As one of the largest insurers of social workers in the United States, representing the needs and insuring over 80,000 social workers across the country, we pride ourselves on our unwavering commitment to serving the needs of our policyholders.

One of the key ways we achieve this is through our close alignment with the social work community. Unlike other insurance companies, Preferra’s Board of Directors and Underwriting and Claims Committees are comprised of respected social workers, NASW Social Work Pioneers™, past NASW Board and Executive Committee leaders, and insurance professionals who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. This ensures that our policyholders have social work representation at the highest level of the organization.

These respected individuals are not only leaders within our company but also pioneers in the social work community at large. Many of them share backgrounds with the very policyholders they serve, allowing for a deep understanding of their unique challenges and needs. Moreover, our board members are academic thought leaders who hold prominent positions at social work agencies and institutions across the country.

What truly sets Preferra apart is the extensive years of service that our board members have dedicated to the social work field. Their invaluable contributions, both on the boards and executive committees of large social work organizations, including NASW and NASW Chapters, have helped shape the landscape of social services nationwide.

Through our board’s collective wisdom and dedication, Preferra remains steadfast in its mission to provide comprehensive coverage and support to the social work community. We are committed to fostering partnerships, driving innovation, and advocating for the well-being of those who tirelessly serve others.

As part of our ongoing efforts to serve our policyholders, we’ve introduced the option for you to grant your standing proxy.

Granting your standing proxy does not mean giving up control over your vote or decision-making power. Rather, it empowers experienced leaders of your insurance company to act on your behalf in a manner that reflects their best judgement concerning the collective interests of policyholders. Leaders like Dr. Richard Jones, PhD, a respected social worker, pioneer in our field, and President of Preferra Insurance Company RRG.

By granting your standing proxy to Preferra’s President, you entrust him with representing your interests in important decision-making processes within our organization. Rest assured, you always have the authority and freedom to vote independently on any election or voting issue as you see fit. Providing your standing proxy enables Preferra to swiftly authorize and execute voting actions for the benefit of the company and its policyholders. As Preferra’s policyholder base has expanded, meeting the required threshold for policyholder voting participation has become increasingly challenging. Your standing proxy facilitates Preferra in meeting these voting requirements more promptly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

While we understand the importance of thoughtful consideration, we believe there are several points to consider regarding the benefits of providing your standing proxy and why it can be beneficial to you:

Expertise and Experience: Social workers and insurance industry professionals with significant expertise and experience are nominated to serve on the Preferra Board to represent policyholders’ interests effectively in decision-making processes. The Preferra Board leadership consists of a diverse group of individuals, including social workers, recognized as NASW Social Work Pioneers™, former NASW Board and Executive Committee members, as well as insurance professionals who possess a deep understanding of your profession and its unique requirements.

Efficiency and Convenience: Assigning your proxy to a trusted individual like Preferra’s President streamlines the voting process, ensuring that your voice is represented even if you cannot participate directly in every decision-making event. Even after providing your standing proxy, you maintain the option to vote whenever you desire. Your standing proxy serves as an insurance policy for occasions when you are unavailable or choose not to participate directly, ensuring that your interests are upheld and that voting actions can be executed on behalf of Preferra and its policyholders.

Enhanced Representation: A word about Preferra’s President: As a social worker, Dr. Jones possesses the expertise and insight necessary to make informed decisions on behalf of policyholders. As the proxy holder, he provides enhanced representation for policyholders by advocating for their interests, participating in discussions, and voting on their behalf in alignment with their professional needs. He has a fiduciary responsibility to vote in the best interests of the Preferra company and the Preferra member policyholders. Your proxy is given to the President and will extend to any successor to Dr. Jones who is elected President.

A vote by proxy allows individuals to delegate their voting rights to a designated representative. In this case, the designated representative is the Preferra RRG President.

A standing proxy is a type of continuous proxy authorization permitting the designated representative whereby, once approved by you, the proxy remains in effect until revoked.

Current Preferra RRG policyholders are receiving an opportunity to provide their standing proxy to the Preferra RRG President.

As a Preferra RRG policyholder, you likely receive multiple communications from Preferra RRG each year, asking you to provide your proxy vote for annual elections of directors and other voting matters. However, not everyone has the time or inclination to participate.

Benefits of providing your standing proxy include:

• Expertise working on your behalf: Providing your standing proxy allows the Preferra RRG President, who is chosen by the board of directors for knowledge of industry issues and company matters, to vote on your behalf on any actions coming before the policyholders for a vote, including director elections and member resolutions, per his or her fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of Preferra RRG and its policyholder owners.
• Convenience: Providing your standing proxy is a convenient way to ensure your interests are represented in various decision-making processes without having to fill out a separate proxy for each voting event or attending each policyholder meeting. It streamlines the process by allowing the appointed proxy to act on your behalf without requiring your direct involvement each time.
• Efficiency for Moving Important Initiatives Forward: Providing your standing proxy also helps Preferra RRG more efficiently meet voter participation requirements to achieve a quorum at each meeting of the policyholders, which in turn allows Preferra RRG to conduct business promptly to meet your needs and ensures important, time-sensitive items are voted on expediently.
• Stay Apprised / Choose to Participate When You Wish: You will continue to receive notice of every meeting of the policyholders, and the voting matters on the agenda for the annual meeting each year and will have the opportunity to participate each time if you choose to do so, regardless of whether you provide your standing proxy. You will also receive an update on the final voting outcomes.

