Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 120-2-3-.12 - Continuing Education Courses Approval
(1) Considerations for course qualification
and approval shall be based on improving the student's knowledge in the
insurance areas in which the student is licensed.
(a) The overriding consideration in
determining whether a course qualifies as acceptable continuing education is
that it be a formal program of learning which contributes directly to the
professional or technical competence of a licensed individual. Sales,
motivational, self- improvement, telephone techniques, office techniques
(except to the extent of improving service to the public when combined with
other eligible instruction), election of officers, installation of officers,
attendance at conventions and other similar activities, programs, or courses
will not be approved.
(b) Courses
must be related directly to the types of insurance business or accounts for
which a continuation of licenses is sought. In general, subjects would be
acceptable if they contribute to the technical competence of the individual
person in the capacity for which such person is licensed.
(c) The training required under
120-2-3-.15(2)(f)
shall consist of topics related to long term care insurance, long term care
services and qualified state long term care insurance Partnership programs
under Rule
120-2-16-.34(5),
including but not limited to
1. State and
federal regulations and requirements and the relationship between qualified
state long term care insurance Partnership programs and other public and
private coverage of long term care services, including Medicaid;
2. Available long term services and
providers;
3. Changes or
improvements in long term care services or providers;
4. Alternatives to the purchase of private
long term care insurance;
5. The
effect of inflation on benefits and the importance of inflation
protection;
6. Consumer suitability
standards and guidelines;
7. Said
course must contain a minimum of two (2) hours instruction covering Georgia
Medicaid provisions.
(d)
The training required under
120-2-3-.15(2)(g)
can be approved to be delivered as a classroom course or self-study; the course
shall not include any marketing information or provide training on sales
techniques or provide specific information about a particular insurer's
products; the training required shall consist of topics related to annuities
and annuity suitability and must include the following:
1. The types of annuities and various
classifications of annuities;
2.
Identification of the parties to an annuity;
3. How fixed, variable and indexed annuity
contract provisions affect consumers;
4. The application of income taxation of
qualified and non-qualified annuities;
5. The primary uses of annuities;
and
6. Appropriate sales practices,
replacement and disclosure requirements.
(2) The general requirements for course or
program conduct shall be:
(a) An outline of
the program must be prepared by the program director or instructor and provided
to each student;
(b) The program
must be conducted by a person whose formal training and experience qualify such
person as an instructor;
(c) Hours
of continuing education credit earned shall be calculated in full hours
only;
(d) Throughout the entire
program, the program provider and the licensee must maintain a record of
registration and attendance;
(e)
Such courses or program must be filed with the Commissioner at least forty-five
(45) days in advance of the date when such approval is desired;
(f) Credit will be given for contact hours
only, except:
1. University or college credit
courses - each semester credit hour shall equal three (3) hours toward the
requirement, each quarter hour shall equal two (2) hours;
2. Noncredit courses from a college or
university - each classroom hour shall be deemed to be one hour of continuing
education.
(g)
Correspondence or other individual study courses (including taped study
courses) will qualify if they:
1. Have
received the prior approval of the Commissioner;
2. Require registration; and
3. Certify satisfactory completion, including
a proctored final examination.
(h) If any scheduled course is to be
cancelled by the provider, the provider must notify the Department and all
registrants at least 10 days prior to the previously scheduled start of the
course provided. This restriction shall not apply if, at the time of
registration, the provider notifies registrants in writing that the class is
subject to cancellation and registrants are notified of the cancellation a
reasonable time in advance of the scheduled start of the course.
(3) The course filing requirements
are:
(a) Continuing education sponsors must
complete the appropriate form, pay the required fees, and must submit those
items required in Rules
120-2-3-.08(3) and
(4);
(b) The Commissioner, at his discretion, may
verify the information submitted by the instructor or course provider. The
Commissioner may review any approved instructor or course and may cancel
approval of such instructor or course with regard to all future offerings. Once
a instructor or course provider has been canceled, such instructor or course
provider shall not reapply for approval for a period of five (5) years from the
date of the cancellation.
(4) For courses or seminars offered in
Georgia, the person, group, association, or institution making such courses
available would be the continuing education provider, seeking its approval for
continuing education purposes, and monitoring and certifying students'
performance or attendance.
(5) For
out-of-state courses or seminars offered by regional or national professional
associations or societies, the national professional association may assume the
role of sponsor. However, local or state chapters or affiliates of the national
professional association may, through their local offices, assume the role of
Georgia provider of the national course or seminar, seeking course approval for
continuing education purposes and monitoring and certifying students'
performance and attendance.
(6) The
following standards will be used to measure the hours of credit to be given for
acceptable continuing education courses completed by any individual:
(a) Courses requiring class attendance:
1. All courses will be measured in terms of
contact hours. The shortest recognized course will consist of one (1) contact
hour. A contact hour is fifty (50) minutes of continuous participation in a
course. Under this standard, credit is granted only for full contact hours. For
example, a course lasting between fifty (50) and one hundred (100) minutes
would count for only one (1) hour.
2. For continuous courses, when individual
segments are less than fifty (50) minutes, the sum of the segments should be
considered one (1) total course.
3.
Program providers must monitor group programs in order to accurately assign the
appropriate number of credit hours for participants who arrive late or leave
before a program is completed.
4.
Credit will be allowed for a question and answer period at the rate of fifty
percent (50%) of the number of minutes devoted to questions and answers. Credit
will not be allowed for introductions, announcements or other such activity
which may be a part of the program.
5. Only hours in class, or the equivalent,
will be counted. No credit will be allowed for time devoted to
preparation.
6. Each semester hour
of credit from a college or university shall be deemed to be three (3) hours of
continuing education credit, and each quarter hour of credit shall be deemed to
be two (2) hours of continuing education credit.
7. Each classroom hour of noncredit courses
from a college or university shall be counted as one (1) hour of continuing
professional education.
(b) Correspondence and other individual study
courses:
1. In determining the amount of
credit to be allowed for specific correspondence and individual study courses,
each course provider must certify the hours of study, on the average, required
to complete a course successfully. Credit will be given for fifty percent (50%)
of hours so certified upon certification of successful completion.
2. Successful completion must include a
proctored final examination.
3.
Credit will be allowed in the renewal period in which the course is
completed.
(7)
A program provider may request that its materials furnished for certification
be kept confidential on the grounds that they are of a proprietary nature and
intended only for program attendees, its agents or employees. The Commissioner
or his designee will promptly review and return such materials.
(8) Course providers must certify contact
hours to the Commissioner electronically or by means prescribed by the
Commissioner. Such reporting must be submitted within fourteen (14) days from
course completion. Failure to do so may result in administrative action taken
against the provider. Course providers must provide certification to each
person taking the course in the same manner as provided in Rule
120-2-3-.08(7).
(9) Instructors may receive the same credit
for courses as applicants when their attendance is certified as provided in
Paragraph (8) of this Section.
Notes
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