Changes to pending applications

Please note the following guidelines for labs:

• The shelf life for labs (blood, urine, and EKG) and paramed exams is 12 months
• Insurance labs from other companies have a shelf life of 12 months
• A case awaiting underwriting requirements can remain pending for up to 90 days, depending on New Business/Policy Change approval

Reminder about Temporary Insurance Agreements

TIA is valid for 90 days maximum. TIA guidelines will remain the same and will terminate automatically on the earliest of:

• 90 days from the date the application was signed;
• The date that insurance takes effect; under the insurance contracts as applied for in the application
• The date an insurance contract other than as applied for in the application is offered to the proposed owner;
• The date the company mails notice of termination of coverage and refunds the advance premium payment to the proposed owner at the address shown in the application.

Statement of health

As we closely monitor COVID-19, a completed Statement of Health and Insurability form will continue to be required for all New Business and Policy Change cases. For non-1035 cases, the Statement of Health form will be required upon policy delivery. For 1035 cases, the Statement of Health will be required prior to initiating the 1035 exchange.

Age and table rating restrictions

Effective June 1, 2021, maximum table ratings and flat extras will go into effect for the below age groups:

This applies to all products and:

• All pending business that has not been approved or issued
• New business
• Policy change cases

*Issue age is determined by applicable product rules.

Acceptable forms of submission & document types

If you aren't currently using our e-App process, acceptable forms of submission for documents are as follows:

• Mail
• Fax
• Secure Email
• Document upload from the North American website

Note: Images of documents that are captured via a camera, program or an APP can be accepted, regardless of the program used.

Temporary travel guidelines

• We will underwrite any planned international travel per our underwriting guidelines

Known COVID-19 diagnosis

• We will postpone policy issuance for new business and policy change until the proposed insured is completely recovered.
• Admitted past diagnosis of COVID-19--additional requirements will be requested on a case-by-case basis.

Known COVID-19 Vaccination

Our vendors have provided us with the current state of their operations and status of their business continuity plans. It is important to note that our vendors are complying with all state, county, and local government directives. To comply with these directives, some areas of the country might experience delays in completing paramedical exams or may be unable to provide these services. Since these directives are frequently changing, please contact your preferred paramedical vendor for availability in your area.

Paramedical exam process updates:
When scheduling appointments to complete paramedical exams, our vendors will now ask the applicant about signs of fever or respiratory distress, recent travel, and close contact with others who have these symptoms or have recently traveled. The answers to these questions will determine the timing of the paramedical appointment. The examiner will also confirm the same information about themselves.

Lab processing:
Our lab companies are operational, have business continuity plans, and do not expect any impacts in processing time.

Medical records providers:
Our medical records providers have also confirmed that they are operational, have business continuity plans, and have stated that there may be some delays in receiving medical records from certain medical facilities. Overall, we are experiencing minimal delays in receiving medical records.

Clinical Reference® Laboratory (CRL) Access my Labs

North American has partnered with Clinical Reference Laboratory (CRL) to provide lab results to your clients electronically. To take advantage of this service, your client must provide a phone number to the examiner when completing their paramed requirements. If a phone number isn't provided, this service will not be available, but lab results can still be requested by contacting New Business or Policy Change. The CRL Health Savvy card will no longer be available on Smart Forms or mailed with the policy packet.

How it works
When labs are completed for North American and sent to CRL by the examiner's office, your client will receive a text message or phone call once CRL has finished analyzing them. This text/call will typically be received 7-10 business days after the samples are collected. For alerts sent via text, a link will be provided for your client to access their lab results. For alerts left on a landline, a recording will be played that refers your client to accessmylab.com, the website where they can obtain their results.

When your client accesses the website, they will be taken through a validation process that includes providing their phone number, date of birth, and SMS text verification. After validation is successfully completed, your client will be presented with a welcome statement and their complete lab report. The easy-to-read lab report will clearly show if test results are within normal range. Test results can be exported as a PDF document for the purpose of saving and printing, and will be available within the platform for 7 years.

