Current through Reg. 50, No. 13; March 28, 2025
(a) A company must include the
certification(s), attachment(s), and additional information referred to in this
section as follows:
(1) A filing must include
the following certifications, as applicable:
(A) Specific certification. Filings submitted
as file and use pursuant to §
3.5(a)(2) of
this title (relating to Filing Authorities and Categories) must certify that:
(i) the certification is on behalf of the
company;
(ii) the company is bound
thereby;
(iii) the company has
reviewed, and is familiar with, all applicable statutes and regulations of this
state and of the United States;
(iv) the company has reviewed the filing;
and
(v) to the best of the
company's knowledge, information, and belief, the filing complies in all
respects with the applicable statutes and regulations of this state.
(B) General certification. Filings
submitted other than file and use must certify that:
(i) the certification is on behalf of the
company;
(ii) the company is bound
thereby;
(iii) the company has
reviewed the filing; and
(iv) to
the best of the company's knowledge, information, and belief, the filing
complies with the applicable statutes and regulations of this state.
(2) A company
submitting a filing as file and use must, in addition to providing the
certification specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection, complete the
appropriate certification on the transmittal checklist certifying that:
(A) no corrections to the form have been
requested by the department; and
(B) the form has not been previously
disapproved by the department.
(3) A company submitting a form substantially
similar to a previously approved form or an exact copy of a previously approved
form must provide the certification specified in paragraph (1) of this
subsection, and on the transmittal checklist must provide the following
information and certification(s):
(A) the form
number and approval date of the previously approved form, including the
company's name if different from the submitting company;
(B) a summary of the difference(s) between
the previously approved form and the new form, including a description of any
deleted text, and a clear identification of all changes with new or modified
text underlined; and
(C) a
certification that no changes have been made to the form other than those
identified.
(4) A
company submitting a form as a substitution of a previously approved or
exempted form must provide the certification specified in paragraph (1) of this
subsection, and on the transmittal checklist must provide the following
information and certification(s):
(A) the
form number and approval or exemption date of the previously approved or
exempted form;
(B) a summary of the
difference(s) between the previously approved or exempted form and the new
form, including a description of any deleted text, and a clear identification
of all changes with new or modified text underlined;
(C) a certification that no changes have been
made to the form other than those identified; and
(D) a certification that the original version
of the form has not been issued or otherwise used in Texas, and will not be
issued or used in Texas at any time.
(5) A company submitting a form as a
correction to a pending form must provide the certification specified in
paragraph (1) of this subsection, and on the transmittal checklist must provide
the following information and certification(s):
(A) the form number of the pending
form;
(B) the name of the
department's form review specialist who reviewed the form;
(C) the date of notification of any form
deficiencies;
(D) the tracking
number of the pending form as assigned by the department;
(E) a summary of the difference(s) between
the previously reviewed form and the corrected form, including a description of
any deleted text, and a clear identification of all changes, with new or
modified text underlined; and
(F) a
certification that no changes have been made to the form other than those
identified.
(6) A
company submitting a form as a resubmission of a previously disapproved form
must provide the certification specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection,
and on the transmittal checklist must provide the following information and
certification(s):
(B) the name of the
department's form review specialist who reviewed the form;
(C) the date of disapproval by the
department;
(D) the tracking number
of the disapproved form as assigned by the department;
(E) a summary of the difference(s) between
the disapproved form and the new form, including a description of any deleted
text, and a clear identification of all changes, with new or modified text
underlined; and
(F) a certification
that no changes have been made to the form other than those
identified.
(7) A
company submitting a supplemental coverage filing pursuant to §
3.3080 of this title (relating to
Supplemental Coverage) or Insurance Code §
1131.051 or §
1131.053 must complete
the appropriate certification on the transmittal checklist certifying that the
policy will be marketed only as supplemental coverage.
(8) A company submitting a filing as a matrix
filing or as an insert page pursuant to §
3.4(f) and (g) of
this title (relating to General Submission Requirements) must, in addition to
providing the certification specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection,
complete the appropriate certification on the transmittal checklist certifying
that, when issued, the policies, certificates, contracts, riders, or
applications created from such forms comply in all respects with the applicable
statutes and regulations of this state and of the United States with regard to
the final product issued.
