BENEFITS AND UNDERWRITING
Group Size
Participation in a group program spreads your risk over a larger population. AGC has the second-largest group at $70M.
Refund potential increases with Safety and Light-Duty efforts
AGC distributes Retro refunds based 75% on individual performance and 25% on the company's contribution of premium to the refund. As a result of the distribution formula and AGC's low administrative fees (approximately 5% of the refund), AGC members have received refunds as high as 75 percent of their L&I premium. This performance-based refund approach ensures that those members who spend money up-front on safety-incentive programs, kept-on-salary practices and light-duty return-to-work efforts receive their highest refund potential!
Performance
AGC Retro's top-performing members have received back net-premium refunds averaging 51% and as high as 70-75% in years before the Department of Labor and Industries made changes to the Retro program. While we don’t expect to get back to individual net refunds in the 70% range, we do anticipate that we will continue to achieve outstanding results due to members' shared commitment to safety, light-duty accommodation, and claims management in conjunction with AGC safety and claims help.
AGC's program was set up as a service for AGC members and not for profit to the association. Because we only take what we need to run the program, our administrative fees are approximately 5% and include interest, compared to competing plans that take a straight percentage off the refund and charge quarterly fees.
Minimized Penalty Risk
In an individual program, if your losses exceeded your premium (after the L&I factors based on plan selections) you would be charged a penalty. In the AGC Group Retro program, if your losses exceed your premium, you are not assessed a penalty. The entire group would have to go into a penalty before any penalty would be incurred by an individual participant.
To ensure maximum performance for those investing in safety and return-to-work accommodation, we do put companies on notice if they have two negative years while we work to identify any trends in their losses and provide them with resources to help them improve their safety programs. We have disqualified firms in order to protect the integrity of the group and ensure continued peak performance.
Light-Duty Program Centers and Retraining Services
AGC has the most advanced temporary transitional light-duty services in the state and offers retraining programs for workers who cannot return to their job of injury. Click here for details.
Shared Commitment
As a member of AGC Group Retro, you would be among companies that are serious about safety. Retro members must qualify to be included on the AGC Safety Team®. Safety Team® qualification involves a job-site and paperwork audit to ensure that companies meet or exceed L&I safety standards. AGC Group Retro members must also have a return-to-work light-duty policy and agree to keep injured workers on salary for a minimum of thirty days, as well as work with AGC Retro claims consultants for a team approach to resolving claims. Members also meet at Retro Think Tank and annual events to discuss their current claims and exchange best loss-control practices.
While kept-on-salary practices alone are not effective and must be accompanied by meaningful light-duty work accommodation, there are times when, due to the situation on a particular claim, AGC does grant an exception to the kept-on-salary requirement.
Underwriting
Stringent underwriting is one of the key benefits of membership in AGC Group Retro. Complete underwriting criteria are:
- Must be an AGC of Washington member. However, Inland Northwest AGC members may contact Lauren Gubbe at 888.227.3876 and/or Stacy Mullane at 206.284.0061 for criteria and consideration for AGC of Washington Retro Membership.
- Must have an interview to assess the company's commitment to
- job-site safety and achievement of AGC Safety Team® membership;
- working with injured employees on return-to-work issues;
- working with AGC Retro and Safety Consultants to expedite resolution of
claim and safety issues; and
- implementation of a 30-day kept-on-salary practice, as well as a light-duty
return-to-work policy for a minimum of 66 days (in line with the L&I Stay-at-Work reimbursement) - An analysis of loss trends is provided for purposes of targeting safety efforts, and members will also receive resources and tools to assist them in reducing injury and/or occupational-disease claim frequency.
- The company's three-year L&I loss-history report is reviewed for premium and loss trends. The report must be in-line with the AGC Retro underwriting criteria established by an independent insurance underwriter and the AGC Retro Committee.
- AGC Safety Team® membership must be achieved within eleven months of enrollment qualification.
- The company must have a designated safety and claims contact person committed to work with AGC Safety and Retro consultants. This person is encouraged to attend AGC Retro meetings as well as Safety Forum events.
- Must complete the Application & Release form. This will enable us to obtain your L&I three-year Premium and Loss-History Report and provide you with the refund amounts you would have received had you been in the program. Additionally, this allows for review of your premium and loss trend to determine if your firm meets the underwriting criteria established by the independent underwriter and Retro Committee or if further review is indicated.
- If your company qualifies for enrollment, a one-time refundable $2,000 deposit is required. This deposit rolls over with each year you qualify for the AGC Retro program and is refundable at the time of your final Retro adjustment in the AGC plan.
- All AGC Retro members must re-qualify each year, based on achievement of AGC Safety Team® membership, three-year premium and developed loss-history trends, light-duty and thirty-day kept-on-salary efforts, and coordination and cooperation with AGC Retro and Safety staff regarding claims and safety issues.
- When re-qualifying, companies put on notice for performance have a full year to address any disqualification action. Unusual claim circumstances, L&I adjudication, etc. are taken into consideration when underwriting, and these issues may be reviewed with the independent underwriter and the Retro Committee.
