Connecticut Insurance Department

Transcription

1 Connecticut Insurance Department CONTINUING EDUCATION INFORMATION HANDBOOK For the biennium beginning February 1, 2002 and ending January 31, 2004

2 Contents Introduction... 1 Background... 1 Description of the Parties Involved with CE... 1 Insurance Department... 1 Experior... 2 Sponsors... 2 Instructors... 2 General Information... 3 Grievance and Appeals Process... 8 Quick-Reference Contact Guide... 9 Approved Courses Course Attendance Course Completion Nonresident CE Requirement Connecticut Resident Producers Licensed in Other States Producer Notifications Consequences of Failing to Meet Your CE Requirement Connecticut Insurance Department Request for Extension Form This handbook provides information about the Connecticut Insurance Continuing Education (CE) Program. After reviewing it, you may contact Experior by at CE-Services@experioronline.com or by phone at ; or contact the Connecticut Insurance Department at for further information. An Important Program Change Requests for extensions for the biennium ending January 31, 2004 must be submitted to the Department to be received by January 31, Extensions will be granted only for good cause as determined under guidelines established by the Department. Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies Sections 38a-782a-1 to 38a-782a-17 require an insurance producer licensed in Connecticut to comply with CE requirements in order to prevent the suspension of his or her license and ability to do insurance business in this state. A complete description of your CE requirements and how this determines your eligibility to maintain your license is covered in later sections of this handbook. The Connecticut Insurance Department has the authority and responsibility for administering the CE program and ensuring that you satisfy all statutory and regulatory provisions. Although other parties are involved with the CE program, you may contact the Department whenever you have a concern about any aspect of the program. The Department requests that you put concerns in writing and mail them to: Introduction Background Description of the Parties Involved with CE Contact Experior for Connecticut CE Information Phone: Fax: TDD User: State of Connecticut Insurance Department Licensing Division Attn: CE Administrator P.O. Box 816 Hartford, CT Insurance Department Published by Experior Assessments, LLC., Providing Administrative Services for the Connecticut Insurance Department Copyright 2002 by Experior Assessments, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1

3 Experior Sponsors Instructors Experior Assessments, LLC (Experior ). The Department has selected Experior to perform certain administrative tasks relating to the CE program. These tasks include reviewing sponsor and instructor qualifications and course content; recommending credit-hour assignments for courses; recording the completion of CE requirements by producers and processing of extension requests and course audits. Experior also regularly conducts unannounced, on-site audits of sponsors, courses and instructors presenting approved Connecticut CE courses. The purpose of these audits is to ensure full compliance with established Connecticut CE regulations. Audits are your assurance that Experior and the Department are making every effort to confirm that the courses you take are being conducted in accordance with those regulations. Experior serves as the first point of contact if a producer has questions about courses completed and total credit hours achieved. The Department recommends that you make initial inquiries and requests to Experior. You may contact Experior by phone: ; fax: ; or via Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD): You may also send to Experior at CE-Services@experioronline.com. You can check your credits and compliance status as well as view approved course lists at Experior s Web site: www. experioronline.com. Sponsors provide the CE courses that you will be completing. Sponsors may be any one of a number of entities, such as a training school, college or university, producer or other professional association/organization, or an insurance company or agency. You can expect to receive mailings from sponsors advertising their courses. Sponsors apply for registration and approval to offer courses. Sponsors determine whether the course will be self-study or classroom presentation. It is important for you to 1) confirm with the sponsor that the Department has approved the course you want to take for CE credit in Connecticut, 2) confirm the type of credits for which the course is approved, and 3) confirm the level of difficulty. The sponsor will report your course completion within 15 calendar days of course completion to Experior so that you receive credit for the course. Instructors work for the sponsor and are responsible for course presentation. Instructors must satisfy certain education or experience requirements in order to qualify as an instructor. If you believe an instructor did a substandard job of presenting the course material, please provide your comments to the course sponsor and to Experior. The following section will provide summary answers to some commonly asked questions relating to Connecticut CE. 1. When does the CE reporting period begin and end? The CE reporting period begins February 1, 2002 and ends January 31, Who is required to comply with the CE requirement? Generally, all producers must satisfy the CE requirement. There are a few exceptions: Producers who have never held a Connecticut license and are licensed within the last 12 months of the biennium (February 1, 2003 to January 31, 2004) are exempt from meeting the CE requirements for that biennium. However, producers who have never held a Connecticut license and are licensed in the first 12 months of the biennium (February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2003) are required to complete 12 credit hours of CE. Nonresident producers who were issued a Connecticut nonresident producer license on or after February 1, 2003, do not have to take any specific action to comply with their CE requirement for the biennium ending January 31, Producers who hold only limited lines of authority. These include Credit and Travel. Surety bail bond agents also have no CE requirement. 3. Do the current lines on my license determine which courses I must take? Yes. You must earn a minimum of six credits for each line of authority you hold and a minimum of three credits in Connecticut insurance law/regulations/ethics. Lines of authority are: life/health, property/casualty and personal lines. 4. How many credit hours must I earn? Producers who are licensed prior to February 1, 2002 must earn a minimum of 24 hours of CE credits each biennium. * Of this total, a minimum of three credit hours must be Connecticut insurance law/regulations/ethics. * In addition, a minimum of six credit hours is required for each line of authority a producer holds. Once the General Information 2 3

