Ohio Insurance Continuing Education

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Fact Sheet

The Ohio Department of Insurance (the Department) has contracted with Experior Assessments™ LLC (Experior) to handle all transactions and inquiries relating to continuing education (CE).  Experior’s phone, fax number, e-mail address and Web site are listed below.

Credit Requirements: Licensed agents generally must complete 20 credits of continuing education during each two-year compliance period.  However, agents who only hold a title license must complete 10 credits of title-specific courses during each two-year compliance period.  Agents who hold only a Surety Bail Bond license must complete 14 credits of Surety Bail Bond specific courses during each two-year compliance period.  Agents who hold a Surety Bail Bond line of authority in addition to PC must earn 14 of their required 20 credits from Surety Bail Bond courses.  The special Surety Bail Bond requirements will take effect for the first full two-year compliance period after the Surety Bail Bond license is issued or the Surety Bail Bond line of authority is added.   Ohio non-resident agents who have met the CE requirement in their home state, agents who only hold a Limited Authority License or agents who have been granted inactive status by the Superintendent, are exempt from CE requirements.

Compliance Periods:  An agent’s compliance period is determined by the date the agent was licensed in Ohio.  The first 24-month compliance period for a person who is first issued a license as an agent begins on January 1 of the year following the issuance of the license and ends on December 31 of the second year following the year of the issuance of the license.  Every subsequent 24-month period constitutes a compliance period.  (Example:  An agent was first licensed in 2001.  The compliance period would begin  January 1, 2002 and end  December 31, 2003 .)  Exception:  agents who were licensed on or before  December 31, 1993 began their first compliance period on  January 1, 1994.

Credit Restrictions:

• Provider and Course must be approved for Ohio insurance CE credit.
• The same course may not be taken more than once in a compliance period.
• Excess credits will not carry over to another compliance period.
• No partial credit will be given.

Rosters: Providers must submit an attendance roster to Experior within 30 days after the completion of a course.  The provider will identify each agent who completed the course and requested Ohio Insurance CE credit.

Transcripts:  Approximately 90 days before the end of each compliance period, agents will receive a preliminary transcript that displays all courses that were completed.  A final transcript will be sent approximately 60 days after the end of the compliance period.

Extension:  It is the agent’s responsibility to request an extension in writing.  Requests should include supporting documentation, non-refundable $100.00 extension fee, proof of completion for required course credits and send to the Ohio Department of Insurance, Education Section in one package.  Contact the Department of Insurance at 614-644-2665 for extension deadlines and any additional questions regarding extensions.

Inactive Status:  An agent who is not performing any activities that require an agent license and does not anticipate a change that would require an agent’s license for at least twenty-four months may request that their license be put into inactive status.  Contact the Department of 614-644-2665 for more information and/or to obtain the required Inactivation form.  The form is also available at the Department’s Web site:  www.ohioinsurance.gov.

Surrender License:  An agent may surrender all or some of the agent’s licenses. (Retention of any license may require continued CE compliance.)  Contact the Department at 614-644-2665 for more information and/or to obtain the required Surrender form.  The form is also available at the Department’s Web site:  www.ohioinsurance.gov.

Address Change:  All agents must inform the Department of a change in address within 30 days.  The failure to notify the Department is grounds for disciplinary action.

To contact Experior:

Phone:              800-532-2170
Fax:                  800-735-7977
E-mail:              This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web site:          www.experioronline.com

There has been a change in the procedure to check your continuing education credits on the WEB for the Ohio Department of Insurance.

This is now done through Sircon and their web site may be entered either through www.Sircon.com or by going to www.Experioronline.com and linking to the Sircon site.  Once at their site you will need to do the following:

• Click on Obtain Education Information
• Click on Inquiries
• Click on Education Transcript Inquiry
• Enter your SSN (no dashes) and your Ohio Insurance License Number

Don’t know your license number?  Here’s what to do:

• Go to Ohio Department of Insurance site
• Click on Agent Locator
• Enter your Last name, First name and Middle initial (enter commas between each)
• Click on your name when it comes up which will take you to a screen with your license number

Ohio Department of Insurance Continuing Education Program- Agent Compliance Requirements Frequently Asked Questions

Who is required to complete continuing education courses?
All persons who hold an Ohio agent or solicitor license are required to complete continuing education courses.  There are a few exceptions:

• Ohio non-resident agents who have met the CE requirement in their home state.
• Those who have been granted inactive status from the Superintendent do not need to file a CE report but must maintain proof of exempt status.
• Those who hold one or more limited authority licenses but do not hold any other type of agent license.

