We recently received correspondence from Travelers Insurance stating a customer contacted them praising one of their Claim Professionals.

“Thank you so much for your professionalism and prompt response to  my communications. It has been a pleasure working with you to solve the issues surrounding this traumatic event. For that reason, I have recommended you and Travelers to our Homeowner’s Association.”

Here are a few claims benefits you could receive by placing your business with Travelers:

• 24 hour-7 day per week-365 days a year claim reporting
• Prompt contact and loss inspection by a local Travelers claim professional
• Timely loss adjustment (estimates are written at the customer’s home or business and left with the customer)
• High customer satisfaction scores

Please contact our office today to get your free, no obligation quote and receive the great customer service that Travelers and our other preferred carriers have to offer!

Andrea Frommelt
Personal Insurance
afrommelt@vanbeurden.com
Woodland • (530) 661-0666 ext. 19
Subscribe to Andrea's RSS Feed

Contact Andrea

Introducing a brilliant three-step Workers’ Comp premium payment strategy that can save you money: Van Beurden Insurance  is currently placing Workers’ Compensation accounts in The Hartford XactPay® system.

It’s the fastest growing payment format in the industry. More than 60% of all employers currently use some form of “instant” pay for their workers comp policy. The advantages are simple, no down payment, no monthly audits and minimal final audits.

The Hartford’s XactPAY® with Payality means you eliminate a large down payment, pay no late fees and your payroll costs are lower!

Click here to contact me today for more information.

Thanks

Mike

Mike Beall
Commercial Insurance
mbeall@vanbeurden.com
Woodland • (530) 661-0666 ext. 16
Subscribe to Mike's RSS Feed

Contact Mike

People who own valuable possessions such as jewelry, antiques, paintings and other fine arts need broader coverage than what a basic homeowner’s policy provides.

Although most homeowners’ insurance policies will pay for items damaged by losses such as fire and theft, scheduling these items expands coverage to protect additional losses such as mysterious disappearance, lost diamond, breakage, etc. (subject to a few common exclusions). The best news: you generally pay no deductible!

Don’t wait to get the protection you need on your most valuable possessions. Contact our office today and we can help you decide on the right coverage for the items that you value most.

Andrea Frommelt
Personal Insurance
afrommelt@vanbeurden.com
Woodland • (530) 661-0666 ext. 19
Subscribe to Andrea's RSS Feed

Contact Andrea

Here’s a very interesting and relevant question answered by HR Attorney Pamela Fyfe of Nonprofit Insurance Alliance Group at http://www.blueavocado.org/content/can-employees-smoke-medical-marijuana-work .

Mark O'Bryan, CWCA PWCA CISC
Commercial Insurance
mobryan@vanbeurden.com
Los Osos • (805) 503-4735
Subscribe to Mark's RSS Feed

Contact Mark

I’ve been doing my yearly rate reviews for expected increases, and, up to now,  Anthem has not had any.

HOWEVER, I just spoke with them today, and they told me to be on the lookout for September. I’m on the edge of my seat.

I have to say this also;  I have several clients with Blue Shield, and not only did they not get increases, they also don’t expect any soon! Am I in an alternate universe where they don’t raise rates? WOW! Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Sean Herndon
Employee Benefits
sherndon@vanbeurden.com
Kingsburg • (559) 634-7112
Subscribe to Sean's RSS Feed

Contact Sean

What happens if a dog or a cat is injured in a car accident while riding with you?

You may need help paying bills for the veterinarian or for medication.

One of our companies offers $1,000 worth of coverage — complimentary — if you purchase Collision Coverage for your vehicle.

Whenever your pet is injured during a claim that is covered by comprehensive of collision, $1,000 is available for any pets riding in your vehicle. There is no additional cost to you as long as you purchase Collision Coverage on at least one of your vehicles.

• The pet must be in the vehicle when injured.
• They will only pay up to $1,000 even if there are multiple pets injured.
• They will pay $1,000 if the pet dies as a result of the claim. You are not required to replace the pet.
• If the vehicle is stolen they will cover $1,000 death benefit only if there is a total theft of the vehicle while the pet is in it.

Please contact me for more details!

