Washington state LTCi updates:
Processing solution as 11/1 deadline nears
Thank you for your patience as we work diligently to process the significant influx of long-term care (LTC) application volume we’ve received as a result of the Washington Cares Fund.

The surge in applications has put significant strain on carriers, underwriters and the vendors who support this business across the industry.

We received triple the normal number of LTC applications throughout May, June and July. And while we have made meaningful progress, there are still a significant number of applications to process. Current projections indicate that we will return to normal processing times early in 2022.

We’ve taken many actions to address the high volume of pending applications, including:

• Hiring
• Continued overtime
• Process changes

This has helped to reduce pending volume by more than 30% over the past two months; however, pending applications are at double normal levels, resulting in continued delays.

We are committed to moving this work forward as quickly as possible and appreciate your partnership as we address this challenge together.

What you can do
Set expectations with your clients that LTC applications will take longer to process than normal, and assure them that we will process their applications as quickly as we can.

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Washington-specific updates

We have made progress over the past several weeks on processing outstanding applications, and we continue to do everything we can to complete as many applications as possible prior to the Nov. 1 exemption deadline.

While we know that not all pending applications will be completed by then, we have a solution that will provide a contract effective date prior to Nov. 1. This should allow clients to apply for the exemption (details below).

For Washington applicants:
Effective Nov. 1, 2021, all Washington LTC applications will be issued using the application date as the policy effective date¹.

• No action will be required by advisors or their clients until after the contract issues, but please note – it is important that you help your clients understand that they’ll need to pay premiums back to the date the application was signed.
• NOTE: If you client does not want the issue date to be the application date, please notify Thrivent.LTC.Underwriting@ltcg.com.

For Non-Washington applicants with Washington income:
Take action! If you have pending LTC applications after Oct. 31 for clients who are residents of other states but have Washington income and are looking for the exemption, email Thrivent.LTC.Underwriting@ltcg.com to request the issue date be the application date¹.
 

1. This option is always available upon request for applicants in all states.
 

 

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