You are under no obligation to provide your standing proxy.

You may elect to do so, or you may elect not to do so.

If you provide your standing proxy and then change your mind, you may revoke it at any time by contacting Preferra Insurance Company RRG in writing or by attending the next meeting of the policyholders.

As Preferra Insurance Company RRG has grown and requires increased policyholder participation, it has reached a point where economies of scale can be offered and beneficial to Preferra RRG policyholders.

Standing proxies are common among risk retention groups (RRGs) and help RRG companies conduct business on behalf of policyholders in a more timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

Preferra RRG is financially strong and would like to invest resources in returning dividends to premium-paying policyholder owners and enhance policy benefits.

You will continue to receive notice of the annual meeting and voting matters on the agenda for the annual meeting each year and notice of any other meeting of the policyholders that may occur, and you will have the opportunity to participate each time if you choose to do so, regardless of whether you provide your standing proxy.

You will also receive an update on the final voting outcomes.

Although your standing proxy will remain in place until you notify us otherwise, you may revoke your standing proxy at any time by contacting Preferra Insurance Company RRG in writing, or by participating in a policyholder meeting. To revoke your standing proxy, please get in touch with [email protected] .

Preferra RRG policyholders should receive a Preferra RRG email communication sent by Intelliscan, providing you with a unique, personalized URL link that will permit you to go online to make your election to provide (or not to provide) your standing proxy.

The communications and website are administered by Intelliscan on behalf of Preferra Insurance Company RRG.

Each email communication will be identified as From Preferra Insurance Company RRG, and the email title will reference the standing proxy.

Each email communication is personalized to the individual policyholder and will provide a unique policyholder URL link and code for accessing the Preferra RRG standing proxy election website page administered by Intelliscan.

Preferra Insurance Company RRG Liability Insurance Policyholders will receive a unique, personalized URL link with embedded code via the Preferra RRG email communications administered by Intelliscan.

You will use this link to access the Preferra RRG website, where you can select your standing proxy.

Once on the Preferra RRG website, you will be asked to read the RRG Standing Proxy Statement and then to make your election to provide (or not provide) your standing proxy to the Preferra RRG President.

Once your election is made, reviewed, and submitted, you will receive a message thanking you for participating, and the unique URL link will be closed. This unique link and code may be used only once.

If you elect to provide your standing proxy, you may revoke it at any time by contacting Preferra Insurance Company RRG in writing or by participating in the meeting of the policyholders.

When you provide your standing proxy to the Preferra President for upcoming voting actions and elections, you still maintain the authority and freedom to vote independently at your discretion.

All Preferra policyholders will receive notifications for elections or voting matters, regardless of whether they’ve granted their standing proxy.

If you opt not to vote upon notification but have already granted your standing proxy, the President will vote on your behalf, ensuring the best interests of the company and policyholders.

Granting your standing proxy serves as an insurance policy for times when you’re unable or uninterested in voting directly, allowing the President to make informed decisions on your behalf and consistent with his fiduciary duties.

By providing your standing proxy, you expand your options for representation and participation in Preferra policyholder voting matters in the future.

You can elect to provide or revoke your standing proxy at any time. We ask that you please make your election at your earliest opportunity.

Although a public website link sounds easy and user friendly, only Preferra RRG policyholders are authorized to participate in Preferra RRG elections, voting matters, and the standing proxy option process. Additionally, each Preferra RRG policyholder has only one vote in any election, and only one option (Yes or no) to designate in this standing proxy election process (although a standing proxy can be revoked by contacting us in the future). Others who are not Preferra RRG policyholders, including past Preferra RRG policyholders, are not allowed to participate.

For these reasons, Preferra RRG provides access to a secure website, administered by Intelliscan Inc. election vendor, where Preferra RRG policyholders are provided an individual, personalized, secure URL link (unique to each individual policyholder) to access it.

Your personalized, unique link allows each Preferra RRG policyholder to be identified and confirmed by Intelliscan, and it provides one opportunity to make the standing proxy option election on the website.

This allows us to identify, confirm and authenticate you as a Preferra RRG policyholder, and to ensure that your votes and selections are properly recorded on your behalf. This link is for one-time use.

This is also a very quick and easy, efficient process for our Preferra RRG policyholders as it only requires opening an email that you receive at your email address on file with your policy, and then following your unique URL link that takes you to the election website with no need to visit another website address, or to enter passcodes or user IDs to take action.

Once the vote or designation is completed and submitted, the personalized link is closed and secured, and cannot be used by someone else.

This Preferra RRG policyholder authentication process is very important to the security of the voting process for Preferra RRG policyholders and to the integrity of your Preferra RRG policyholder administrative and voting data.

For questions about the standing proxy, please contact Lonnie Ropp, Preferra RRG Vice President of Underwriting and Distribution, at [email protected].If you have policy questions or policy changes not related to the standing proxy request, please email [email protected] or call 888-278-0038.

For technical questions about the Preferra RRG website functionality, please contact Intelliscan, the program administrator, at the contact information provided in your personalized Preferra RRG policyholder email communication.