(9) A
company submitting a filing as exempt pursuant to §
3.5(a)(3) of
this title (relating to Filing Authorities and Categories) must, in addition to
the certification specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection, complete the
appropriate certification on the transmittal checklist certifying:
(A) the form filed is not deceptive or
misleading;
(B) the form filed does
not contain exceptions or conditions that unreasonably or deceptively affect
the risk purported to be assumed in the general coverages of the
policy;
(C) the form filed meets
the criteria specified in §
3.4004 of this title (relating to
Exempt Forms);
(D) the form filed
does not contain any new, uncommon, or unusual provisions, conditions, or
concepts as provided in §
3.4006 of this title (relating to
New, Uncommon, and Unusual Forms);
(E) the company submitting the filed form has
had a certificate of authority to do such business in Texas for a period not
less than two years as required in §
3.4007 of this title (relating to
Newly Licensed Insurers); and
(F)
the use of the form filed will be discontinued in the event of future changes
in laws or rules that would prohibit the use of such forms.
(b) A company must
include any applicable readability certifications, in accordance with
Subchapter G of this chapter (relating to Plain Language Requirements for
Health Benefit Policies), §
3.3092(c) of
this title (relating to Format, Content, and Readability for Outline of
Coverage), §
3.3102(g) of
this title (relating to Language Readability), or any other statutes and
regulations of this state.
(c) A
company submitting a filing for a group policy or contract must :
(1) on the transmittal checklist, specify the
specific group type under which the form is being filed by indicating the
appropriate section as set forth in Insurance Code Chapter 1131 and Chapter
1251, or §
21.2702(1) and
(2) of this title (relating to Definitions)
and for Chapter 26 filings, specify the size of the group. Any filing submitted
under an ineligible group type will not be accepted for review by the
department, and will be returned to the company as incomplete;
(2) submit a separate policy and certificate,
each with a unique identifying form number, for each group type that the filing
will be issued to; and
(3) submit
the following required information for certain group filings.
(A) Filings subject to Insurance Code Chapter
26 of this title (relating to Employer-Related Health Benefit Plan Regulations)
must comply with all filing requirements set forth in Chapter 26 of this title.
(B) Filings to be issued to an
association must include a copy of the association's constitution, bylaws, and
articles of incorporation that demonstrate that the association meets the
requirements of Insurance Code §§
1131.060,
1251.052, or
21.2702(1) or (2) of this title.
(C) Filings to be issued to an association
may be submitted on an "ABC association" basis provided that, if approved, each
time the form is issued to a different eligible association, the company
submits :
(i) a copy of the eligible
association's constitution, bylaws, and articles of incorporation;
and
(ii) an alternate face page
which identifies the association with either the policy number assigned or a
unique form number;
(D)
Accident and health filings to be issued to associations participating in a
multiple association trusteed arrangement must be accompanied by:
(i) a listing of all the associations
participating in the multiple association trusteed arrangement;
(ii) a copy of the trust agreement;
and
(iii) a copy of each eligible
association's constitution, bylaws, and articles of incorporation.
(E) A company that has received
approval for a filing to be issued to associations participating in a multiple
association trusteed arrangement must notify the department of any subsequent
additions of participating associations upon enrollment and include the
documentation required in subparagraph (D) of this paragraph for each
association that joins the trust after approval of the initial
filing.
(F) Filings to be issued to
a multiple employer trusteed group:
(i) must
be accompanied by a copy of the trust agreement;
(ii) must include an alternate face page for
each related industry group, with a unique form number assigned; and
(iii) may be submitted on an "ABC Trust"
basis provided that, if approved, each time the form is issued to a different
eligible trust, the company submits :
(I) a
copy of the individual trust agreement; and
(II) an alternate face page, identifying the
policyholder, the industry, and the policy number assigned to each
industry.
(d) The department may request any additional
information necessary for a comprehensive review of any form.