Monday, March 08, 2010
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Posted by: Melinda Starkweather
Watch Scott's Spring Update Webcast With the approach of Spring and all
things new, it is time for me to visit all the districts to talk about
what’s happening and where we’re headed as an association of funeral
directors. We have exciting developments to discuss this Spring,
related to the creation of a new pre-need life insurance company, a
restructuring of our conferences, CE offerings, and new developments on
the legislative front.
Pre-need Insurance
-- In the Fall of 2008 I began exploring ways to enhance the Wisconsin
Funeral Trust. The Trust serves about half of our membership and its
client families and I was interested in any new products we might
develop that would help the other half. As I explored these
possibilities with various experts, I found that my original product
ideas were not the solution I had hoped for. However, in the process of
exploring, another idea began to emerge for me. That idea was the
creation of a life insurance company designed for the primary benefit
of our members (the agent) and their client families. Most companies,
including insurance companies, are designed for the benefit of (who
else?) the company itself. The idea was interesting enough that we
conducted further research and had some exploratory discussions with
the Insurance Commissioners office. I took the idea and the research to
the board of our for-profit services company, then to the WFDA Board of
Directors and the trustees of the Wisconsin Funeral Trust.
Many
of you are aware of these activities, but we’ve had to be careful in
our communication about them in order to protect this great business
opportunity for our members. We are now ready to announce the creation
of the Requia Life Insurance Company. I will be discussing the details
of this company and answering all your questions at an upcoming
district meeting near you.
Re-structured Conferences
-- One of the best programs we run every year is the OSHA staff
training seminar which we hold at six locations throughout the state.
As you know, funeral directors and employees whose work is related to
the prep room are required by law to have this training every year. But
funeral directors have other continuing education requirements as well.
In order to get it all in, you may have to attend several conferences
far from your business. After listening to our members on these issues
for three years, we’re ready to move forward with an overhaul of our CE
programs that will give our members greater educational value in one
conference closer to home. You’ll have to come to your district meeting
to hear more, but the first change I can announce is that for the first
time we’ll be offering OSHA training at the annual convention.
Legislation
-- We’re working hard on a piece of legislation that we’ve attempted in
the past, which will raise the cap on Medicaid (title 19, county
reimbursed) funerals from $3500 to $4500. We have reason to feel
optimistic about achieving success this year. In addition, Wisconsin
will be electing a new Governor this year and funeral directors need to
get involved to have our voices heard. I’ll bring the latest updates on
our legislation to your local district meeting.
I look forward
to seeing you all at your upcoming district meetings so we can share
what’s new and get all of your questions answered. If you’re in charge
of scheduling your district meeting and haven’t set a date for my visit
please call Nancy at (608) 256-1757 or email her at nancy@wfda.org with your suggested dates.
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