Dearborn Group Life and Disability Business Conversion to Symetra

No. Existing commissions remain the same for all current policies. New business will follow Symetra’s commission schedule.

Yes. After completing this simplified contracting process, you will receive a signed copy of the broker's agreement along with your Symetra Agent ID.

Yes. For the purpose of solicitation, the appointment process is handled between the carrier and your state insurance department.

• If you’re currently receiving first-year commissions from Dearborn, Symetra will automatically process an appointment with your resident state insurance department.
• If you’re not receiving first-year commissions, Symetra will process your state appointment when you begin submitting new business.

Yes. Your current clients remain with you unless otherwise agreed.

All pending applications will be honored under existing terms.

Existing products remain for renewals. New business will use Symetra’s product portfolio and underwriting guidelines.

Yes. Symetra will provide registration instructions and any needed training. Instructions will be sent to you via email after you complete the simplified contracting process.

A dedicated team will be available to support you throughout the process. Please email Symetraconversion@symetra.com for specific questions.

Client notification is not required at this time. Symetra will send official notices prior to the conversion date. If you choose to communicate proactively with clients, we will provide an approved template.

Symetra assigns an account manager to all accounts with 100+ lives. For accounts with under 100 lives, we provide a streamlined, service-focused model that combines a robust online service platform—similar to Dearborn’s Ancillary Service Center—with support from our Account Service team. This approach ensures responsive, efficient service tailored to the needs of smaller groups, while maintaining consistent access to knowledgeable representatives.

Symetra will provide specific guidelines outlining our client conversion plan and we will provide individualized assistance with each client group. As the broker, you may need to sign certain forms in a Docusign packet and present some forms to your client for signature. Your partnership will help Symetra to set expectations and move the conversion plan forward.

As part of Symetra’s seamless transition, the billing process should remain mostly the same upon conversion with minimal changes or alterations. Billing statements will be available via Symetra's portal.

Due to administrative limitations, the billing method cannot be changed at the time of conversion; however, upon renewal groups can consult with their Symetra service contact to explore other billing options.

Groups should receive their first Symetra billing statement within 30 days of conversion to Symetra systems. Groups will be notified via email when their billing statement is available in the Symetra portal.

Symetra billing statements will feature a new layout and Symetra branding, but they will continue to include the same key billing information you receive today.

For active claim files, Symetra will send a letter to the claimant/beneficiaries explaining the impact of conversion on the claim and provide resources for the claimant/beneficiaries for any questions and/or issues, including contact information for Symetra's Customer Service Center and Claims contacts.

For short-term disability, claim forms will be available in the Dearborn portal through 10/1/2027. For all other benefits/claims—and any STD claim beyond 10/1/2027—claim forms will be available via Symetra's portal, along with contact information for Symetra's Customer Service Center and Claims contacts.

Symetra is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and consistent, high‑quality service. Active long-term disability, life, and WOP claims will be moved to the new platform and will continue to be administered with the same level of care and standards you experience today. Short‑term disability claims will continue to be managed on the current platform through 10/1/2027, ensuring uninterrupted support for those claimants.

Yes, claims integration from ComPsych will continue after the disability is transitioned to Symetra. Any legacy Dearborn clients who currently have FMLASource integration will continue to have that integration after being converted to Symetra paper. Conversions of these groups to Symetra will not take place until the FMLASource integrations have been built into the Symetra ecosystem. The tentative timing that the integrations are expected to be built is March 2027 to June 2027.

The conversion to Symetra systems and paper will not affect any medical discounts currently in place. For any business written with Dearborn prior to October 1, 2025, the medical discount will be extended through the end of the first renewal that is initiated by the client and Symetra. For business written on Dearborn paper, with effective dates from October 1, 2025, through January 1, 2026, the medical discount will remain in place through the end of the initial rate guarantee period.

Open enrollments will not be offered proactively. Any open enrollment or modified open enrollment offerings will be reviewed by underwriting, upon request.

Symetra's EOI process permits online applications submitted through our vendor, Uniblox. Applicants will be provided a link where they will be able to input their coverage information and complete the EOI application. All decisions will be communicated through email.

Our goal is to make the transition as seamless as possible and ensure uninterrupted coverage.

For business converting from Dearborn to Symetra, we are filing “mirror” versions of the existing Dearborn Life/AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability and standalone AD&D products. These filings are intended to closely align with the current coverage structure so that clients experience consistency in their benefits as they move to Symetra.

