Agent News
Q4 2018
Our Annual Agent Meetings are just around the corner – beginning Jan. 22. We look forward to connecting with our valued agent partners to celebrate the invaluable contributions you’ve made to our success.
During our meetings, we will also recognize our top-performing agents from 2018 and announce our exciting new destination for the 2019 Incentive Trip Program.
Here’s the complete schedule:
| Date | Location | 2019 Facility | Meeting Time |
| Jan. 22 | Lansing, MI | Kellogg Center & Conference Center 219 South Harrison Rd East Lansing, MI 48824 |
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 23 | Atlanta, GA | 103 West 103 West Paces Ferry Rd. Atlanta, GA 30305 |
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 24 | Nashville, TN | Franklin Marriott Cool Springs 700 Cool Springs Blvd. Franklin, TN 37067 |
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 29 | Minneapolis, MN | Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington 3900 American Blvd. West Bloomington, MN 55437 |
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 30 | West Des Moines, IA | Sheraton West Des Moines 1800 50th Street West Des Moines, IA 50266 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 31 | Overland Park, KS | Marriott Kansas City Overland Park 10800 Metcalf Avenue Overland Park, KS 66210 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 1 | St. Louis, MO | Marriott St. Louis West 660 Maryville Centre Dr. St. Louis, MO 63141 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 4 | Plymouth, MI | The Inn at St. Johns 44045 Five Mile Road Plymouth, MI 48170 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 5 | Marquette, MI | Northern Michigan University 1401 Presque Isle Avenue Marquette, MI 49855 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 12 | Grand Rapids, MI | Frederik Meijer Gardens 1000 E Beltline Ave NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 12 | Milwaukee, WI | Marriott Milwaukee West W231 N1600 Corporate Court Waukesha, WI 53186 |
2 p.m. – 4 p.m. |
| Feb. 13 | Indianapolis, IN | Marriott Indianapolis Downtown 350 West Marland Street Indianapolis, IN 46225 |
2 p.m. – 4 p.m. |
| Feb. 19 | Naperville, IL | Hotel Arista 2139 CityGate Lane Naperville, IL 60563 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 21 | Dallas, TX | Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum 14901 Dallas Parkway Dallas, TX 75254 |
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 22 | Little Rock, AR | Capital Hotel 111 W. Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72201 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 25 | Baltimore, MD | Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel 10207 Wincopin Circle Columbia, MD 21044 |
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 26 | Richmond, VA | The Westin Richmond 6631 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23230 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 27 | Greensboro, NC | O.Henry Hotel 624 Green Valley Road Greensboro, NC 27408 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 28 | Columbia, SC | Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center 1101 Lincoln Street Columbia, SC 29201 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| Mar. 7 | Troy, MI | The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management 811 W. Square Lake Rd. Troy, MI 48098 |
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
CLICK HERE to register for a meeting near you. If you have any questions about the schedule, please contact Kylie Olanowski. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Accident Fund is pleased to announce the launch of new online claim management tools, which provide our customers easy access to claim documents and real-time claim filing from their desktop or mobile device. This new functionality enhances policyholders’ ability to manage claims by providing:
- 24-hour real-time claim filing and immediate receipt of a claim number upon submitting First Notice of Loss (FNOL).
- The ability to save an in-progress FNOL and complete it within 48 hours.
- Mobile-friendly access with a consistent look and feel between platforms.
- Online and mobile access to prescription benefit cards. (Cards will still be mailed to injured workers.)
- Ability to update and self-manage user profiles.
- Real-time claim and payment status updates.
- Capability to search claim notes and view claim financials.
- Access to our Care Analytics® Provider Locator.
- Integration with Bing maps to easily identify accident locations if an incident doesn’t occur on the company’s site.
- Less paperwork by eliminating envelopes for claim correspondence via use of the portal for a more efficient process.
Injured workers (non-litigated claims only) now have access to online claims management tools for the first time, where they can:
- View claim payment information in real time.
- Update and manage their user profile.
