NAIFA-Texas
From Des Taylor, CEO & Chief Legislative Officer of NAIFA-Texas 
   
New Certification and CE Rules Impact Agents Selling Annuities and Medicare Products/Plans as of April 1, 2010          The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has adopted rules to implement legislation passed by the 81st Texas Legislature. The legislation relates to certification and CE requirements for the sale of annuities and Medicare products/plans, and to agents who wish to obtain voluntary specialty certification to market small employer group health insurance. Click here to view the adoption order and rules in their entirety. 
 
Annuity Producers Initial Certification Training
  • All Texas resident licensees who were actively licensed before April 1, 2010, may continue offering, soliciting or selling annuities to Texas residents until the time his/her next license expires. Initial annuity certification training must be completed before the license expiration date in order for the agent to continue offering, soliciting or selling annuities to Texas residents.  
  • All new Texas resident licensees who become licensed on or after April 1, 2010, must complete four hours of Department certified annuity training prior to offering, soliciting or selling an annuity to a Texas resident.
  • Assume an agent's license renews April 15, 2010. That agent would have only until April 15, 2010, to meet the initial four-hour certification course requirement to sell annuities. In addition, the agent would have to complete another four hour CE course before April 15, 2011, and then again before April 15, 2012, and so on every twelve months.   
Additional Information 
Licensees may count the hours required for the initial certification training and CE toward the completion of the continuing education requirements otherwise prescribed in the Insurance Code for the licensee.  Licensees who may qualify for the longevity exemption (20 years or more continuous licensed) are NOT exempt from the provisions of the proposed rules to market or sell annuities and Medicare advantage plans.
 
Course Information
The list of approved courses is changing daily, so you may want to check the Sircon site directly. Here are the instructions for accessing the information:

  • Go to www.sircon.com
  • Under Quick Start for Agents, click on "Look up Education Courses/Credits"
  • Select "Approved Courses Inquiry"
  • Select "Texas"
  • Then select the following boxes as applicable:
    • Cert-Annuity
    • Cert-Medicare Related 
Note:  According to the TDI, courses designated "Cert-Annuity" are to be used to gain the initial Annuity Certification; courses designated "CE-Cert-Annuity" are to be used for the annual Continuing Education follow-up. For compliance purposes, agents should retain the original Certificate of Completion for the time period required by the State.   

Texas Administrative Code: Annuity Continuing Education 
Texas Administrative Code: Annuity Certification Course Standards 
 
In an abundance of caution, NAIFA-TX suggests that agents with specific questions direct their inquiries to TDI, Agents Licensing Division, license@tdi.state.tx.us or 800/252-3439.