4 three-credit law/regulations/ethics requirement and the six-credit line-specific requirements are met, the remaining credits to fulfill the total requirement may come from law/regulations/ethics credits or line-specific credits from other lines of authority. For example, a producer who holds only a life and health line of authority could become compliant by earning four law/regulations/ ethics credits, six life and health credits, and 14 property and casualty credits. Producers who are initially licensed during the first 12 months of the biennium (February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2003) are only required to earn 12 credit hours of CE during this biennium. Producers subject to the 12-credit requirement must earn a minimum of three law/regulations/ ethics credits and three credits for each line of authority he or she holds. Any remaining credits to fulfill the total requirements may come from law/regulations/ethics credits or from any line-specific credits. Prior to reinstating their licenses, producers shall be required to complete the deficient continuing education for the previous biennium and complete 24 credit hours of continuing education for the present biennium. 5. When must I comply with the state s CE requirement for this biennium? All producers must complete their CE requirement by January 31, It is recommended that your course work be completed by November 1, 2003 in order to renew and receive your license in a timely manner. 6. May I receive an extension to complete CE requirements? An extension may be granted for good cause. If you submit a Request for Extension form (found on Page 13) to the Department by January 31, 2004, you will be considered for an extension. The Department must receive all Request for Extension forms by the close of business on January 31, The Department will reject Request for Extension forms received after that date regardless of when they were postmarked. For your convenience, Experior will mail a notice of noncompliance approximately 180 days and 60 days before the end of the biennium to each producer not yet in compliance. The extension does not reduce the credit requirement for the following biennium. 7. How do I find which courses the Department has approved? A list of approved courses generally open to the public is available at Experior s Web site: Specialized lists can be requested by type of credits, course content, number of credits, etc. Producers may also call Experior at and request a full list by faxback. The list includes the level of ability (basic, intermediate or advanced) provided by the sponsor. 8. Must I bring a picture identification to class? Yes. You must present picture identification to the course administrator or instructor as part of the attendance procedure for classroom courses. 9. If I earn more than the required number of credits this biennium, may I use the extra credits in the next biennium? No. You may not carry credits over from one biennium to the next. 10. May I receive credit for taking the same course twice in the same biennium? No. If you have previously received credit for the course during the biennium, Experior will send a Rejection of Course Credits notice to you. However, you may retake the course in the next biennium and receive credit. Students attending classroom courses in preparing for a professional designation may receive credit for the classroom hours or for passing the exam but not both. The classroom credits are applied to the biennium in which the course is completed. The self-study credits are applied to the biennium in which the examination is passed. 11. Will adding an additional line of authority to my license affect my CE requirement? The standard line(s) of authority you hold at the beginning of the biennium (February 1, 2002) is used to determine the requirements you must meet. If you have a standard producer license and add another standard line, your linespecific credit requirement will not change until the next biennium. Similarly, if you drop a line, it will not reduce or change your requirement until the next biennium. If you previously qualified for exemption by holding only a limited lines license and you add a standard line of authority, you will be subject to the same requirements outlined in Question 4 above. 4 5