- Submit reimbursement requests for travel, pharmacy and other items along with the ability to attach supporting documentation (receipts, etc.)
- Load documents electronically from their care provider’s office.
- Access prescription benefit cards. (Cards will still be mailed to injured workers.)
To access the portal, a one-time registration is required via our website. (Note: A select number of current Accident Fund policyholders already have access to Claim Inquiry and should use their previously created login and password to sign in.)
Policyholder Registration:
- Policyholderswill need to provide their policy number, Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) and policy expiration date.
- Injured workerswill need to provide their Social Security number, claim number and date of injury.
After the initial registration, users will only need to provide the username and password created during the registration process to log in.
Please note: Only one person can perform the initial registration process for the site. The first person to do so will be designated as the Security Administrator for their organization. Instructions for Security Administrators are available on the site. After completing the initial registration, the Security Administrator will have the option to setup an additional Security Administrator if needed — along with creating additional user access for the policyholder portal.
For policyholders already registered with access to our secure policyholder portal, the Security Administrator can add claim inquiry access to the profile of existing users by selecting the ‘Change User ID/Password’ link from the main policyholder portal site. This will give the Security Administrator the option to ‘Manage Users’ including giving claim inquiry access.
We’re excited to be able to provide our customers easier access to their claims information – and encourage you to share this information with them.
“The LEAD program gave our new producer a deeper understanding of workers’ compensation insurance and the service offerings of the AF Group.” David W. Goodman, President, InPro Insurance Group, Inc.
LEAD with Comp, AF Group’s 12-month training and professional development opportunity, was designed with newer workers’ compensation producers in mind. This unique program will equip participants with the knowledge necessary to be successful in the workers’ compensation market space and the relationships to do so.
The key objectives of LEAD with Comp program are:
- Assist agency leadership in developing new talent
- Educate participants in all aspects of workers’ compensation
- Build relationships between agency and AF Group brand staff
- Increase new business by educating participants on how to displace the incumbent agent
Classes begin Jan. 15-17, 2019 and Sept. 17-19, 2019 and run for 12 months. For more information on how to build value for your clients and set yourself apart from the competition, click here.
Accident Fund has launched its second iteration of our AF Group mobile app, which has new tools and functionality that will benefit policyholders and agents.
The app still provides our agent partners immediate access to dynamic information and tools, such as:
- Class code lookup
- Company contact information (Help Desk, Billing and two customizable contacts)
- Marketing materials
- Access to events information and training opportunities
- Social media content
The new version also features a policyholder section so they, too, have easy access to important information, such as safety handouts, loss control tips, contact information, etc. There is also the ability to send documents using the ‘share’ feature.
If you haven’t already downloaded the app, please do so today – and encourage your Accident Fund customers to do so as well! The mobile app is publicly available in the Apple and Google store.
With billions of dollars lost each year to insurance fraud, our team of former law enforcement, safety and claims professionals partner with our claims team to investigate and expose potential fraud. The Investigative Services Unit (ISU) is committed to identifying, mitigating and eliminating fraudulent behavior. They also serve to protect AF Group against economic loss by conducting timely and quality investigations.
AF Group’s ISU has several types of investigators with specific skill sets. This integrated team of experts conducts cross-functional investigations to provide a unique and comprehensive perspective.
To learn more, click here to access our NEW brochure, which highlights the services our Investigative Services Unit provides in an effort to protect employees, employers and our customers’ bottom line.
We recognize that employee attitudes and behaviors play a key role in safety performance — and identifying these attributes provides opportunities to improve safety and reduce turnover. That’s why we’ve partnered with Psychometrics to provide our policyholders with testing and assessments to help with their hiring decisions.
Psychometrics’ WorkSafe Predictor and Employee Reliability Inventory (ERI) assessments are available to Accident Fund customers for a discounted price. The one-time portal registration fee and first five assessments are just $99. Ongoing assessments are just $18-25 (depending on volume).
For more information on this topic, click for a WorkSafe Predictor Sample Report or a case study on turnover reduction. This information is available on our policyholder portal, but please share this valuable resource with your Accident Fund customers in case they missed it!
