Please mark your calendars for our next event!

WHEN:

Wednesday, January 11, 2023
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST

WHERE:

Virtual (link to be provided)

We are excited to announce our next Virtual event taking place on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST.

This event will focus on Employee Burnout!

SESSION TITLE:

When is Netflix better without pizza? When you’re trying to cure or counteract Z73.0 (Employee Burnout).

Session Description:

How much do you really know about Employee Burnout? It’s more than just a feeling of being overwhelmed- it’s a real diagnosis and its effect is more far-reaching than may be imagined. It affects the deskless and disconnected, the home-bound, the hybrid and the in-person/on-site employee. It affects executives, leaders and front-line workers alike, but not all in the same way. Join our panel to learn more about the causes of this condition, to discuss potential cures (hint: pizza parties are no longer the answer) and to learn how companies can counteract burnout. We’ll also have time for attendees to share their thoughts, ideas and questions about how burnout in the workspace has impacted them or their team.

Speakers:

Erika Gero, LTD Manager, Symetra

Erika joins us from Symetra where she manages a team of LTD case managers. She has 7 years of experience in the group disability space managing Short Term, Statutory, and Long Term Disability claims prior to assuming a leadership role.  Before joining the industry, Erika received her undergraduate degree from the University of Rhode Island and managed a small business for 10 years where she found her passion for coaching and developing others. In her current role, she has a strong focus on employee engagement and believes that overall job satisfaction is a key factor in preventing burnout during challenging times.

Sophia Horsman, Senior Disability Claim Consultant, The Standard

Sophia Horsman is a Senior Disability Claim Consultant with The Standard who’s spent 30 years in the Individual Disability claim industry.  She’s worked on the direct side and in reinsurance and held leadership roles throughout her tenure.  In her experience, she finds the most difficult employee to deal with is when she’s managing herself.

Caitlin Brady, MSPH, Firstup Strategy Advisor

Caitlin Brady is a communication professional who creates a remarkable employee experience through intelligent communication delivery.

After spending nearly a decade in the corporate setting, Caitlin knows that data-driven communication has the power to drive business outcomes – like engagement, retention, productivity and absenteeism.

In her current role as strategy advisor, she partners with Fortune 500 companies to modernize their employee experience and communication strategy. Recently, she worked with a large retailer to increase message reach, and as a result, increased employee sales by $145k in one week.

Prior to Firstup, Caitlin worked at ALDI as an employee communication manager, where she was responsible for building their internal communication team and developing their global competency model. She also served as strategic communication manager at PPL Corporation, where she was responsible for executive communication and supporting the digital employee transformation.

Caitlin holds a MSPH from Johns Hopkins and a BS in psychology from Randolph-Macon College. She was captain of the women’s soccer team and named to the Scholar All-East Region and Landmark Conference All-Academic team.

Elizabeth Goldin, M.A., CRC, CVE, PVE, Aflac Group Life & Disability

Elizabeth Goldin earned her Master of Arts degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from the University of South Florida in 2011. Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Florida State University in 2008. Elizabeth is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), Certified Vocational Evaluator (CVE), and Professional Vocational Evaluator (PVE).

Elizabeth has worked in the field of vocational rehabilitation for several years with experience as both a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Vocational Evaluator.

As a Vocational Evaluator, Elizabeth contracted with the State of Florida, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to work with the school to work and adult population. Elizabeth conducted comprehensive vocational evaluations and formulated reports which included administration and interpretation of psychometric testing, transferable skills analyses, labor market surveys, reasonable accommodation recommendations, and recommendation of viable occupations based on functional capacity.

Elizabeth also served as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for Paralyzed Veterans of America at the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital in Tampa, Florida assisting with return to work planning and job placement for veterans with both mental and physical impairments.

Elizabeth began working in the insurance industry in 2019 and was employed with MetLife prior to joining Aflac as Vocational Rehab Consult in March of 2021. Elizabeth serves as a valuable team member of the Premium Life, Absence and Disability Services (PLADS) department. Within her current role, Elizabeth serves as a vocational rehabilitation subject matter expert for customers and internal PLADS colleagues.

Elizabeth currently resides in Tampa, FL with her husband, six-year-old daughter, and seven-year-old son.

Online registration has closed.  Please email Stephanie.Govoni@symetra.com to register

Colleagues and Friends,

The New England Claim Association is happy to announce its next event of 2023. The always exciting and informative ANNUAL LEGAL YEAR IN REVIEW will take place Thursday, May 4, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, MA. Please note that a complimentary continental breakfast will be served between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., so please feel free to arrive early!  The presentation will begin at 9:00 a.m.