How many credit hours are required?
Twenty credit hours are required with two exceptions: (1) Agents holding only a title license must complete only 10 credits of title specific courses and (2) Agents holding only a Surety Bail Bond license must complete 14 credits of Surety Bail Bond related credits.  An agent holding a Surety Bail Bond license authority in addition to a PC license must complete 14 of the required 20 credits from Surety Bail Bond courses.  The special Surety Bail Bond requirements will take effect for the first full two-year compliance period after the Surety Bail Bond license is issued or the Surety Bail Bond line of authority is added.

Do the current lines of authority on a license affect which courses may be taken?
Yes.  Generally any courses approved in Ohio may be taken to satisfy the CE requirement.  However, a person holding only a title insurance license is required to take 10 hours of approved CE that is directly related to the title insurance business.  A person holding only a Surety Bail Bond license is required to take 14 hours of approved CE that is directly related to the Surety Bail Bond insurance business and an agent holding a Surety Bail Bond line of authority in addition to PC must complete 14 of the 20 credits in Surety Bail Bond courses.

When must credits be taken?
Credits must be taken in two-year periods (compliance periods) which end on December 31 of each year.  Credits must be completed by December 31 of the compliance period.  Persons who were issued a license on or after  July 1, 1993 begin their two-year period on January 1 of the year following the year of licensure.  For example, for a license issued anytime in 2001, the first compliance period ends on  December 31, 2003 .

Can credits taken in the period between the date a license was issued and the beginning of a compliance period be used for compliance?
No.  Credits may only be earned within the actual compliance period.  Credit for courses taken during the time between the license being issued and the start of the compliance period will not count.  Also, any credits taken before the licensee was issued a license will not count towards compliance.

May credits be carried over from one compliance period to the next?
No.  Excess credits from one period may not be used in the next period.

Can the same course be taken in two consecutive years?
Duplicate course taken in the same compliance period cannot be used for compliance.  Duplicate credits do not carry over to the next compliance period.  However, the same course taken in two different compliance periods can be used for credit towards compliance in each period.

How are CE credit hours reported?
Course providers are responsible for sending course rosters to Experior within thirty (30) calendar days of the completion of each course.  Experior, in turn, will record the credits earned in each licensee’s file.  Do not send course completion certificates to Experior.  Course providers provide them for your personal records only.

How can an agent check to see if credits have been recorded?
Agents may check their transcript by going to www.sircon.com.  Experior also provides a toll-free telephone number, 800-532-2170.  The transcript will list all courses on file for the current compliance period.  Allow 45 days from the course completion date for the credits to be posted.

What courses are available?
Customized lists of approved courses may be requested at www.sircon.com specifying courses by number of credits, course type and content.

What is an Interactive Online Course?
Interactive Online courses are a separate and distinct course type from classroom and self study.  Interactive Online courses are by definition only presented on the Internet and do not require a monitored exam.  Be sure to confirm the course type with the course sponsor when registering for a class.

Are there limits on the kinds of credits that may be used for compliance?
There are no limits on the kinds of credits that may be used towards compliance.  An agent may earn all credits necessary for compliance from Interactive Online, Self-Study and/or Classroom courses.

What is the requirement for those holding a non-resident license in Ohio?
A non-resident agent is deemed to be in compliance with the CE requirements of Ohio as long as the agent is in compliance in his or her state of residence.  No filing is required.

How can changes in name or address be reported?
Use the Request for Agent Demographic Change form to request name and address changes.  The form may be requested by faxback through Experior’s automated response system at 800-532-2170 or downloaded from Experior’s Web site:  www.experioronline.com or complete the address change request form found on the Department’s web site:  www.ohioinsurance.gov.  Complete the form and mail it to the Ohio Department of Insurance or send it electronically to the Department.

Where else is information about the Ohio continuing education program available?
Visit the Web site at www.experioronline.com or call Experior’s Client Support Specialists at 800-532-2170.