Nearly one third of workers’ comp claims in the Midwest are caused by slips and falls on ice and snow. With winter weather upon us, be sure your customers are taking advantage of our S.A.F.E: Slip and Fall Elimination campaign. This campaign increases awareness of winter weather-related slip-and-fall injuries and offers steps that can be taken to reduce their likelihood.
Be sure to visit our campaign frequently and encourage your customers to do the same. Click here for a series of short, humorous videos promoting the campaign!
Arkansas
JMR/PFP Insurance, Fort Smith
Meadors, Adams & Lee, Inc., Little Rock
Georgia
Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance Agency, Inc., Augusta
Starr – Mathews Agency Inc, Calhoun
Turner, Wood & Smith Insurance, Gainesville
Illinois
Assurance Agency, Ltd, Schaumburg
Crissie Insurance Group, Des Plaines
Indiana
Assuredpartners of Indiana, LLC, Indianapolis
Hylant Group Inc., Fort Wayne
Iowa
Lamair – Mulock – Condon Co., West Des Moines
Molyneaux Insurance Inc., Davenport
VGM Insurance Services Inc, Waterloo
Kansas
Brier Payne Meade Insurance, Inc., Overland Park
Eils & Associates Insurance Group, Prairie Village
Kentucky
Al Torstrick Insurance Agency Inc., Lexington
Chas. M. Moore Insurance Agency Inc., Bowling Green
Louisiana
Dwight W. Andrus Insurance, Inc, Lafayette
Hub International Gulf South, Metairie
Risk Services – Leavitt Group, Shreveport
Maryland
Consolidated Ins + Risk Mgmt, Owings Mills
McGriff Insurance Services Inc. – Columbia, Columbia
Michigan
Larkin Group of Traverse City, Traverse City
Oakland Companies, Clarkston
Minnesota
AssuredPartners of Minnesota, LLC, Saint Paul
Hays Companies, Minneapolis
Mississippi
Bottrell Insurance, Jackson
Insurance & Risk Managers, Brookhaven
Ross & Yerger Insurance, Inc., Jackson
Missouri
SRA Insurance Agency LLC, Kansas City
W.E. Walker-Lakenan, Cape Girardeau
Nebraska
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc, Omaha
UNICO Group, Inc., Lincoln
North Carolina
SIA Group, Jacksonville
USI Insurance Services National Inc., Charlotte
Oklahoma
BancFirst Insurance Services Inc., Tulsa
Rich & Cartmill Inc., Tulsa
South Carolina
Anderson Insurance Associates, LLC, Charleston
Turbeville Insurance Agency, Inc., Columbia
South Dakota
Howalt McDowell Ins, a Marsh & McLennan Agcy LLC Co, Sioux Falls
Rhodes Anderson Insurance, Aberdeen
Tennessee
Commercial Insurance Associates LLC, Brentwood
- Smith Lanier, a Marsh & McLennan Agcy LLC Co, Knoxville
Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance, LLC, Memphis
Texas
Insgroup, Inc., Houston
MHBT, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Company, Dallas
Virginia
HRI Associates, Herndon
MidAtlantic Insurance Group LLC, Richmond
Wisconsin
Johnson Insurance Services, LLC, Mount Pleasant
Starr Insurance Group Ltd, Greenfield
Arkansas
5188 Automatic Sprinkler Installation & Drivers
3632 Machine Shop NOC
3724 Machinery or Equipment Erection or Repair NOC & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
8864 Social Services Organization – All Employees & Salespersons
Georgia
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
6217 Excavation & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
5183 Plumbing NOC & Drivers
Illinois
5221 Concrete or Cement Work-Floors, Driveways, Yards or Sidewalks-& Drivers
5190 Electrical Wiring-Within Buildings & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
8033 Store: Meat, Grocery and Provision Stores Combined-Retail NOC
Indiana
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center and Drivers
8868 College: Professional Employees & Clerical
3632 Machine Shop NOC
8018 Store: Wholesale NOC
Iowa
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
8116 Farm Machinery Dealer-All Operations & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
8864 Social Services Organization – All Employees & Salespersons