We are looking forward to this year’s discussion on the latest developments in litigation re: Life and Disability insurance & litigation.  We are pleased to have this presentation being brought to us by:

• Joseph M. Hamilton,  Partner at Mirick O’Connell and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Litigation Group.  He concentrates his practice in life, health and disability insurance defense, and ERISA.  Mr. Hamilton serves as counsel for numerous life, health and disability insurers and self-insureds at all levels of the state and federal courts.  Mr. Hamilton is a past Chair of the ABA’s Life Insurance Law Committee.
• J. Christopher Collins, a member of Mirick O’Connell’s Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Litigation Group. Prior to joining the Firm, Chris was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Unum US, the largest provider of group and individual disability insurance in the U.S. and a fast-growing voluntary insurance business with over $6B in annual revenue.   In that role he provided counsel and managed all of the legal resources serving Unum’s largest business sector.  Chris focuses his practice on life and health insurance matters with a concentration on disability and life insurance.

REGISTER HERE by April 21^st to reserve your spot —- CLICK HERE

This presentation at the Beechwood Hotel will include a continental breakfast, and we are happy to share that there is no additional charge for NECA member company members to attend this in-person event. The cost for those who do not belong to a NECA member company is $10 per person.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Other exciting and upcoming NECA events include:

• May 18, 2023: Virtual conference, PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan Fraud and Claim Impacts, by Ernest Patrick Smith, CPA/CFF/ABV, CVA, CFE and John K. Hoffman, CPA/CFF/CITP from Nawrocki Smith, LLP
• June 8, 2023: Annual golf outing!

(More details to come regarding these events soon!)

***This is also our time to elect our new officers for the 2023-2024 Board Year! This is a wonderful time to join our team and find out how you can build relationships with your colleagues in the industry and contribute to the continued success of our organization! Please do not hesitate to inquire with our board members for further details***

Colleagues and Friends,

We are writing to provide important New England Claim Association reminders and registration information for “PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan Fraud and Claim Impacts” virtual event on May 18, 2023 (Important event details and registration information below)

WHEN? May 18, 2023 from 11:00am to 12:30pm

WHERE?  Virtual (A meeting link will be provided to all those who register closer to the date of the event.)

TITLE:  “PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan Fraud and Claim Impacts”

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

COVID stimulus money, PPP loans, employee retention credits (ERC) all much needed during the pandemic but have lead to complications in what to include in your residual disability calculations and they opened the door to new fraud schemes resulting to bogus PPP loans and ERC. The US DOJ has created the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to investigate and prosecute PPP fraud. The federal government can pursue criminal, civil, or administrative actions against anyone who commits PPP fraud.  This session will discuss the new fraudsters and how to manage your disability claims when individuals and businesses receive stimulus money.

SPEAKERS:

Ernest Patrick Smith, CPA/CFF/ABV, CVA, CFE, is a graduate of Hofstra University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. Mr. Smith began his career with the Long Island Office of one of the world’s largest public accounting firms. He has diversified experience in financial statement preparation, taxation, tax planning, internal auditing, investigative accounting, measurement of damages and litigation support services, with emphasis in matters dealing with business valuation, fidelity losses and fraud. He has extensive experience in succession planning and other estate, trust and tax planning services that pertain to the operations of small to medium sized companies.

John K. Hoffman, CPA/CFF/CITP

Partner with Nawrocki Smith LLP leading the Insurance Claims Consulting Group.  He joined the firm of Nawrocki Smith in 1995 and provides insurance consulting, forensic accounting services, litigation support and risk management services.  He has been recognized as an expert witness in disability-related litigation in both federal and state courts.

Registration for this event is now closed - please contact Stephanie Govoni at stephanie.govoni@symetra.com for any last-minute registrations.

Colleagues and Friends,

A friendly reminder that registration for the New England Claim Association’s Annual Golf Outing is open until June 1, 2023.  Please be sure to reserve your spot!

We also have an exciting update to share!  Nawrocki Smith will be sponsoring a breakfast, which will include one breakfast sandwich and one cocktail (blood mary or mimosa) or coffee/water for the outing.  Thank you, Nawrocki Smith!

As a reminder, the event will take place on Thursday, June 8, 2023, starting at 8:30 am at Pine Ridge Country Club in North Oxford, MA 01537.

2023 NECA Annual Golf Outing

DATE: Thursday, June 8, 2023

TIME: Tee time PROMPTLY at 8:30 am ET

LOCATION: Pine Ridge Country Club, 28 Pleasant Street, North Oxford, MA 01537

COST: $75 per person (includes greens fees, cart, 2 drink tickets, and lunch)

This golf event will be a shotgun start, 4 members per team, best ball/captain and crew style of play.

Lunch is included with the round. Lunch includes 1 bag of chips, 1 soda and a choice of 1 of the following: hamburger, cheeseburger, sausage with peppers/onions, or 2 hotdogs.  The grill will open at 12 pm.

Contests included within the round are closest to the pin and longest drive. There is a women’s and a men’s prize for each contest.

There are also 3 team prizes for 1^st place, 2^nd place and 3^rd place finishers:

• First place (4 players): $100 each
• Second place (4 players): $50 each
• Third place (4 players): $25 each

Please note, there is no claims educational session during this gathering – golf and networking are the focus for this event!

Should you be interested in a leadership or board member position with NECA, please reply for further details.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT - PLEASE CONTACT STEPHANIE GOVONI AT STEPHANIE.GOVONI@SYMETRA.COM WITH ANY QUESTIONS.