COURSE INFORMATION

General Information

• Providers must specify the method of instruction for credit to be awarded.
• One copy of the actual course materials must accompany all course filings. The information must be on either CD-Rom, IBM formatted diskettes and/or Internet access to materials if a web-based program.
• Each course is evaluated and audited against a specific set of criteria.
• Providers have 30 days from a course approval to appeal a decision if the final determination is different than that requested on the application, without fee, only if the course was approved. All other appeals require payment of another course filing fee and a new application.
• Dual credit is not awarded for both passing the exam and time spent in class.
• No credit for partial attendance or partial completion of course work is allowed.
• Courses expire 2 years from the approval/effective date. New applications, fees and supporting documentation are required should the course be offered in the future.
• Courses must be “active” at the time the licensee completes the course to receive credit.
• Course may not be advertised without formal written approval of the course

Method of Instruction

The course purpose or summary/description must be included on the Table of Contents or the Content Outline. It must be sufficiently detailed to justify each credit hour requested by: (a) the content to the proposed time component, page and/or screen counts and total word count; (b) what specific material will be covered; and/or (c) how that material "increases the knowledge of insurance and related subjects" for the licensee.

Self-Study/Correspondence

• Includes all textbook/written materials, Internet/virtual learning (Web-based), computer-based training (CBT) courses and any teleconferences that do not have a disinterested third party monitoring the program will fit in this group.
• Completion of course work is required
• Passage of a prescribed exam is required.
• Exam certification is required.

Supporting Documentation

• Detailed Table of Contents is required
1. Textbook/written format must include detailed subject matter with page numbers and total word count after deducting introductions, how to use this program; glossaries, table of contents, indices, exams; chapter summaries/reviews.
2. Computer-based training, whether CD-Rom or Web-based, must include detailed subject matter with the number of screens and total word count after deducting introductions, how to use this program; glossaries, table of contents, indices, exams; chapter summaries/reviews.
• Exam administration procedures, including:
1. Sample exam certification form is required for certifying with a disinterested third party that the licensee completed the prescribed exam without assistance.
2. One copy of the written procedures for implementing and monitoring the disinterested third party, including who qualifies to certify licensee’s statement, how will the provider identify violators and how the provider report this matter to our office.
• Course work must be approved for a provider to administer an exam and award credit.
• A passing score of at least 70 percent must be earned.
• Licensees must attend the entire approved hours.
• Sample sign-in/sign-out sheet including at a minimum the licensee’s name and number, provider name and number, the course name and number, whether course is for CE or PE, time signed in, time signed out and date of course offering.

Classroom Attendance

• Credit is awarded for actual hours spent in a monitored classroom.
• An exam is not required for the award of CE credit.
• Providers are directly responsible for the course presentation as approved.
• Providers must staff classroom sites.
• Attendance must be monitored.
• Providers must protect licensees from identify theft.
• Instructors may earn credit the same as approved classroom program for licensees of the course only once during any one review period and if the instructor teaches the entire course.

Course Topics

• Section 1204c(5) identifies eligible topics.
• The following topics are examples of subjects that will NOT qualify:
• Prospecting
• Motivation
• Sales
• Psychology
• Computer training
• Office skills training
• Time management
• Telephone skills
• Health/stress/exercise
• Telemarketing or other marketing instructions

Ethics Course Guidelines

Supporting Documentation
Content Outline or table of contents must contain the course purpose and summarize the content of the course, including the main and pertinent topics. Any information received that does not replicate or provide more detail will be rejected and a new filing fee will be required.
One copy of the actual course materials must accompany the detailed outline. Any written, video, and/or audio programs must be submitted in an electronic format, not limited to CD-Rom and/or internet access for a web-based program.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Self-Study/Correspondence Course

This course addresses most aspects of the nonqualified annuity including the definition of an annuity, the parties to an annuity contract and the standard provisions found in a nonqualified contract.
The course considers the differences and similarities among the various types of annuities, including single premium annuities, flexible premium annuities, fixed annuities, equity-indexed annuities, etc.
The uses of the nonqualified annuity in estate and retirement planning, the annuity alternatives, and in-depth treatment of he income tax, estate tax and gift tax consequences of using nonqualified annuities in various planning arrangements is also discussed.

• Course Monitoring procedures:
1. Copy of procedures of who will staff the course site.
2. Copy of classroom protocol procedures.
3. Copy of attendance procedures, including verifying licensee with a picture ID, and use sign-in/out sheets that contain the provider name/number, course name/number, date of course, licensee’s name/number, licensee’s signature, time in, time out, monitor signature, and instructor signature.
4. Describe procedures to protect against identity theft. Providers who pass sign-in/sign-out sheets around the classroom with licensees’ social security numbers will be subject to administrative action.
5. Describes procedures to handle individuals who arrive more than 15 minutes after the course begins or who remain away from the course for an extended period of time.

