LTC Certification

Starting in 2007, LTC insurance training became a requirement for anyone who sells, solicits, or negotiates a long-term care policy. This requirement was outlined in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and reinforced by the 2006 NAIC Model Act. States then adopted this training mandate and now require an initial training course and a mandatory refresher training every two years thereafter. This training is unique from typical insurance training in that the insurance carriers are the ones responsible for ensuring producers are compliant prior to selling or soliciting LTC insurance products. The certification is also required for most life insurance and annuity products that have LTC benefits.

Certification courses are offered by Continuing Education companies who have been approved by the state to deliver continuing education. There are a few states yet to implement the requirement. Note that the NAIC training is different than what was required in the original 4 Partnership states of CA, CT, IN and NY.

 LTC Certification

 

What does my state require?  Is the certification valid in other states?  

Generally speaking, the majority of the DRA NAIC states require an 8 hour initial training course and then a 4 hour refresher training course every 24 months thereafter. (There are a few states that require the refresher training be taken within each CE cycle.)

Additionally, some states require:

  • Continuing education be issued or that the course at least be approved as a continuing education course
  • Resident producers can only take the course in their state 

The majority of states have adopted "reciprocity" which means that the DRA NAIC training that you take in your state will probably be reciprocal in another DRA NAIC state.  However, there are a few nuances:

  • Some states require an additional supplemental course for non-resident producers: GA, MA, MN, SD, VT, VA, WI.
  • There is no reciprocity between the original 4 hour Partnership states of CA, CT, IN and NY and the DRA NAIC states.  (This is because the Partnership programs, asset protection and policies are very different.)

LTC Connection works closely with all the LTC insurance carriers and the Insurance regulators in each state.  We have compiled a list of each state's training requirements.  

Please note that the insurance carriers have the final say as to what they will accept since they are the party
ultimately responsible for complying with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. 

Why is LTC Insurance Certification required? 

Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 which included incentives for states to implement LTC Partnership programs while at the same time making it more difficult to hide assets when applying for Medicaid. The goal was to encourage the purchase of private LTC Partnership insurance policies which would in turn reduce each state's Medicaid budget. Congress recognized the complex "partnership" between LTC insurance policies and Medicaid would require that producers be better educated on LTC insurance, Partnership programs and Medicaid. Therefore, Congress required mandatory producer training prior to producers selling or soliciting LTC Partnership policies. Congress left it up to each state to implement the training. Today, most states now require this training prior to selling Partnership or regular LTC insurance policies. 

Additionally, the National Association of Commissioners (NAIC) updated the Long-Term Care Model Act including a requirement for mandatory training for long-term care producers. Therefore, most states now have mandatory LTC training requirements. 

How is this different from Continuing Education? 

Unlike continuing education, insurance carriers, not state insurance commissioners, are responsible for validating that their producers are properly trained. 

While most LTC Certification courses have been approved as continuing education, do NOT assume that all LTC continuing education courses will meet the requirement. The DRA and NAIC have specific product training requirements that must be in courses. We recommend that you confirm that any LTC certification course you take will be accepted by your carrier(s).  

Who is ClearCert®?   

Clear Cert

ClearCert® is the industry's independent compliance certification clearinghouse for mandatory long-term care insurance.

LTC Connection is a member of ClearCert® and all of our courses have been certified by ClearCert®. We report all ClearCert® completions on a daily basis. Carriers that are members of ClearCert® can then look up producers LTC Insurance Certification courses.