5 12. May I earn credit for teaching an approved CE course? Yes. Instructors of approved CE courses will earn the same number of credit hours for instructing as the students receive for successfully completing the course. Credit for teaching is subject to the rules regarding duplicate courses within the same licensing period as outlined in the answer to Question Am I required to report my CE credit hours? No. You do not have to report your CE credit hours. The course sponsor is responsible for reporting your CE course credits to Experior. A Connecticut-approved course sponsor must report your course completion to Experior within 15 calendar days of course completion. Experior will, in turn, report your CE compliance to the Department. Do not send course completion certificates to Experior or to the Department; sponsors provide them for your personal records only. Keep your course completion certificates as evidence of your compliance. Be sure to notify sponsors of national designation or multi-state courses for which you need Connecticut CE credits and request that they submit a roster to Experior. 14. How do I know the course sponsor is reporting my CE? You may verify your credits using Experior s Web site: and also through Experior s interactive voice response (IVR) system by calling Be prepared to supply your Social Security number. You may request a faxback confirmation of your status with a transcript. 15. How will I know when I have earned enough credits to reach compliance? Experior will mail a notice to your address of record as provided by the Department. It is crucial that you inform the Department any time your address changes. all address changes to ctinsdept.licensing@po.state.ct.us. You may also verify your credits on Experior s Web site or through Experior s interactive voice response (IVR) system by calling What must I report to the Insurance Department? There is nothing for you to report. Sponsors report your credits to Experior by sending in a roster when a course is completed. Experior will report your compliance to the Department when you satisfy the requirements. Upon completion of the course, approved Connecticut course sponsors are required to give you a course completion certificate for your records. You should retain these certificates for the current and previous biennium. The Department may ask to see your course completion certificates should a dispute arise regarding the number of hours credited to your record. Do not send them to the Department unless specifically requested to do so. These course completion certificates are your proof that you took the courses. 17. Whom should I notify if my address changes the Department or Experior? all address changes to the Department at ctinsdept.licensing@po.state.ct.us. Experior does not process address changes. You must inform the Department within 30 days of a change in your residential or business addresses. 18. What happens if I fail to earn enough credits to satisfy the CE requirement by the end of the biennium? If you have not satisfied the CE requirements by January 31, 2004 or have not received an extension, the Department will suspend your insurance producer license for a minimum of 90 days. If you received an extension and did not satisfy the CE requirement by the end of the extended time period, the Department will immediately suspend your license. Be aware that if the Department suspends your license: your authority to sell insurance in Connecticut is suspended; the Commissioner will not lift the suspension for at least 90 days from the date of suspension; you will not be removed from suspension until you have completed the CE requirement for the period in which you were deficient; completing the CE requirement and removing the suspension does not reduce the CE requirements for the new biennium; and the Department will not approve new appointments while you are suspended. 19. If I request an extension, how are excess credits earned during the extension handled? Once courses with sufficient credits for compliance in the extension period are completed and reported to Experior, credits from courses reported later will apply to the biennium 6 7

6 ending January 31, Excess credits, if any, from the individual course that was sufficient to produce compliance will not be applied to the new biennium. Quick-Reference Contact Guide Grievance and Appeals Process If you feel that any decision made by the Department or its administrator has been unfair, improper or incorrect, you may appeal. The Department suggests that your first action should be sending a letter to Experior describing your situation, the actions you have taken to resolve your situation and your desired solution. Include your full name, residential address, Social Security number and daytime telephone number. Experior will attempt to resolve the issue through written or phone communication. Experior s address is: Experior Assessments, LLC Attn: Connecticut CE 1360 Energy Park Drive St. Paul, MN If you are dissatisfied with Experior s response, you may appeal directly to the Department. Again, your appeal should be in the form of a letter describing the problem and your desired solution, including the personal information described above. Contact the Department through the following address: CE Grievances Connecticut Insurance Department Licensing Attn: CE Administrator P.O. Box 816 Hartford, CT Action To request a Producer CE Information Handbook To request a list of approved courses To check on your credits or compliance status To receive information on becoming a CE sponsor To discuss a 180- or 60-day notice To make an address change To discuss a license suspension Contact or or or or the Connecticut Insurance Department within 30 days at ctinsdept.licensing@po.state.ct.us Call the Connecticut Insurance Department To make a Social Security number correction or name change Send fax to the Connecticut Insurance Department at State of Connecticut Insurance Department Licensing Division Attn: CE Administrator P.O. Box 816 Hartford, CT

