Washington Insurance CE: Changes to Roster Reporting

March 12, 2016 Washington

Washington Insurance CE

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner recently announced changes regarding Washington insurance CE practices for providers. These changes affect how the producer licensing department will monitor the reporting of late insurance CE rosters.

Late Washington Insurance CE Rosters

The Washington regulation WAC 284-17-272 (5) specifies that rosters submitted by providers must be uploaded electronically within 10 days of the course completion. Certificates of attendance must be provided to the producer no more than 10 days after the completion of a course. Any roster processed or certificate issued outside of ten days is considered late. Providers are obligated to report all completions irregardless of their timeliness. Providers in excess of ten late rosters in a twelve month period will be subjected to fines for the late rosters.

Tips for Washington Producers

  • Do your best to complete your Washington insurance CE requirements at least 10 days prior to your expiration date to ensure the provider will file in time for your renewal. It is not uncommon for producers to wait several weeks or days before their license expiration to complete their Washington insurance CE. These producers are relying on providers to report their completions in a timely manner so that they may renew their license. Plan accordingly if you are completing your training at the last minute. Producers who renew late are subjected to a late fee and will not be allowed to conduct business on an expired license.
  • Stay on top of the Washington approved course provider to make sure your credits are reported within the 10 day window. In the state of Washington, producers are able to upload their own completions but only when they have a valid certificate of completion. Producers may still be subject to delays if the provider has failed to report a class which the producer has filed using the certificate. InsuranceStudy only issues a certificate of completion once the credit is reported to the state as a best practice model. This ensures that the producer receives the requisite paperwork and that in doing so knows the record has posted to their transcript.
  • If you do not receive a certificate of completion or see your credits posted within 10 days of completion, follow up with the provider right then. I can’t tell you how many producers call us 1-2 years after a class looking for their credits or copies of certificates. Providers are required to keep on record all completions for a minimum of 5-7 years in most states. That doesn’t mean records are always easy to track down or interpret though. If  you are a producer calling a few days before your renewal then you may find it takes longer than that to resolve the issue. It may have been something simple like a married name didn’t match the license on file with the state, or your license number was transcribed wrong and couldn’t be posted originally. Providers should be making every effort to track down the producer and ensure credits are processed, but what if your email was transcribed wrong or your phone number wasn’t provided at registration? Producers who stay on top of their credits are more likely to renew quickly and without issue.
  • If there is Washington Insurance CE available for a program, take the CE. Many producers are known to decline CE at various events early in a compliance term thinking they have loads of time to complete their required Washington insurance CE requirement. Low and behold days before the license expiration you now find you are a few hours shy. Don’t put yourself in a position where you are debating the provider, or the OIC about whether you should be entitled to those credits now. Check your certificate and your transcript 10 days after a class to make sure everything is posted correctly.