3126 Tool Mfg-Agricultural, Construction, Logging, Mining, Oil or Artesian Well
Kansas
3821 Automobile Recycling & Drivers
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
5645 Carpentry-Detached One or Two-Family Dwellings
5022 Masonry NOC
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
Kentucky
5437 Carpentry-Installation of Cabinet Work or Interior Trim
9052 Hotel: All Other Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
8869 Professional Employees: School or College
Louisiana
6217 Excavation & Drivers
8107 Machinery Dealer NOC-Store or Yard-& Drivers
3064 Sign Mfg-Metal
7219 Trucking: NOC-All Employees & Drivers
5445 Wallboard Installation Within Buildings & Drivers
Maryland
5190 Electrical Wiring-Within Buildings & Drivers
5022 Masonry NOC
9083 Restaurant: Fast Food
Michigan
8395 Automobile Repairs Facility
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
4484 Plastics Manufacturing: Molded Products NOC
9079 Restaurant NOC
Minnesota
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
5645 Carpentry-Detached One or Two-Family Dwellings
8293 Storage Warehouse-Furniture & Drivers
8006 Store: Grocery Retail, Includes Rural General Stores
7230 Trucking: Parcel or Package Delivery-All Employees & Drivers
Mississippi
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
6217 Excavation & Drivers
5479 Insulation Work NOC & Drivers
8033 Store: Meat, Grocery and Provision Stores Combined-Retail NOC
7231 Trucking: Mail, Parcel or Package Delivery-All Employees & Drivers
Missouri
7390 Beer or Ale Dealer-Wholesale & Drivers
5645 Carpentry-Detached One or Two-Family Dwellings
8842 Group Homes – All Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
5022 Masonry NOC
4299 Printing
7231 Trucking: Mail, Parcel or Package Delivery-All Employees & Drivers
Nebraska
9060 Club-Country, Golf, Fishing or Yacht-& Clerical
6325 Conduit Construction-For Cables or Wires-& Drivers
8842 Group Homes – All Employees & Salespersons, Drivers
5537 Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
9102 Park NOC-All Employees & Drivers
North Carolina
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
6217 Excavation & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
Oklahoma
3507 Construction or Agricultural Machinery Mfg
5537 Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
6306 Sewer Construction-All Operations & Drivers
5445 Wallboard Installation Within Buildings & Drivers
South Carolina
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
6217 Excavation & Drivers
7230 Trucking: Parcel or Package Delivery-All Employees & Drivers
South Dakota
8227 Construction or Erection Permanent Yard
5190 Electrical Wiring-Within Buildings & Drivers
8869 Professional Employees: School or College
4000 Sand Digging & Drivers
9063 Ymca, Ywca, Ymha or Ywha, Institution-All Employees & Clerical
Tennessee
5221 Concrete or Cement Work-Floors, Driveways, Yards or Sidewalks-& Drivers
0042 Landscape Gardening & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
9083 Restaurant: Fast Food
7219 Trucking: NOC-All Employees & Drivers
Texas
8234 Building Material Dealer-New Materials Only: All Others
3040 Iron or Steel: Fabrication: Iron Works-Shop-Ornamental-& Drivers
3724 Machinery or Equipment Erection or Repair NOC & Drivers
5183 Plumbing NOC & Drivers
7219 Trucking: NOC-All Employees & Drivers
Virginia
0042 Landscape Gardening & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
7231 Trucking: Mail, Parcel or Package Delivery-All Employees & Drivers
Wisconsin
8380 Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers
5190 Electrical Wiring-Within Buildings & Drivers
8835 Nursing-Home Health, Public and Traveling-All Employees
3629 Precision Machined Parts Mfg NOC
Pending Rate Changes
The following states have a pending rate change for Accident Fund. 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. Please check our website for updates.
