Georgia

Thursday, May 13 2010 - , , , , , - 0 comments

RLD Associates has expanded their premium audit services to GA. Go to www.rldassociates.com/insurance_field_services_territory/ to view the entire coverage area.

Annual Meeting

Monday, November 02 2009 - , - 0 comments

Once again, RLD Associates enjoyed another annual meeting. Each year premium auditors and staff get together from the entire company stretching as far south as South Carolina to meet near headquarters in PA. This year the meeting was held at the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racecourse outside of Harrisburg. As usual we had an excellent view of the races in the evening, and overall an outstanding time. The meeting included advanced training topics regarding premium audit procedures, as well as team building exercises. The staff benefited from a refresher on Shared Values brought to us by Peter...

PCRB Test Audit Success

Tuesday, September 01 2009 - , , , , - 0 comments

RLD Associates has received excellent news regarding the PCRB test audit program. If you currently participate in the program, or are interested in doing business in PA but are concerned about the test audit program, please see our latest newsletter. The article can be found by clicking on this link: PCRB Test Audit Success .

Pick Up All Payments

Friday, June 19 2009 - , , - 0 comments

In a recent report from the New York Times (full article here www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/nyregion/18hardhat.html ) 3 illegal aliens were paid $3.85 million for injuries on the jobsite. Courts are not only awarding settlements to illegals, but awarding large sums. Premium auditors should take note and be sure to investigate records thoroughly, and ask pointed questions when performing an audit to make sure all labor is picked up. This is part of the intensive RLD Associates training program....

Stop Work Orders and Misrepresentation of Employees

Friday, June 12 2009 - , , - 0 comments

When performing a premium audit one of the hardest things for an auditor to do is distinguish between independent contractors and subcontractors performing work for an insured. Besides legality, auditors may fell intimidated by forceful individuals that want their contracted labor left off the audit for premium purposes. In a step that may have a direct affect on these audits, the NJ legislation has passed a bill giving the director of the Division of Workers' Compensation power over certain contractors. The bill states that the director has the ability to issue stop work orders against contractors...

Temporary Furniture Store Wholesale

Friday, June 05 2009 - , , - 0 comments

The DCRB has added a new classification to their manual: 871 Employment Contractor – TEMPORARY FURNITURE STORE – WHOLESALE. This code will be applicable to temporary staff that is provided to customers with the classification 921.

NCCI Names New Board

Friday, May 15 2009 - , , - 0 comments

Bruce Kessler is the chief underwriting officer and executive vice president of ACE INA. Michael Klein is the president of Commercial Accounts for Travelers. Barbara Klein, joining the board as an independent member, is a former senior vice president and chief financial officer of Computer Discount Warehouse (CDW). Brian Melas is a senior vice president for Commercial Markets and manager, Commercial Markets Administration for Liberty Mutual. George M. Reider, Jr., also joining the board as an independent member, is a former insurance commissioner for the state of Connecticut and a prior president...

Delaware Code 815 becomes All Inclusive

Friday, May 01 2009 - , , - 0 comments

Anyone performing a premium audit on an auto repair shop understands the difficulty of classifying clerical employees. While there are disagreements regarding counter personell, pretty much everyone involved would consider it fair to classify a "true" clerical employee as 953. The DCRB has announced in a recent circular that due to "problematic issues" and "systematic misclassifications" that DE 815 will be all inclusive. This will certainly make life easier for the premium auditor. However will this punish a business for hiring a clerical employee that works in an...

Laptop in Car becomes Deadly Missile

Friday, April 24 2009 - , - 0 comments

Field auditors beware, and remember to secure your laptop. In the industry, we are technologically advanced, and we make sure to carry our laptops with us on our premium audits. In March, the Royal Canadian Police report that a lady was driving with a laptop in the back of her car. When she suddenly stopped, the laptop turned into a projectile, hitting her in the head, and killing her. While this type of case seems to be rare, I know the next time I'm on a premium audit, I'll think twice about where I put my laptop.

Fraud in California

Friday, April 17 2009 - , - 0 comments

In Los Angeles, two individuals were arrested for insurance premium fraud. They owned a janitorial business named Bell Building Company. Since 1998 they have been reporting to their insurance company that they were the only ones on payroll. However, they actually had a rather large company with hundreds working for them. The accusation leads to an estimate of over $4 million that the company should have paid to the carriers had they reported payroll honestly. Unfortunately this type of thing is easily avoided with a physical audit. Facts from the California Department of Insurance press release...

Incarcerated? Keep Your Workers Compensation Benefits

Friday, April 03 2009 - - 0 comments

In a case on 4/2/09, PA courts have affirmed that workers' compensation benefits can only be stopped after a conviction, and not when an injured worker is only incarcerated. The ruling was made even though the injured worker is removing himself from the work place, and even though the worker may plead guilty. The reasoning of the courts is that the injured worker is innocent until proven guilty.

Roofer’s Premium Nonpayment Unnecessary

Monday, March 30 2009 - , , , - 0 comments

An owner of a roofing company was charged with multiple counts regarding not paying workers compensation premiums. In order to mislead his insurance carrier he misclassified his employees by reporting them as carpenters rather than roofers, and filed false tax returns. Experts estimate over the course of five years the roofing company avoided paying approximately $119,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 29th, 2009. Don't allow this to happen to you. Be sure to hire a professional, detailed service company for your premium audits that understands how to ask thorough questions, review records...

WA No Longer Monopolistic?

Friday, March 13 2009 - , , - 0 comments

The Building Industry Association is calling for a reform in the way Washington does business regarding Workers Compensation. As you may know, Washington is currently a monopolistic state. The BIAW suggests converting Washington into a competitive state thus allowing private insurance companies to do business.

Minnesota Test Audit Results

Friday, February 20 2009 - , , - 0 comments

Minnesota test audit results have been released, and they are not good. Of the almost 300 voluntary audits that were selected, 53.7% were found to have differences. The assigned risk physical audits were not that much better at 39.4%. In addition, the assigned risk mail audits were sitting at a whopping 90.9%. While we do not currently work in Minnesota, this is still a testament to choosing a good service company with a strong test audit background.

PAMIC Mutual Insurance Day

Monday, January 12 2009 - , , - 0 comments

The Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (PAMIC) will again be hosting their annual “Mutual Insurance Day” on Capital Hill in Harrisburg. The dates of this event are February 2 nd and 3 rd . This event provides an opportunity to make new contacts, establish relationships and educate state legislators on issues of the mutual insurance business. The Educational Sessions at the Harrisburg Hilton on Monday, February 2 nd include the following: - Welcoming Remarks by Joel Ario, Insurance Commissioner of Pennsylvania - PA Insurance Department-2009 Legislative Agenda. Art...

Pennsylvania Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Members for 2009

Monday, January 12 2009 - , , - 0 comments

The Pennsylvania State Senate has announced the membership for the 2009 Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. The members for 2009 are as follows: - Chairman Senator Donald White (R-Armstrong, Butler, Clearfield, Indiana and Westmoreland) - Minority Chairman Senator Michael Stack (D-Philadelphia) - Committee Members: - Senator Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) - Senator Patrick Browne (R-Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton) - Senator Jake Corman (R-Centre) - Senator Jane Earll (R-Erie) - Senator Stewart Greenleaf (R-Bucks and Montgomery) - Senator John Rafferty (R-Berks, Chester and Montgomery) - Senator...