What to expect:

• Product offerings: Core products and coverage designs will remain consistent with what groups have today.
• Contract provisions and benefits: We do not anticipate substantive changes to core benefits or key contract provisions as part of the conversion. Some variations may be required to comply with applicable state insurance regulations or Interstate Compact standards.
• Administration: Symetra will work with groups and brokers to assist with conversions that will begin July 1, 2026, and proceed in preplanned waves through September 1, 2027. Coverage will remain in-force throughout the transition. Upon conversion, policies will be issued on Symetra paper and administered on Symetra systems. Groups will receive updated policy documents and will be supported by Symetra’s experienced service and claims teams, with a continued focus on responsiveness and ease of doing business.

We will communicate proactively with brokers and groups in advance of their conversion date to support a smooth transition. Our priority is to maintain continuity of coverage, minimize disruption, and deliver a positive experience throughout the conversion.

To help ensure a smooth and seamless transition for everyone, changes to existing policies or administrative processes will be paused during the conversion period. Changes may resume once the conversion has been completed. We anticipate this process taking three days to complete.

No, there will not be a full implementation for each case converting from Dearborn to Symetra. Instead, a data transfer will occur from Dearborn to Symetra, with no changes to existing policies or administrative processes at that time.

We will send a packet, including a Docusign email, to brokers and groups containing how the process works and what documents may require signatures. We will pre-populate as much of the information as possible and distribute only the applicable documents for each case.

If a group moves forward with ComPsych now and then decides that they want to move to Symetra's integrated absence offering at a later time, they will need to complete another FMLA implementation. Our implementation timelines are either 60, 90, or 120 days depending upon the size and complexity of the group.

All presale U50 questions and inquiries should be directed to U50_PreSalesSupport@symetra.com. (Note: This mailbox is available to brokers and Symetra employees.)

For business transitioning from Dearborn to Symetra, we are filing “mirror” versions of the existing Dearborn Life/AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and standalone AD&D products. These filings are intended to closely align with the current coverage structure so that clients experience consistency in their benefits as they move to Symetra.

We do not standardly have different benefits based on client size; however, for U250 groups, there are less opportunities to accommodate customization.

Any supplemental health or vision coverage in force with Dearborn will remain in-force with Dearborn. Symetra should not be quoting supplemental health products when Dearborn is already in force.

Customers will be able to access the Dearborn hosted portal throughout the conversion but with certain restrictions in the days prior to becoming effective in Symetra systems. Specifically, customers will not be able to make billing changes or payments in the Dearborn portal from approximately the 21st of the month prior to their conversion effective date (the following 1st of the month). Then from approximately the 26th to the end of the month customers will not be able to access their life and disability products through Dearborn’s portal as the customer’s data will have moved to Symetra systems. Access to Symetra’s MyBenefits portal will not be affected, and converting customers will be granted access to the Symetra portal as soon as their policy is effective on the conversion date.

Policy changes will not be allowed 30 days prior to a customer’s conversion date in order to ensure the records and contracts are up-to-date following conversion.

We are currently in discussions with vendors to create conversion plans with minimal impacts to clients.

There is no cost to the group to convert their feeds to Symetra.

Groups will be notified 90 days prior to the scheduled conversion. They will receive an email with the necessary guidance, FAQs, and related information, including a Docusign email containing a packet of forms requiring signatures, including the master application.

Clients will be notified 90 days before their scheduled conversion and will receive a Docusign email containing a packet of forms that require signatures, including the master application.

Brokers will receive an email from Symetra at least three days prior to the client-facing Docusign communication, enabling them to proactively inform their clients about the upcoming request for signatures.

Yes, where appropriate, Symetra will provide new benefit summaries.

Conversion to Symetra systems will roll out in stages starting in August 2026 and will continue through September 2027.

Prior to moving onto the Symetra platform, there will be a freeze period for a couple of days (around the 21st of the month) when groups can access/view the Dearborn portal but will not have edit capabilities.

The eSales platform is active now for groups under 51 employees. For the near term, life and disability will be written on Dearborn paper. Once Symetra products are built on eSales (projected in late 2026), new business at that time will be written on Symetra paper.

We will communicate details about our product offering and underwriting rules prior to the rollout of Symetra products on the eSales platform.

We do not have employer communication flyers about the transition at this time. We will send communications to clients and brokers closer to their transition date.