Ineke Van Beurden-McGraw
Personal and Farm Insurance
imcgraw@vanbeurden.com
Paso Robles • (805) 238-2181 ext. 102
Subscribe to Ineke's RSS Feed

Contact Ineke

According to information just received from a Travelers Insurance Company bulletin today 05/27/2010:

It appears that Congress will be adjourning without passing a bill that will reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) beyond May 31, 2010.  This means that the program WILL EXPIRE at midnight on May 31, 2010.

The Senate is not due to vote on the bill to extend the NFIP until at least Monday, June 7, 2010.  This means we will be faced with another lapse in statutory authority to issue or renew flood insurance policies pursuant to the NFIP.  Based on past experience, this lapse means that we will be unable to issue any new or renewal flood policies, or make coverage changes on existing flood policies after May 31, 2010.

FEMA has advised us to pend premium transactions received after May 31, 2010, until, and if, Congress and President Obama pass and sign the bill that re-authorizes the NFIP.  New and renewal policies or coverage changes will go into effect at the earliest date, which is consistent with the receipt of premium and waiting period rules of the NFIP and the expected extension of authority for the NFIP.  For applications made in connection with a mortgage loan, if the extension of the authority to issue flood insurance policies under the NFIP is granted retroactively, new policies will be issued effective as of the date of the loan closing.  Additionally, if Congressional extension is granted retroactively, any claim for insurable losses suffered from the effective date for the policy term will be honored by the NFIP, even if the authority is granted after the date of such losses.

In essence Congress has just made the business of closing a loan for homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area more difficult.  You would think by now they would have done something to deter this from happening again!  We will be up to date on all the idiosyncrasies of how to deal with the hiatus … give our office a call with any questions or concerns.

Aniek Ramsay
Personal Insurance
aniek@vanbeurden.com
Woodland • (530) 661-0666 ext. 18
Subscribe to Aniek's RSS Feed

Contact Aniek

The fact of the matter is, there is much confusion regarding the status of who actually is an independent contractor.

Despite rumors that the economy is slowly, very slowly rebounding, government entities nationally are in fiscal holes:

• The Obama administration estimates that there is up to $2.7 billion+ in unpaid Social Security, unemployment insurance and income taxes from employers and workers.
• The IRS has added 200 employment tax auditors and is reviewing its employer guidelines.
• The U. S Department of Labor is calling for 250 more Wage and Hour investigators.

The writing is on the wall. Because the Fair Labor Standards Act, judicial and regulatory decisions and IRS rules are vague and unclear could this not be construed an opportunity for additional revenues? Can state agencies be far behind as well as workers’ compensation carriers? This will happen with a national environment where one in five workers is considered an independent contractor, self-employed, free agent, freelancer, consultant, etc. With payroll cost savings up to one-third for this type of relationship, many employers consider this option.

Through Van Beurden’s Work Comp Navigator program, we provide appropriate resources for employers to review Independent Contractor status.

Establishing as much clarity as possible is essential to avoid costly additional premiums in workers’ comp as well as various fines, penalties and assessments from other regulatory agencies. Working with trained auditors — and performing audits myself — for years, I can unequivocally state it is always best to “be prepared.”

Van Beurden recommends that all employers considering or already involved in Independent Contractor relationships visit this issue with their labor attorney before something happens. We can provide referrals to established labor attorneys located throughout the United States.

Please contact me with your comments or questions. If you would like additional information, let me know.

Thank you for you interest in my blog.

Mark O'Bryan, CWCA PWCA CISC
Commercial Insurance
mobryan@vanbeurden.com
Los Osos • (805) 503-4735
Subscribe to Mark's RSS Feed

Contact Mark

According to the Travelers Insurance Agent newsletter just received:

The Senate was back in Washington yesterday and while they weren’t able to pass the bill yesterday that contains the extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the Senate has passed cloture by a vote of 60-30 on the motion to proceed to the short term extension bill (H.R. 4851).

This was an important first step in getting the NFIP reauthorized.  What this means is that the Senate will now have 30 hours to debate the bill.  We anticipate that the bill will be voted on later this week.

So hopefully the flood program will be back to “business as usual” sooner than later.   We continue to follow the guidelines set forth during the hiatus period.   Call us today if you have any questions!

Aniek Ramsay
Personal Insurance
aniek@vanbeurden.com
Woodland • (530) 661-0666 ext. 18
Subscribe to Aniek's RSS Feed

Contact Aniek