC Co, Sioux Falls

Tennessee

  • Athens Insurance Agency, Athens
  • HMP Insurance, Germantown

Texas

  • Bailey Insurance & Risk Management, Inc., Waco
  • InSource Ins Agcy, San Antonio

Virginia

  • Commercial Insurance Services, Inc., Roanoke
  • Tabb Brockenbrough & Ragland, Richmond

Wisconsin

  • HUB International Midwest Ltd., Sheboygan
  • McClone Agency Inc, Menasha
Legislative Update

Legislative Update is a brief synopsis of relevant legislative activity currently taking place in Accident Fund core and accommodation states. For more details or further documentation on any of these legislative activities, contact your business development consultant.

State

Illinois

Legislation to reform particular portions of the work comp system has been receiving serious debate in Illinois. Although the Governor initiated work comp system improvement discussions, House leadership has recently engaged a proposal. The House bill is essentially the Governor’s workers’ compensation “Turnaround Plan.” Although it is unclear what, if anything, will receive a vote, it’s our understanding that the primary areas the House proposal will address: Language enforcing employment as the primary causal factor (“causation”) for determining a claim’s eligibility for workers’ compensation coverage; a redefinition of what constitutes a traveling employee; increased reliance upon the use of AMA impairment guidelines for disability determination; and further cuts to the medical fee schedule.

These bill provisions will be voted down and fail. However, we also expect a fifth proposal that would require insurers to abide by the advisory rates recommended and filed by the National Compensation on Compensation Insurance (NCCI); in other words, if a rate decrease is recommended, insurers would be bound by the decrease. And presumably (although it’s unclear), if a rate increase is recommended, insurers would be similarly bound to increase their rates. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 31, 2015, but even that is in doubt due to the political standoff beginning to emerge between the Republican governor and the legislature’s Democrat majorities.

South Carolina

South Carolina legislators have introduced House legislation that would allow employers to opt-out of the traditional workers’ compensation system. Similar to what was introduced last month in the Senate, the proposal requires employers to establish an alternative benefit plan for injured employees. The minimum benefit requirements must be interpreted and applied in a manner so that the benefit plan is comparable to existing South Carolina workers’ compensation law. South Carolina is the third state to recently consider opt-out legislation. Oklahoma passed opt-out legislation in 2013, which the State Supreme Court upheld this year, and a Tennessee opt-out bill is on hold until 2016. The legislation introduced is being labeled the South Carolina Injury Benefit Plan Alternative.

Texas

A bill that would create grant programs for workplace safety is headed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after passing the Senate Wednesday. House Bill 2466 would give safety grants up to $5,000 for reimbursements to employers with two to 50 employees that incurred expenses while creating safer workplaces. Allowable expenses include physical modifications to worksites, safety equipment and safety training for employees.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council announced its next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 27. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at 201 E. Washington Avenue in Madison. An agenda shows that labor and management proposals will be discussed along with other business. There continue to be efforts from the business community, with the assistance and urging of the insurance industry, to advance a fee schedule proposal. Republican members of the Assembly are also seeking to advance a fee schedule proposal this year. Although success remains a long shot, it is not completely off the table. Accident Fund Holdings will continue to monitor this political situation.

Information Sources – American Insurance Association, Insurance Institute of Michigan, MIRS, Workcompcentral, Illinois Chamber of Commerce

Disclaimer of Liability

This document is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This information is subject to change. Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information in Accident Fund Holding’s Legislative Update. However, Accident Fund Holdings makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Update and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this newsletter.