7 Approved Courses Course Attendance Only courses that Experior has reviewed and the Department has approved for CE credit will be accepted as satisfying Connecticut CE requirements. If you wish to receive an updated list of courses approved for Connecticut CE, access Experior s Web site at or contact Experior and one will be mailed or faxed to you. Note: Courses taught and/or completed before being approved for Connecticut CE will not be eligible for CE credit. Courses approved in other states will not apply to your Connecticut requirement unless the same course was also approved for Connecticut when you took the course. You should confirm with your sponsor before taking the course that the Department has approved it. You must present photo identification to the course administrator upon entering a class. Attendance at classroom courses will affect how many credits you may receive. Courses approved for six credits or fewer: Producers must attend 100 percent of the class time to receive any credit hours. Courses approved for seven credits or more: If an examination is not required as part of the course: * Producers who attend 100 percent of the course will receive 100 percent of the assigned credit hours. * Producers who attend at least 80 percent but less than 100 percent of the course will receive 70 percent of the assigned credit hours. If an examination is required as part of the course: * Producers who pass the examination and attend at least 80 percent of the course will receive 100 percent of the assigned credit hours. * Producers who do not pass the examination and attend at least 80 percent of the course will receive 70 percent of the assigned credit hours. Course sponsors are required to provide you with a course completion certificate. Your instructor(s) or course sponsor will give you your certificate at the end of each course. No credit will be given for taking courses that are not approved for Connecticut s CE program. A course completion certificate is your proof that you have completed the required courses. It is your responsibility to acquire, keep and safeguard them for the current and preceding biennium. The Department has the right to request your course completion certificates to verify your attendance and successful completion of approved CE courses. Sponsors of approved Connecticut CE courses must report within 15 calendar days to Experior your successful completion of the course(s) you took and the number of credits you earned. Experior will mail a notice to you when you have earned enough credits to be in compliance. Experior will also notify the Department when you have completed your CE requirements, typically within 48 hours of processing. Producers holding nonresident licenses in Connecticut are subject to a CE requirement and may meet it by sending Experior an original home state letter of certification dated August 1, 2003 or later along with a $25 fee payable to Experior Assessments. If a nonresident producer fails to provide this documentation, he or she will be suspended for at least 90 days and will not be eligible for renewal or reinstatement until he or she demonstrates proof of compliance. Instructions and a form for submission of the letter of certification will be sent to nonresident producers with the 180-day notice to be sent on August 1, Submissions must be received by Experior by February 5, Nonresident producers who were issued a Connecticut nonresident producer license on or after February 1, 2003 do not have to take any specific action to comply with their CE requirement for the biennium ending January 31, Course Completion Nonresident CE Requirement 10 11

8 Connecticut Resident Producers Licensed in Other States Producer Notifications Consequences of Failing to Meet Your CE Requirement Resident producers will need to show compliance in Connecticut when applying for or renewing licenses elsewhere. Resident producers will be able to demonstrate CE compliance to the other states by the same means currently used to confirm licensure, i.e., the letter of certification. Visit the Connecticut Insurance Department Web site at Click on Licensing and find Certification Letters, Clearance Letters, Duplicate Licenses. The Department will notify producers who have not yet met the CE requirement 180 days and again 60 days before the end of the biennium. These notices will remind the producer of the resident or nonresident requirements. Producers not yet in compliance by December 1, 2003 will receive a notice that failure to comply will result in suspension of their license. Additionally, each producer who has not met his or her CE requirement by January 31, 2004 and not received an extension will also receive a notice (at the end of the biennium) informing him or her of the license suspension. You may avoid suspension of your license by presenting evidence of compliance to the Department before your license expires. Evidence of compliance is the notice from Experior stating that you are in compliance. The Department will not suspend your license if you prove that you have successfully completed your CE requirement. If you are suspended or nonrenewed, you must complete the following items as indicated to receive a new license. For suspensions, you must complete the deficient number of credit hours from the previous licensing period. If more than two years have passed, you will be subject to prelicense education and examination and any other license requirements in effect at that time. For nonrenewals, you must submit a completed new producer application. Since company appointments held under the previous license would have been terminated, the producer must apply for new appointments. Connecticut Insurance Department Request For Extension A six-month extension (ending July 31, 2004) may be granted to producers for good cause. With the availability of self-study and other non-classroom courses, there will be very few insurance producers who will be deemed incapable of completing CE requirements. Acceptable reasons are: Medical condition within the last 6-12 months of the biennium which would prevent completing CE requirements. Serious illness or death of immediate family member within the last six months of the biennium. Extended military active duty during the last 12 months of the biennium. Exceptional circumstances not outlined above. Documentation must be submitted with all extension requests. Requests based upon such reasons as insufficient time, administrative problems, improper actions by managers, employees, secretaries, etc., or ignorance of the requirements for CE will be denied. Be advised that an extension does not reduce the continuing education requirements for the next biennium. Social Security Number Name (Please Print) Resident Address (Street) License Number City State ZIP Code Residence Phone Number (include area code) Business Phone Number (include area code) Signature Requests for Extension must be received by the Department no later than January 31, 2004 for the biennium ending January 31, You must still submit your renewal application and fees prior to January 31, Send Request for Extension form and documentation to: State of Connecticut Insurance Department Attn: Licensing CE Extensions P.O. Box 816 Hartford, CT Date 12 13