The number is a signal—not the whole story*
Identify which losses drove the worksheet, what remains open, what changed, and whether the immediate need is understanding the calculation, satisfying a contract, or finding coverage.
Think of us when you hear…
Difficult workers’ compensation is usually difficult for a reason.
“We were non-renewed.” “Our mod jumped.” “The carrier cancelled us.” “Nobody wants the class.” “We are stuck in assigned risk.” “We are a new venture.” “We have had a gap.” “The losses are ugly.” “The standard markets declined.” Each signal starts a different producer conversation.
Establish why and when coverage ends*
Capture the carrier’s reason, the effective date, what has changed, and which markets have already reviewed the account before sending it everywhere.
Start with the exact cancellation reason*
Nonpayment, audit issues, reporting problems, underwriting action, or a change in exposure can require different clocks, documents, and next steps.
Exact dates and operating facts matter*
Explain why the gap occurred, whether employees worked during it, payroll and incidents in the period, and the coverage immediately before and after.
Replace “bad losses” with evidence*
Explain what happened, why it happened, what changed, when corrective action occurred, and what evidence supports the current account story.
A second look may be useful*
Residual-market coverage serves an important purpose. A changed operation, stronger information, or a different risk profile may create a reason to review another available path.
Experience and controls replace missing history*
Management experience, contracts, projected payroll, actual operations, safety processes, and the requested effective date become more important when prior loss history is unavailable.
Precision beats broad class labels*
Describe what employees do, where they do it, payroll by class, travel and subcontracting, loss history, and the controls surrounding the work.
Use the decline as information*
Record who declined, why, what information the carrier reviewed, and which other markets or wholesalers have already seen the account.
* Context matters.Rules, appetite, calculations, and available options may vary by state, bureau, carrier, operations, and current underwriting guidance. Confirm specifics with the applicable authority or an authorized insurance professional.
INFORMATION THAT HELPS
Build the file around facts a reviewer can use
The account story becomes stronger when the narrative and supporting material agree.
- Named insured, website, operations, states, employees, payroll, and effective date
- Current carrier or program, premium, class codes, mod worksheet, and loss runs
- The exact reason for marketing and every approaching deadline
- Markets already approached, decline reasons, and wholesale activity
- Significant losses, corrective action, dates, ownership, and available evidence
COMMON WEAK SUBMISSIONS
Do not make the next reviewer reconstruct the account
Vague labels and missing market history waste time and can damage the strategy.
- Calling the account simply “high hazard” or the losses “bad”
- Combining cancellation and non-renewal into one generic problem
- Sending conflicting payroll, class, effective-date, or coverage information
- Hiding prior declines or sending the same incomplete file everywhere
- Treating a quick online check as the final answer
A human next step
Robert McGann
Founder & Senior Partner
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