| State | PROPOSED NCCI/Bureau Impact | Effective Date |
| Alabama | -6.4% | 03/01/19 |
| Alaska | -14.8% | 01/01/19 |
| Arizona | -7.9% | 01/01/19 |
| District of Columbia | -3.7% | 11/01/18 |
| Florida | -13.8% | 01/01/19 |
| Georgia | -8.9% | 03/01/19 |
| Hawaii | +4.7% | 01/01/19 |
| Illinois | -9.1% | 01/01/19 |
| Louisiana | -5.6% | 05/01/19 |
| Maine | N/A | 04/01/19 |
| Mississippi | -10.7% | 03/01/19 |
| Nebraska | -8.1% | 02/01/19 |
| Nevada | -8.1% | 03/01/19 |
| North Carolina | -15.9% | 04/01/19 |
| Pennsylvania | N/A | 04/01/19 |
| Rhode Island | -7.7% | 08/01/19 |
| South Carolina | -9.2% | 04/01/19 |
| Tennessee | -19.0% | 03/01/19 |
| Texas | -12.4% | 07/01/19 |
| Vermont | -5.1% | 04/01/19 |
| Virginia | N/A | 04/01/19 |
New Rates Now Available in eLink
Updated rates are now accessible in eLink for the following states:
| State | NCCI/Bureau Impact | Effective Date | Available in eLink as of: |
| Colorado | -16.7% | 01/01/19 | 12/07/18 |
| Connecticut | -16.8% | 01/01/19 | 12/07/18 |
| Delaware | -10.0% | 12/01/18 | 11/23/18 |
| Idaho | -4.2% | 01/01/19 | 10/26/18 |
| Indiana | -5.6% | 01/01/19 | 11/09/18 |
| Iowa | -9.2% | 01/01/19 | 10/26/18 |
| Kansas | -6.4% | 01/01/19 | 11/09/18 |
| Kentucky | -10.8% | 01/01/19 | 10/05/18 |
| Maryland | -6.9% | 01/01/19 | 10/19/18 |
| Minnesota | +1.2% | 01/01/19 | 10/19/18 |
| Missouri | -3.5% | 01/01/19 | 11/16/18 |
| New Hampshire | -14.0% | 01/01/19 | 11/23/18 |
| New Jersey | -5.3% | 01/01/19 | 11/02/18 |
| New Mexico | -5.0% | 01/01/19 | 10/12/18 |
| Oklahoma | -2.3% | 01/01/19 | 10/26/18 |
| Oregon | -9.7% | 01/01/19 | 10/19/18 |
| Utah | -8.1% | 01/01/19 | 11/02/18 |
Please be sure to discuss pricing options for all new business and renewals with your business development consultant.
Michigan
The Republican majority in the legislature is busy sending as many bills as they can to Republican Governor Rick Snyder before newly elected democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer takes office Jan. 1, 2019. Of importance to the industry is proposed Data Security legislation, HB6491. This bill establishes new carrier data security standards in an effort to protect consumer’s personal information and define reporting expectations to the Department of Insurance and Financial Services in the event of a data breach. A portion of the bill will require all carriers to execute a data security risk assessment of their contracted third-party service providers, which includes all agency partners. The most significant portions of the bill don’t take effect until 2021, so AF Group will work to formalize our third-party service provider risk process and communication strategy. AF Group anticipates the bill will become law.
Illinois
Newly enacted Senate Bill 1737, requires carriers to send employer and agency premium increase notifications on all Illinois policies issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2020, that have premium in excess of 5% of the rate recommendation filed with the Department. The industry has been working with Illinois Insurance Director Jennifer Hammer on the industry compliance challenges initiated by SB1737. As a result, the Department of Insurance issued a bulletin to provide guidance and attempt to reduce confusion.
South Carolina
Governor Henry McMaster announced this week that Ray Farmer will continue to serve as Director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance. McMaster stated “Because of his expertise and his unimpeachable reputation within the insurance industry, Director Farmer has been recognized by his peers across the country as one of the best in the business.” “Team South Carolina is stronger because of Director Farmer, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to work with him.” Click here for the full release.