COVID-19 antibody testing
Your clients also have the option to receive a COVID-19 antibody test using the original blood sample. A COVID-19 antibody test can determine whether an individual has had a past infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This testing is provided solely for the benefit of our clients and the results are not shared with North American. A fee of $19.50 must be paid via credit card if this service is selected.

The COVID-19 antibody testing will be available for 5 weeks after the sample was collected. Your client will be provided the option for the COVID-19 antibody testing when they access their lab results through CRL. A text message or phone call will notify your client when their COVID-19 antibody test results are available.

Two processes – eDelivery and PDF Delivery – are available to review and download policy documents electronically to help eliminate the need for in-person meetings. Select the option for electronic policy delivery in SimpleSubmit® and your case will proceed through the process that matches eligibility requirements

eDelivery:
When submitting a new business application either through SimpleSubmit®, or through a paper application submitted with the eConsent form, our eDelivery process allows you and your client to review, sign, and download policy documents electronically, eliminating the need for in-person delivery.

The following criteria must be met for a case to be eligible for the eDelivery process:

• New Business cases where the insured, owner, and payor are the same person
• Email address is on file for the client and soliciting agent

Resources

• eDelivery FAQ
• eDelivery Field Guide

PDF Delivery:
Allows policies and other requirements to be emailed when submitting the application via SimpleSubmit or including the eConsent form when submitting a paper application. In addition to the electronic version, the administrative office will send a physical copy of the policy to the agent in the PDF Delivery process.

This process is available for:

• Policy Change cases
• Cases where the insured, owner, and payor are not the same person

Resources

• PDF Delivery FAQ
• PDF Delivery Process Visual

Please be aware that emailing policies may not be available in all states.

Accessing policy info online

We’re keeping it simple for policyowners to access inforce policy information on the website.

• Clients who sign up for an online profile at My.NorthAmericanCompany.com can complete a number of transactions and make simple changes like updating contact information or changing beneficiaries themselves online.
• The site also offers Secure Upload, so your clients can scan and transmit paper documents. It works like a modern version of the fax machine (without the long wait).

Policy change

North American's policy change team is here to you keep your business moving forward. We would like to remind you of a few digital options for managing inforce policies:

• Internal exchange requests can utilize the e-submission process
• All policy change forms can use DocuSign, except for those that require a wet signature (i.e. 1035 exchange form)
• Prior medical information, including information gathered through WriteAway^® Online Part 2, may be used up to 24 months on any subsequent policy change requests on a case-by-case basis.

Please continue to use the paper application/.pdf and form process for other inforce policy change requests, including:

• Conversions
• Increase/decrease in face amounts
• Reinstatements
• Adding/removing benefits
• Rate/class changes

When submitting paper documents, the secure document upload tool on NorthAmericanCompany.com offers the quickest option.

WriteAway can offer your healthiest clients the ability to secure death benefit protection without an exam or lab. Your client can simply fill out a few personal health and history questions as part of their e-App, or paper application in all states but California, to determine if they are eligible for this process.

WriteAway maximum face amounts:
Ages 18 – 50: $2 million
Ages 51 – 60: $1 million

To learn more about WriteAway, please visit northamericancompany.com/writeaway or view the resources linked below.

WriteAway Resources:

• Accelerated Underwriting Field Guide
• Agent Q&A Guide

How do deaths related to COVID-19 impact benefit claims?

There is no specific COVID-19 exclusion impacting death benefit payments of our life insurance policies. Please note that any death that occurs during the contestable period requires a routine contestable investigation, as defined by the incontestability terms in the policy. An investigation includes the review of multiple variables (including accuracy of information presented on the application, policy provisions and applicable state laws, rules and regulations).

North American does not provide legal advice. If your agents or your clients have specific questions with regard to state laws, we recommend that you discuss those with your own independent legal counsel.