BMV, Big ‘I’ Collaborate on Electronic Filing of Proof of Insurance Forms Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Ron Stiver announced on May 1 a new online tool to enhance the BMV’s ability to enforce the state’s insurance requirements for Indiana motorists, while at the same time, making the proof of auto financial responsibility form filing process simpler and more accurate for independent insurance agents. The new tool significantly improves the way the BMV processes nearly 800,000 insurance forms from motorists who are involved in accidents or who receive certain traffic citations, according to Stiver. The Electronic Insurance Forms Submission Program (EIFS) is a Web-based tool that allows licensed insurance agents to electronically submit five different types of proof of insurance forms to the BMV that are required from their clients after an accident or traffic citation. “This new technology makes it far easier for insurance agents to send us important information, and it will cut in half the time it takes to update a customer record while also eliminating unnecessary confusion and paperwork,” said Stiver. The forms, SR21, SR22, SR26, SR50 and the Certificate of Compliance, are all used for showing proof of insurance or cancellation of such policy. All of these forms require an insurance agent’s signature. “This is an exciting new tool for IIAI member agents that will dramatically increase the efficiency and accuracy of the proof of insurance form filing process,” said IIAI Executive Vice President, Roger Ronk. “The IIAI has worked with the BMV and Commissioner Stiver for nearly a year to get this program up and running. There is a strong need for an electronic filing system for these forms because of the inefficiencies that were inherent in the previous system of mailing and faxing completed forms to the BMV for processing and tracking. We believe that this system will improve the system for agents, customers and the BMV.” The process for agents and/or carriers that file these forms to sign up for this new system is relatively simple. The process will take approximately three to five business days. First: Licensed insurance agents contact the BMV by: • Visiting the agency’s Web site, http://www.in.gov/bmv/4566.htm, • Calling (317) 233-5506, or • Writing to Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Driver Improvement, Safety and Responsibility Department, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N 402, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Agents then complete a BMV Computer Data Entry and Access User Agreement Form, as well as agree to comply with the BMV's basic business rules. Once the BMV has received all of these forms and verified the agent’s or company representative’s information, each individual authorized by an agency or company to file the forms will be assigned a user name and password.
Second:
Third:
Stiver noted that it often takes up to 10 days to process the mailed or faxed paper forms and post the information properly onto a customer’s driving record. The process is often complicated when the BMV receives multiple copies of the forms or written communications with insurance agents and customers cross in the mail. The IIAI was the main industry group working with the BMV over the last year to develop, evaluate and test the EIFS. In fact, IIAI has been instrumental in providing input throughout the
entire process. Initial mock-ups of the online forms were provided to and evaluated by the IIAI and its members, who provided suggestions on the content and format of the forms. In addition, after the online forms were completed, the IIAI provided employees of several of its member agencies to go to a testing facility in Indianapolis to work with the BMV for live testing and entering of information to see how the system would work in practice. After this initial testing session, a number of IIAI members were recruited to use the system in their daily form filing activities prior to the system being made available to the general industry. This testing and input from IIAI members allowed most, if not all, of the bugs to be worked out of the system before it went live on May 1. The IIAI would like to thank all of the member agencies that participated in the exhaustive testing and rating of the EIFS system. The agencies that provided personnel to assist in the onsite testing at the Indiana BMV in Indianapolis and the initial live testing phase are: City Securities Gregory and Appel McGowan Insurance Group, Inc. Old National Insurance Additional agencies that participated in the initial live testing phase are: Forrest Sherer Gibson Insurance Group Indiana State Agency, Inc. Mettler Agency, Inc. Schultheis Agency Shepherd Insurance and Financial Services The Thompson Group “The IIAI is extremely pleased that the Indiana BMV and Commissioner Stiver took a proactive approach to making the proof of insurance form verification process more accurate and efficient,” continued Ronk. “We are confident that this program will tremendously improve this process for our entire industry.” Interested agents can sign up for this process through the BMV’s Web site, www.mybmv.in.gov. Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the EIFS system. Should you or anyone in your agency have questions, please contact Steve Duff at duff@bigi.org or Roger Ronk at ronk@bigi.org. 1. When are insurance forms required to be submitted to the BMV? The following Indiana motorists are required to show proof of insurance to the BMV through their insurance carrier: • Anyone involved in an auto accident resulting in damages of $1,000 or more. • Anyone receiving a traffic ticket within one year of receiving two other traffic tickets. • Anyone committing a serious traffic violation (i.e. a misdemeanor or felony). • Anyone committing a violation while his/her driver's license was previously suspended for violation of the proof of the financial responsibility. 2. How many insurance forms are processed by the BMV each year?
The BMV receives over 778,000 insurance forms each year – that’s nearly 64,833 forms each month or 15,000+ each week. Most of these – nearly 80 percent – are sent through the mail. The remaining 20 percent are faxed to the BMV. 3. What happens to a customer that does not submit an insurance form to the BMV when required to do so? While each individual case may differ, a driver who fails to provide proof of insurance to the BMV faces a mandatory 90-day suspension of the driver’s license. Repeat violators face longer suspensions. 4. What is the Electronic Insurance Forms Submission Program (EIFS)? EIFS is a Web-based electronic submission tool administered by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) that allows insurance agents to submit specific insurance forms to the BMV. 5. Under the old system, how long does it take to processes insurance forms? When an insurance agent mails an insurance form to the BMV, it may take up to 10 days before that information is posted to a driver’s record. By eliminating the time for mailing and paper processing, the electronic submission will cut the processing time in half. The process is complicated by forms and requests for information crossing in the mail and multiple copies of forms being sent to the BMV. 6. Who is eligible to use this electronic submission process? Any licensed insurance agent is eligible to participate in the program. 7. How does this program benefit the BMV? The BMV can more efficiently post time-sensitive information to a customer record. Data-entry errors and mail-handling errors caused by the legibility of the document received are minimized. The BMV frequently receives multiple copies of submitted documents, due to insurance agents attempting to serve their customers well. This causes more effort on the part of the BMV in processing duplicate forms submitted and less time on review of suspension status. The BMV is able to identify who submitted the form allowing for easy communication with agents if additional information is needed. 8. How do BMV customers benefit from this new tool? BMV customers can be assured that time-sensitive information is accurately applied to their records, as all documents sent in electronically are time-stamped at the time of submission. 9. What forms can insurance agents submit electronically? Five different financial responsibility forms can be submitted electronically by insurance agents on behalf of customers. These forms include: SR21-- Indiana Operator’s Proof of Insurance/Crash Report SR22—3 years Proof of Insurance form SR26—SR22 Cancellation form SR50 – Affidavit of Current Insurance Certificate of Compliance. 10. Will either the insurance agent or the customer receive confirmation that the BMV received the information?
When the electronic form has been submitted, an insurance agent will receive a screen message of a successful submission or will be redirected back to correct information submitted. 11. What if an insurance agent receives an error message when submitting the forms? Insurance agents who receive an error message or have questions while using the electronic submission process should call (317) 233-5506 during regular business hours. 12. Why can’t customers submit proof of insurance information through this process? To assure the validity of the insurance coverage, state law requires the signature of a licensed insurance agent.