Big I Virginia E-News
May 16, 2019
Welcome

Agencies:

Homestead Ins Grp Winchester, VA
Hecht Ins Advisors LLC Staunton, VA
Cary-Wheeler & Assocs Henrico, VA

 Associates:

Utica First Ins Co Mechanicsville, VA
Hilb & Partners LLC   Richmond, VA
From the Desk of the President & CEO
  
 
I used to work for a association where the state president wanted to dictate his board report “to my girl”…who just happened to be our accountant and I told him he’d have to dictate his report to me.  At the same time, we had a treasurer who told me that he would not come to the office, “just e-mail me the financial statements.”
IIAV Member Resources
Who’s your primary or secondary payor, your group health plan or Medicare? Many people who have reached the age of 65 do not fully enroll in Medicare. This can be very problematic for certain consumers of health care. Generally, when an employer has less than 20 employees, their health insurance carrier pays on a secondary basis and Medicare pays first. If you are 65 and not fully enrolled in Medicare, this can create a large gap in coverage. It is important to know your group’s coordination of Medicare benefits and who pays first. Please contact me with any questions.
Monty Dise, President 
Asset Protection Group, Inc. 
mdise@apgroupinc.com 
804-423-7700
  

How to Use LinkedIn Mobile Find Nearby

LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with others in the industry, your clients, and to find and research prospects. LinkedIn is continuing to update and improve its platform. In today’s issue, I want to share with you a cool tool in the LinkedIn mobile app called Find Nearby.

The Security You Need. The Name You Trust.
Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies®
Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies are rated A+ “Superior” by A.M. Best (as of 4/20/2021) and backed by the financial strength of our ultimate parent, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.  In Virginia, we offer a full product suite for your commercial clients that includes a Businessowner’s Policy (with typical limits up to $20 million; $50 million for select classes), Commercial Auto, Commercial Umbrella, Professional Liability, and Workers’ Compensation.  “Pay-as-you-go” billing options are also featured.
Learn more
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State & National News
Virginia not only took home the NCAA National Championship but is number one in the country for Most Financially Literate States in a survey done by PropertyCasualty 360. Click Learn more to see the full list!
  
Hagerstown, MD - The Brethren Mutual Insurance Company is pleased to announce George Dioguardo joined the company as Director of Claims, effective April 16, 2019. In his position, he is responsible for overseeing the Company’s Claims operations and its 28-member staff.
PORTAGE, MICHIGAN, APRIL, 2019 – J.M. Wilson is honored to be recognized by Insurance Business America as being a ‘5 Star Wholesale Broker & MGA’. Retail insurance producers were surveyed by Insurance Business America to rate Wholesale Brokers and Managing General Agencies on the importance of key aspects they look for in an MGA, including: underwriting responsiveness/turnaround time, technical expertise and product knowledge, range of products, compensation, claims and marketing support, technology/automation, and communication. Producers awarded 27 MGA’s with the prestigious ‘5 Star’ status, with J.M. Wilson being one of them.
RT Specialty - Richmond
IIAV News
  
Best business decision: “Convincing my now-business partner, Sherwood Bowditch, to come join Winters-Oliver in 2013 with the understanding that we would eventually have the opportunity to captain our own ship. He’s been a fantastic partner and a big reason for our agency’s success.”
Trusted Choice® has created and updated a Distracted Driving Campaign to help raise awareness about this important issue. There are new video and magazine content pieces now available. Utilize your membership and build your brand and start a campaign with your Insureds!
The Annual Meeting for IIAV has been designated June 23 at 1:00 pm during the regularly scheduled IIAV Board of Directors meeting. During this meeting the slate of officers and directors for the FY 2019/20 year will be recorded.  Member agencies will receive electronic ballots in mid-June. All members are invited to attend the Annual Meeting but we ask that you RSVP to Bob Bradshaw – IIAV President & CEO and Secretary for the Corporation at Rbradshaw@iiav.com if you plan to attend. The Convention itself will honor and recognize the current chairman – Hunter Odom and welcome our incoming chairman – Dennis Winfree. At this point, there are no anticipated Bylaw amendments proposed for the association.
WASHINGTON (April 10, 2019) — The membership of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) voted unanimously to create a task force focused on long-term care insurance market stability. The group will report to the NAIC Executive (EX) Committee. The vote took place during a joint meeting of the Executive Committee and Plenary on Tuesday during the Spring 2019 National Meeting in Orlando.
 
The first meeting of the Long-Term Care Insurance (EX) Task Force is tentatively scheduled to be held in Kansas City during the NAIC Insurance Summit the week of June 3rd. Virginia Insurance Commissioner Scott A. White will chair the task force and Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway will serve as vice chair. Full membership is still under consideration and all members have been invited to participate. Lead regulators from the states of Florida, Idaho, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia were instrumental in the formation of the new task force and its charges which follow:
On-demand food delivery services offer an alternative for drivers who want to make money driving but who don’t want to take part in ride-sharing, or who drive an older vehicle. Transporting meals, though, requires different insurance coverage than transporting people. Are you properly covering your insureds?

Q: I have heard you speak about offering Student Loan Repayment as a benefit.  How would this work?  Is there any tax favorability to it?

Upcoming Events
We know you're busy. The phone calls, appointment cancellations, endless days without a lunch break...you know the drill.
 
We are here to put your mind at ease. We know that if you choose to be out of the office, that choice needs to be worth your time.
 
The list of what you will experience at the 2019 Annual Convention is long – so we’re going a different route. Instead, check out this list of things we DON’T have planned for you.
Agency Systems
Penn National Insurance
Education
Your role in assisting your clients is crucial. Join us May 20-24, 2019 for Personal Lines Week. All courses offered at member pricing. Click learn more to see all courses offered.
 
New hire season is here! You put so much time in selecting the candidates, interviewing and proposing the offer. It’s not done yet! Next up…the real planning – their first day, week, month, three months etc.
In consideration of your strong support for NLP Online Learning and Risk Solutions IQ, New Level Partners will offer a complimentary RSIQ registration to any member registering two participants – i.e.- two registrants for the cost of one. At the individual registration cost of $750 - Risk Solutions IQ is still one of the very best coverage education values available, especially among programs offering ‘live’ virtual instruction!
  • The learning experience integrates four (4) interactive, expert instructor ‘Live Learning’ case study sessions on Property, CGL and Workers Compensation…
  • Plus 25 hours of self-paced assignments including New Level Partners’ industry-leading online courses plus Coverage and Risk Management case scenarios!
 Risk Solutions IQ™ was designed from the ground-up as an effective, convenient and cost-efficient solution for new hires – prior programs have included both sales and support team members.