Comp Quotes

Invoice changes: a brief summary

Updates on our new policy and billing system

We’re well underway with testing of our new policy and billing system, with a planned implementation for new business late this year. We’ll begin converting renewal policies over to the new system in the first half of 2019, at the time of their renewals.

For a while both systems will be operating at the same time. Invoices will be generated from the system the term is written from, so in many cases a policyholder may receive two different invoices, one for the expiring term and another from the renewal term. These will not be duplicates—both will require action.

Over the course of this year we’ll continue to update you on this project. Throughout the transition, we’re committed to continuing our strong partnership with agents and providing exceptional service to our policyholders and injured workers.

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The SAIF Learning Center, our new training resource, is now live

SAIF policyholders can request access by visiting our trainings page on saif.com.

Our policyholders expressed interest in an online system that provides them and their employees with safety and health trainings and resources. They now have access to that—and a lot more—through our new learning management system.

The SAIF Learning Center is a proactive tool for workplace safety and health, risk prevention, and business management.

Agents access the system using your email address as your user name and "safety" as your temporary password. You won’t see specific policyholder training records, and CECs will be available in the future. If you have problems with the user name or temporary password, please call us at 503.373.8200, or email learningcenter@saif.com.

Other advantages

• It's accessible. Trainings can be accessed on any computer, any time.
• It's tailored to our customers' needs. Each training catalog includes items based on their relevance and necessity to a specific business.
• It's a helpful management tool. Automatic tracking helps maintain employee training records, HR requirements, and even allows employers to upload their own policies and procedures.

The training library within the LMS will continue to be updated with SAIF-produced content.

Want to know more? Check out our marketing document for more details, including how to sign up 

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NCCI to amend ER rules on ownership changes

The new trigger for revising an ERM will be the date the ownership change is reported.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) will be amending its experience rating rules related to ownership changes. The change applies to both interstate and intrastate experience rating modifications (ERMs).

The change has to do with the trigger NCCI uses to revise ERMs because of ownership changes. NCCI will begin using the date the ownership change is reported instead of when the ownership change occurred. With this change, they will revise ERMs back to the event of the ownership change or three years, whichever is later.

This rule change applies to all reported ownership changes on or after January 1, 2019, regardless of policy effective date. Keep in mind, NCCI rules require carriers to apply revised ERMs resulting from ownership changes. So, timely reporting of ownership changes will result in fewer revised ERMs and their potential negative impact.

If you have questions, please contact your underwriter or the service center. 

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Rule changes for worker leasing

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division (WCD) made changes to Oregon's worker leasing rules. The new rules took effect July 1, 2018, and may impact your worker leasing customers.

Leasing rules now exclude businesses when they only provide workers to “combinable” entities. Combinable means all entities share common majority ownership. WCD’s common majority ownership definition matches the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s.

Businesses meeting this criterion no longer need a license. If the business has a license, however, we have to write a PEO policy.

Please contact your underwriter to see how license termination could affect coverage.

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Idaho provides direction to Oregon employers on reciprocity

Employers must have an extraterritorial certificate on file in Idaho.

Recently Idaho’s Industrial Commission clarified its interpretation of Idaho’s reciprocity rules for Oregon workers temporarily working in Idaho. The commission has provided some direction to Oregon employers:

Prior to sending Oregon subject workers to work temporarily in Idaho, Oregon employers must contact SAIF to request an extraterritorial certification of insurance. SAIF will send the certificate to the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division, which will then send it to Idaho’s Industrial Commission.

The extraterritorial certificate must be on file in Idaho before the Oregon workers begin work in Idaho, and is valid for six months. A certificate may be renewed once for a maximum 12-month period.

Idaho will accept a new extraterritorial certificate filing only after there has been a significant break between expiration of the original extraterritorial certificate and a new certificate.

• Any Oregon worker may work in Idaho for up to 24 hours without the need for an ET certificate.
• If an Oregon worker is in Idaho more than 24 hours, an ET certificate must be in place.

If you have questions for coverage in Idaho, you can contact the Idaho Compliance Department at 208.334.6060 or your SAIF underwriter.

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News in brief

AGC retro checks to be mailed early August

Read the news release on this year’s AGC retro return. 

View the AGC Group retrospective timeline.

NCCI workshop in Portland, Oct. 30

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is hosting an agent education workshop in Portland on October 30.

Read all about it on the NCCI website.