Property & Casualty Services
We are Insurance Brokers.
But that’s not all we do.
We believe a risk management program, particularly an insurance program, is fluid and needs to be tactically approached in three- to five-year increments. What is an appropriate way for your company to transfer risk now might not be the right fit in five years. As your company matures in size and scope, you can take advantage of the opportunity to enhance or flex your plan design.
When we send your applications and information to insurers to obtain their offers of coverage (generally called brokering in the insurance world), we seek to find the best combination of coverage and cost that fits your needs – which fits your cash flow, risk tolerance and five-year plan.
When We Place An Insurance Program, We Place It Specifically For You.
In our specialty practice groups, we have access to exclusive insurance products with coverages customized to your specific industry.
Loss Control
Loss control provided by your insurance company is ultimately meant to protect the risk it is taking on by insuring your company.
While we advise our clients to take advantage of any included loss control services offered by their insurers, supplementing this with our own, in-house loss control team is distinctly different:
- We won’t force you to implement expensive changes.
- Our reports are for your eyes only.
- We partner with you to do an independent review and evaluate opportunities to improve your safety and overall loss control program
Our core loss control process includes a comprehensive evaluation of existing exposures, which is presented to clients through our safety, facility and compliance assessments. These three areas of analysis will show strengths, identify areas for improvement and ultimately culminate in a Loss Control Report.
Safety Assessment
A positive safety culture means a safer and more productive workplace. Our introductory survey tool that can help assess and understand a workplace’s safety culture.
Compliance
An effective audit will determine potential underlying or root causes of deficiencies, which is a good first step to avoid issues and costly fines.
Facility Exposure Assessment
Conducting an extensive risk evaluation will help spot potential danger areas and minimize exposure to liability.
Compliance
Compliance issues for U.S. businesses continue to move to the forefront and show no signs of slowing down.
The fact is we live in a very regulated world, either from the federal government or via private organizations requiring suppliers or subcontractors to be vetted. Unresolved compliance issues can cause financial and reputational consequences that are often not covered by insurance. Think about how time-consuming the following would be in addition to wasting valuable internal resources:
- An unexpected OSHA penalty
- A messy DOT record
- A lower score from a third-party verification company
- A HIPAA security breach
We partner with a variety of legal experts who focus on a wide range of issues that your business might face.
Our clients have access to multiple legal-focused educational partners that offer insights into complex laws and regulations; updates that address frequently asked questions and that clearly explain key legislative regulations; and legal briefs on a variety of business insurance, HR, compliance and employee communications topics.
Workers' Compensation
A typical workers comp claim adjuster at a national insurer may have over 500 cases to manage at any given time. It is understandably difficult to accurately stay on top of each and every claim.
Our team can encourage the claim along to closure and keep costs down while doing so. This could include recommending a nurse case manager for an employee suspected of opioid addiction; helping order a private investigation for a claimant with a suspicion of fraud; or overseeing return-to-work program participation.
This is arguably the most controllable area of insurance — and the largest area where costs can get out of hand.
If you’re in an industry where the E-Mod can be the difference between winning a contract or not, we can actually help increase your total revenue and profitability.
Workers Comp claim management can be of critical importance six months prior to renewal.
This is the date when the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) calculates your Experience Modifier (E-Mod) for your upcoming Workers Comp policy. Since the E-Mod is a direct multiplier to your insurance premium, if we can get a claim closed prior to this date, we will save you real premium dollars for future years.
Cyber Consulting
At least one-third of U.S. businesses have been hacked or have experienced some sort of breach of sensitive data such as Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
This isn’t simply a random accident. Loss due to an “accident” is a basic tenet or requirement for insurance coverage to be available. We are being attacked, and our enemies are very good at what they do. The reality is, you’re probably more likely to experience a cyberattack than to have your building burn down.
The good news is that the insurance markets have come a long way in their cyber insurance offerings. Coverage is extremely broad. Cost for cyber policies continues to decrease. Insurers are getting experienced at coordinating and paying for breach responses for insureds.
We have experience with placing cyber coverage and coordinating the insurance response for organizations as large and complex as Fortune 1000 publicly traded companies and as small as a local landscaping firm.
Facility Security
In Today’s World, Businesses Must Be Prepared To Protect And Secure Their People And Property From The Many Rising Threats We Face Today:
- Active shooter
- Fire
- Weather
- Cyberattack
- Terrorism
- Social Engineering Theft
Securing one’s facility to guard against these perils is paramount in managing and lowering your cost of property and liability expenses.
Take Control
Our Safety and Loss Control team, in concert with strategic partners, can help in identifying, managing and mitigating such risks so you can operate with a greater peace of mind.
Claims Advocacy
While carriers do their best to handle claims according to your policy, there are instances in which you need a claims advocate; someone who is going to maximize your benefits and make sure carriers are delivering on their promises in a timely and expedient manner.
Because policies can be open to interpretation, a claims advocate fights for you, ensuring that the carrier’s acceptance or denial of a claim is in keeping with the policy language.
Valent Group Claims Management Team Is Your Advocate Through Every Step Of The Process.
- Assistance in Claim Preparation and proof-of-loss statements
- Customized Claim Reports
- Assistance recovering losses from not-at-fault claims
- On-site assistance with claims, as needed
- Monitoring of reserves and notifications of claim settlements
- Interpretation of insured’s rights and obligations within the policy form
- Claims Review
(frequency based on the frequency of losses for the client)
We Recommend An In-Person Claims Audit Meeting At Least Once A Year.
Our in-house claims team will work in conjunction with the carrier to assess open claims, reserve amounts and review for closure.
Executive Risk
As a business owner, corporate officer or member of a board of directors, your personal assets are at risk of litigation arising from your executive actions or capacity as a director.
Most brokers in the middle market space have the same person handling and placing your Management Liability and your more standard policies like Workers Comp and Property Insurance. This can spell trouble.
Because every company is different, and because Management Liability protection can be tailored to fit your needs, you need a broker who is living in this world every day; knows which carriers are the best fit; and can walk you through the complexity of these coverages, especially Directors and Officers Liability.
Management Liability coverage has evolved over the years to protect the crown jewels of an organization. Lines of coverage include:
- Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)
- Employment Practices Liability (EPL)
- Fiduciary Liability
- Kidnap and Ransom
- Crime
These coverages are not off the shelf; they vary greatly from one insurance company to the next.