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Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

For continuing education (CE) providers

CE providers offer insurance education to help producers meet their license renewal requirements. A producer must complete 24 hours of approved CE, including three hours of ethics, each license term.

CE providers and courses must be approved by the insurance commissioner before advertising or offering CE courses.

Where to send application or renewal packets

  • Fax to 360-586-2019, or
  • Email us, or
  • Call 360-725-7146 with any questions.

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Become a CE provider

To become a CE provider, the following items must be submitted in an electronic format, such as an email with attachment or on a CD:

  1. CE provider application form (Word, 40KB) with your first course application
  2. Request for course and credit approval form (Word, 40KB). A provider will not be approved until their first course is approved.
  3. Course documents. See lecture-course and self-study course requirements.
    • If you have more than one course to submit for approval, each course must be a separate document.
    • New courses must be submitted at least 20 days before the first offering.
    • Do not send duplicate copies.

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CE course approval

Requests for CE course and credit approval (Word, 40KB) must be submitted to the commissioner no fewer than 20 days prior to the first date the course is offered for credit. 

  1. Course credit will not apply to any course offered less than 20 days from the date the application was received by the OIC.
  2. Once a course is approved, the provider will receive a course-approval letter in the mail. If the course is declined, the provider will receive an email.
  3. Course applications and documents must be submitted via fax or email to the attention of, "Education Analyst."
    • Do not send duplicate copies.
    • If submitted via email, each course must be a separate document. 
    • If submitted via fax, each course must be faxed separately.

Note: To add a course that is already approved for another Washington CE provider, submit a Request for Course and Credit Approval form (Word, 40KB) with the approved course number.

We approve two types of instruction for courses:

1. Lecture course presented in a class room (also see Webinar), or

2. Self-study course offered online or by correspondence.

Course topics must be direct and specific to insurance. We only approve insurance courses.

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Lecture course

Lecture course approval process

1.   Complete a request for course and credit approval form (Word, 40 KB) or the NAIC uniform continuing education reciprocity course filing form (Word, 76KB).

2. Submit a timed topic outline (this outline should be detailed with a break down of the number of minutes of instruction per topic included in the outline).

3. Submit an instructor resume (if known at the time of submission of the course approval).

Requests for approval of a CE course must be received by the OIC no fewer than 20 days prior to the first date the course is offered for credit. Course credit will not apply to any presentation scheduled for less than 20 days from the date the course application was received by the OIC.

Lecture course credit
  • There must be a sign-in and sign-out register controlled by the instructor or monitor assigned by the provider. 
  • The attendee must sign the register and indicate their arrival and departure times to verify completion. 
  • The attendee must be present for the entire presentation. 
  • If an attendee is more than ten minutes late from the start of the presentation, the attendee cannot receive CE credit and should not be allowed to sign the register. 
  • Verification of attendance cannot be accepted by phone or computer.
  • Each 50 minutes of classroom time equals one credit hour.

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Webinars

The same criteria as a lecture course is applicable to webinars. The attendees must be present in the classroom. There must be a monitor and the attendees must personally sign the sign-in sheet. We do not allow attendance by computer or phone.

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Self study course

Self study course approval process

1. Complete a Request for Course and Credit Approval form (Word, 40KB) or the NAIC Uniform Continuing Education Reciprocity Course Filing form (Word, 76KB).

2. Submit a table of contents with word count. If the course includes a request for ethics credit, also provide the word count for the ethics content.

3. Submit course study materials.

4. Submit a copy of the required course final exam. 

    • If the requested course credits are one to four credit hours, the exam must have a least 25 multiple choice questions. 
    • If the requested course credits are five credit hours or more, the exam must have at least 50 multiple choice questions. 
    • If the student does not pass the exam the first time, the re-take exam must not have more that 50 percent of the same questions.

5. Requests for approval of a CE course must be submitted to the commissioner no fewer than 20 days prior to the first date the course is offered for credit. Course credit will not apply to any course offered less than 20 days from the date the application was received by the OIC.

Self study course credit

The course word count is used to determine the credit hours. We use the NAIC self study guideline. The student must complete the course and pass the course final exam with a score of 70 percent to verify course completion.

NAIC self study guideline:

The credit for a self study course is determined based on the word count of the course. If the course has ethics content, then we must have the word count for the ethics content since we approve ethics hours separately.

  • Basic level (9000 words per hour):
    • We divide the word count by 180 then 50 minutes to arrive at the basic level credit hours. We round-up at .5. For example: Basic level = 2.49 = 2 credit hours. 2.51 = 3 credit hours.
  • Intermediate level (7000 words per hour):
    • We multiply the basic level result, prior to rounding-up, by 1.25 to arrive at the credit hours. For example: Basic level = 2.49 x 1.25 = 3.11. This is 3 credit hours.
  • Advanced level (6000 words per hour):
    • We multiply the basic level result, prior to rounding-up by 1.50 to arrive at the credit hours. For example: Basic level = 2.49 x 1.5 = 3.73. This is 4 credit hours.

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Insurance designation courses

Insurance designation courses acknowledged by the insurance commissioner are eligible for full CE credit. A list of eligible insurance designations is available on our continuing education for licensees page.

"Designation course" means a course of study taken to achieve an insurance professional certification, requiring passage of several standardized examinations, and granted by an insurance or professional organization or an accredited educational institution.

To submit an insurance designation program to be considered for full CE credit, the education provider must send a written request to the insurance commissioner's office. The request must include the following:

    1. Information about the education institution/organization offering the designation.
    2. Information about the Board(s) that certified the designation.
    3. A description of the designation and why it is relevant for insurance professionals.
    4. Requirements to complete the designation.
    5. Description of each course required to complete the designation. The description should also include the instruction method and hours of study needed to complete the curriculum. Provide information about the exams, such as number of questions, exam type, and passing grade required.

