The Connection Magazine The Connection Magazine | Page 8

UNDERWRITING What Brokers Are Asking: UNDERWRITING BY: KEVIN M. SNYDER, SENIOR MANAGER OF UNDERWRITING, A.I.M. MUTUAL & PATRICIA CARLO, UNDERWRITING ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR, A.I.M. MUTUAL WE RECENTLY asked our Underwriters and Underwriting Assistant (UA) teams to track the questions they get asked most often. Here are the top 10: For Assigned Risk and VDAC certificate of insurance requests (Massachusetts), brokers can set up an account and log in to the WCRIB Online Assigned Risk Services (OAR) website 24 hours a day. Certificate requests may also be sent to us at certificaterequest@ aimmutual.com. Loss run requests for Assigned and VDAC accounts should continue to be sent to certificaterequest@ aimmutual.com. How can I reduce workers’ compensation costs for my client? By providing a safe workplace and developing accident prevention strategies and return-to-work opportunities, employers can reduce their experience modification (and in Massachusetts, their ARAP surcharge). In turn, that can reduce workers’ compensation insurance costs. Where do I go with questions on the A.I.M. Mutual Web Portal? Contact Kelly O’Brien-Plante, Marketing Representative, at ko’[email protected]. What is experience rating? Experience rating uses past insurance experience to forecast or predict future claims. It takes the average loss experience, which is used to create the “manual rate,” and modifies that rate using actual claims experience. Experience rating is only one part of the overall workers’ compensation insurance pricing system. Where can I get a workplace Posting Notice in Spanish? Contact the Underwriter or Underwriting Assistant associated with your account or download it from the Forms Library at aimmutual.com. What if my client does not fill out the renewal questionnaire? The renewal questionnaire helps us determine premiums. If we do not receive new payroll estimates, then we rely on the payroll on the current policy. If there is an increase in payroll at the time of audit, then we will conduct a review to determine if a premium adjustment is needed. What is the Massachusetts ARAP? The All Risk Adjustment Program (ARAP) is a surcharge for experience-rated policies with a record of losses greater than expected under the Experience Rating Plan. Experience-rated employers with multistate operations are subject to the ARAP surcharge for that portion of the policyholder’s operations located in Massachusetts. The ARAP factor is calculated using Massachusetts claims and expected claims. The ARAP surcharge is applied to the Massachusetts portion of the premium only. What is needed to do a broker change? We need a Broker of Record letter signed by the insured appointing you as the new broker. Send it to the contact listed on your policy service sheet. I no longer need a Waiver of Subrogation. How do I get it removed from my policy? Simply submit an endorsement request to us. How do I become a broker with A.I.M. Mutual? A.I.M. Mutual is a monoline workers’ compensation insurance carrier licensed in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut. Contact Kevin Snyder, Senior Manager-Underwriting, at [email protected] for more information on broker appointments. How do I get a certificate of insurance or loss runs? Loss runs can be obtained by accessing our web portal. Certificates of insurance can be obtained by sending a request to [email protected]. KEVIN M. SNYDER is A.I.M. Mutual’s Senior Manager of Underwriting responsible for operations in New England. He has been with A.I.M. Mutual since 2010 and previously was a Treaty Reinsurance Broker with Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC. In addition toworkers’ compensation, he has experience in personal and other commercial lines of business. PATRICIA CARLO is A.I.M. Mutual’s Underwriting Assistant Supervisor responsible for the team providing broker, policyholder, and underwriting support services. She has been in workers’ compensation customer service since 1995, supervising the expanded function since 2015. 8