Course Evaluation Criteria:

• Minimum number of credit hours is 1 credit hour per course.
• “Security-related” topics are limited to 15 credit hours.
• One (1) credit equals 50 minutes of class time.
• No partial hours are awarded, nor is credit granted for introductions, breaks, exams, etc.
• Question/answer sessions and/or case studies are only allowed when content specifics are provided and warrant credit.
• 300 words equals one (1) page of text, with 12 pages equaling 1 credit hour for home-study courses or a total of 3600 words, after deducting glossaries, indices, exams, chapter reviews. etc.
• Title pages, chapter reviews, exams, glossaries, indices or appendices are excluded and deducted in the calculating the credit hour for all self-study/correspondence courses.
• Self-study/correspondence courses include textbooks, computer-based training, Internet, etc., i.e., any format other than monitored classroom attendance.
• One (1) copy of the textbook on CD-Rom or IBM formatted diskette, CD-Rom, if computer-based, and/or access with a password to an Internet course is required with each course filing.
• In addition to specific items listed in the statute, the following topics are appropriate:
  Economics, Securities/Mutual Funds, Claims Issues (policy related only), Medicare, and Underwriting Issues (product only).
• Restoration courses that address claims and loss control issues will be allowed. Restoration courses exclusively promoting products or restoration services are prohibited.
• Agency management topics, in addition to those listed in the statute, shall NOT include the following:
1. Mechanical office training,
2. business skills,
3. sales promotions,
4. motivation,
5. time management,
6. prospecting,
7. recruiting, system,
8. specific automation programs,
9. software specific automation programs.
• Course materials must meet and support the qualifications requested on the application, i.e. life, health, or property/casualty.

• Estate planning, unless health issues are discussed, should be approved for life only credit.
• Health only credit should be granted for long-term care, Medicare/Medicaid, disability, etc.

• When course filings request dual credit (i.e., both life/health and property/casualty) the entire course must qualify for all lines of insurance to receive the maximum numbers of hours requested. In other words, the maximum number of credit hours must benefit both lines of insurance equally.

For example, a new course filing requested 10 hours of both life/health and property/casualty credit. Upon review, 3 hours directly affect both the life/health and property/casualty agents, OR all 10 hours are applicable to the property/casualty agent.
Because the application requested all lines, i.e., life/health AND property/casualty, only 3 hours of credit would be granted for the course. The provider would only be granted the full 10 hours of property/casualty credits by appealing the determination, within 30 days of approval, and requesting the qualifications be changed to property/casualty only.

• When a course filing has concurrent sessions:

• All concurrent sessions must contain approvable material. All sessions must be in the same line of insurance to receive credit.
• Sessions must be presented in a way that allows for auditing of all sessions.

• Providers cannot “stack” or “add-on” to already approved courses.

For example, a provider filed and received 1 credit hour for a course. The provider submits a new filing with the same course information already approved with additional information that is eligible for 1 more credit. The new course filing will only receive 1 credit hour for the additional material. The original course would remain approved for 1 credit unless additional changes were submitted and reviewed in the new course.
Duplicated material in courses is not acceptable and is to be deducted from the total credit hours.

Course Bibliography

• A bibliography of ALL text material used in the course and/or used in the preparation of the content outline must be provided on the application.
• Include at a minimum: (a) the name of the text/book/reference, (b) the author's name, (c) the publisher, (d) the year of publication, (e) the volume number and/or (f) relevant page numbers utilized, if partial references.

Examples:
Ethel Shanas, et al, "Older People in Three Industrial Societies" (New York: Atherton Press, 1968)
General Accounting Office, "Long-Term Care for the Elderly and Disabled" (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1977)
Health Care Financing Administration, "Long-Term Care Background and Future Directions.” Discussion Paper, Office of Policy Analysis, HCFA 81-20047 (Washington, D.C. 1981) pp 10-25

Course Expiration/Revised/One-Time Offerings

• All courses expire 2 years from the effective date.
• If at any time the provider changes the material or revises the course as presented for approval, the provider must submit a new application and fees as required for any new course.
• A new certificate of registration will be issued and a new course number will be assigned, along with an effective date upon review and approval of the filing.
• Old course numbers are terminated upon approval of the new course (classroom program)
• Self-study/correspondence old course numbers are terminated 90 days from the new course approval to allow licensees to complete any outstanding programs.
• Each filing is subject to the review process and requires:
1. A description or summary of the changes made to the filing, i.e., sections added, changes in laws, etc.
2. Identify the current assigned course name and number on the FIS 0406.
3. All new language changes are to be in BOLD PRINT AND CAPITAL LETTERS AND deletions are indicated with lines drawn through the existing language to demonstrate the actual changes, e.g., effective May 1, 1994....

Third-Party Course Filings

• Provider and course fees are required.
• Providers must receive authorization from the owner of the program and submit this authorization with each filing.
• If the new course filing is a course previously approved by another provider, this must be identified on the application giving the provider’s name/number and the course name/number.