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CE instructor

Providers must select instructors that are knowledgeable about the topic, competent to teach it, and trustworthy. Although the OIC does not approve instructors, we can decline a CE course if the instructor is not qualified. Instructor resumes should be kept in the providers' CE file and must be available upon request.

  • When you submit the roster, you will need to enter the instructor information under "instructor" then add the instructor as an "attendee" also. This will give the instructor double credit. To get double CE credit, there can only be one instructor for the course.
  • If the instructor has already used the course for CE credit in the past three years, he or she cannot be added as an attendee. You will receive an error message.
  • If there was a morning presentation of the course (one to four-hour course) and an afternoon presentation of the same course, you can only submit one roster for the day. The instructor can only receive CE credit for one of the presentations. Also add the instructor as an attendee if CE credit is requested by the instructor.
  • If two instructors taught the same course on the same day at different locations, you can only enter one instructor on the roster for double credit. If both need double credit, then you can enter one instructor on the roster and send a request to the OIC for CE credit for the second instructor.

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Changing provider contact information

To change provider contact information, send an email to our Education Analyst with the following information:

  • Provider number
  • New contact name
  • New contact address
  • New contact phone number
  • New contact email address
  • New contact fax number

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Fees

There are no fees to approve or renew a CE provider, CE course, or CE instructors.

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CE provider renewal

Once approved, a CE provider's authority remains active until after their last CE course expires. If a CE provider's authority has become inactive, it can be activated again by submitting a provider application form (PDF, 42KB) with a course application form (PDF, 40KB). A provider will not be approved until their first course is approved.

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CE course renewal

A CE course is effective for two years from the date of approval. 

Approximately 40 days before the month the course will expire, a renewal notice will be sent to the provider. For example, notices for courses expiring in March are mailed to the provider by January 20. 

  • The renewal notice letter must be completed and returned to the OIC for review. 
  • If the course is renewed, a new course approval letter will be mailed. 
  • If the course is declined, an email notification will be sent. 
  • If you do not receive either, contact our office for a status before the course expires. 

Courses may be renewed if the course has not changed and the course meets current standards.

If changes have been made to the course, a new course application (PDF, 40KB) is required.

The renewal notice must be received by the OIC no later than the last day of the month the course expires. If the notice is late, the course will not be renewed.

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Ten day notice of subsequent presentation

CE providers must send the OIC a notice at least ten days prior to presenting an approved insurance CE course. The course notice should not be sent earlier than 60 days before the presentation. This notice is not a request for approval of the course presentation so you will not receive a reply.

There is no specific form for this notice.

You may send the notice via email to our education analyst.

The course presentation notice must include:

  1. Provider number
  2. Course number
  3. Date and time
  4. Location (address) of presentation

If an approved CE course that has been scheduled for a presentation is cancelled for any reason, the provider must notify the OIC of the course presentation cancellation via email.

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Advertising a CE course

A course submitted for CE credit cannot be advertised prior to the course being approved by the OIC. Advertising a course before obtaining OIC course approval by indicating, "continuing education credit is pending" is not allowed.

A CE course advertisement must include all of the following:

  1. The insurance education provider's name, using the name registered with our office
  2. The course title, as approved by our office
  3. A brief description of the content of the course
  4. The number of credit hours approved by our office
  5. The location where the course will be held
  6. The date and time that the course will be presented
  7. The total cost of the course

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Rosters

The on-line roster program began in April 2008 and requires providers to report CE credits for licensees within ten days of course completion. Our on-line roster program will accept a late roster but repeated violations of the ten-day roster rule can result in an enforcement action.

To utilize the on-line roster submission program, you'll need to create an account on our website by registering. If you have not registered yet, contact our Licensing & Education department and registration information can be emailed to you.

If you have registered but forgot your password, use the "Forgot Password?" link in the User Login box to reset your account and have a new password emailed to your registered email address.

  • Your User ID is your provider number with the letters L-I-C in front of your provider number:
    • Example: LIC111111

    Login to submit your rosters LockIcon

    • One roster, per course, per day. If there was a morning presentation of the course (one to four-hour course) and an afternoon presentation of the same course, you can only submit one roster for the day.
    • Also, if the same course is presented in two locations on the same day, there can only be one roster. Combine the attendees into one roster.

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Sign-in sheets

Sign-in sheets (Word, 35KB) are required for each lecture class. The instructor or monitor must maintain possession of the sign-in sheet for the entire duration of the class. Attendees cannot sign-out until the class is completed.

Attendees cannot sign-in more than ten minutes after the start of the class.

Save the sign-in sheets for three years with your course records.

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Certificate of completion

A certificate of completion must be issued to each attendee within ten days of completing the course. The instructor, class monitor or other person authorized by the provider can sign the certificates. The provider must keep a record of the people authorized to sign certificates on behalf of the provider. A certificate form can be requested by the provider's contact person. Send the request to our education analyst and include your provider number.

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CE course records

Providers must keep all course and attendance or registration records for three years from the course completion date.

CE providers must maintain the following records:

  1. Course application
  2. Topic outline
  3. Instructor resume - if a lecture
  4. Course approval letter
  5. Sing-in and sign-out register - if lecture
  6. Registration form and completed exam - if self study
  7. Certificate of completion with course information and authorized signature
  8. Course evaluations - if completed by the student
  9. Course material and final exam - if self study
  10. Course presentation notice

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Questions?

emailicon Email our Education Analyst, or

phoneicon Call 360-725-7146

 




Updated 05/07/2012

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