The Wyoming Health Insurance Pool (WHIP) Board of Directors Announces a meeting of the Board, to which the Public is invited.

Thursday, May 15, 2025 · 2:00 – 3:30 pm
WHIP Semi Annual Board Meeting
Thursday, May 15 · 2:00 – 3:30pm
Time zone: America/Denver

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jrp-rwbc-pmd

Or dial: (US) +1 470-242-8357
PIN: 972 867 525#

(Reminder: Please only sign into Google Meet or call in, not both, to avoid noise interference)

GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER: Semi-annual meeting of the Governing Board and Assessment recommendations

A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting JoAnne DeBella by email at JoAnne.DeBella@wyo.gov

In the event of a change or cancellation, notice will be published on the Wyoming Insurance Department website at doi.wyo.gov as soon as possible.

As of June 1,2025 the Wyoming Department of Insurance will no longer accept paper form(s) for the below services.

• Letter of Clearance

• Voluntary Surrender

• Name Change

• Address Change

These services need to be submitted on-line through Sircon.com. Select the Additional State Service Request and then the reason for the request and the required form. This process requires a form to be completed and attached to the request.

There is no charge for this service however, there is a $3.50 processing fee.

Questions concerning these changes may be sent to the licensing section at insurancelicensing@wyo.gov or by phone at (307) 777-7319.

The Department is aware that an individual named Kevin Kolenda, owner of a business called Hole in Won, was selling or attempting to sell unauthorized/unlicensed insurance in the state of Wyoming. The “insurance” being marketed or sold by Mr. Kolenda was to cover prize money awards for various types of fundraisers including fishing tournaments. A complaint received by the Department regarding Mr. Kolenda’s activities alleged that a “policy” was purchased from Mr. Kolenda to cover the prize money award for a fishing tournament. When a contestant caught a prize fish and a claim was made on the “policy,” Mr. Kolenda did not pay the prize award pursuant to the contract provisions, and eventually stopped communicating regarding the matter.

On or about April 4, 2024, a Federal Grand Jury returned an indictment against Mr. Kevin Kolenda for six counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges Mr. Kolenda defrauded multiple organizations and individuals out of nearly $1 million, including about $850,000 in insurance premiums and over $100,000 in prize awards that were never paid. Mr. Kolenda has not been convicted of the crimes alleged in the indictment at this time. The court proceedings regarding Mr. Kolenda are currently scheduled for trial in August 2025.

The insurance professionals in Wyoming are the first line of defense to protect our Wyoming citizens from becoming victims of insurance fraud. The Department encourages all insurance professionals to be diligent when selecting insurance coverage for their clients to ensure that the insurer is properly licensed in this state. Diligence is necessary even when receiving a referral from a trusted source. If there is ever any question regarding whether an insurer is licensed in this state, or if you have other concerns regarding possible fraudulent insurance operations, please contact the Wyoming Department of Insurance at (307) 777-7401.

On February 1, 2025, the Wyoming Department of Insurance (“Department”) will email the Annual Appointment Renewal Invoice and the Detailed Appointment List to each insurer. Appointments will retroactively expire effective January 31, 2025, unless the renewal invoice is paid in full on or before the due date of March 31, 2025. Pursuant to W.S. § 26-9-213 ↗, each producer acting as an agent of the insurer must be appointed and each insurer shall remit the annual appointment renewal fee to the Department. 

The last day to terminate an appointment and avoid the renewal fee is January 31, 2025. Once invoices are generated, the invoice may not be altered and must be paid in full to renew the company’s appointments. Be aware that if the invoice is not paid on or before March 31, 2025, the appointments will terminate effective January 31, 2025.

All 2025 Wyoming Company Annual Appointment Renewal Invoices should be paid via Sircon’s electronic payment portal (www.sircon.com). This process enhances efficiency, reduces costs and improves customer service with the Department. You will be able to submit payment for all Appointment Renewal invoices for your company in a single transaction through this service without having to pay each invoice separately. To use this service, you must be a Sircon account holder.

If you do not have a Sircon account, go to www.sircon.com/products/carriers/signup/ ↗ and follow the instructions to establish your Sircon account. If you already have a Sircon account, no action is required by you until you receive your invoice. Access to the Pay State Invoice Service for the Wyoming Appointment Renewals will be available on February 1, 2025.

Payments will be made through an Automated Clearing House (ACH) process using Vertafore’s Sircon Solution. There will be a $10 service fee for each invoice paid. Payments can be made with checking, savings, or corporate checking accounts. To submit these payments, the account must be authorized to accept ACH transactions. 

We recommend notifying your bank no later than January 14, 2025, with the following information:

1. ACH Payment ID is: F742470776

2. Payment Processor: Vertafore, Inc.

If you have any questions regarding your Sircon account or this payment service, please contact Sircon at https://sirconwalkup.vertafore.com/apex/sc_ContactSupport ↗ or by phone at (877) 876-4430.

To access the Pay State Invoice service, go to www.sircon.com ↗ and log into your business account. Under the Administration menu click on “Pay State Invoices” to process payment.

Updating Insurer Appointment Renewal Contact Information

Appointment Renewal Invoices will be generated and emailed on February 1, 2025 to the Appointment Renewal address/contact on record with the Department. The Appointment Renewal address/contact shall be reviewed and updated using the Wyoming Company Address Change Portal.

Questions regarding use of the Company Contact Address Change Portal should be addressed to Joyce Aitken at wyinsdep@wyo.gov or by phone at (307) 777-7401.

Important Dates to Remember for your Appointment Renewal

• 1/31/2025:  Appointment renewal contact updates due via the Department’s Company Address Portal.

• 1/31/2025:  Last day for terminations of appointments not to be renewed.

• 2/1/2025:    Appointment renewal invoices sent via email.

• 3/31/2025:  PAYMENT DUE by 11:59 pm MT.  Be aware, if the invoice is not paid on or before March 31, 2025, the appointments will be terminated on April 11, 2025. 

• 4/1/2025:    Payment service closes and payments will no longer be accepted.

Disputed Invoices

Any insurer having a dispute regarding a specific appointment must submit an email to the Department and provide documentation to verify that an appointment was terminated by the insurer prior to February 1, 2025.  Invoices must be paid in full and may not be altered.

Questions

Questions concerning the Annual Appointment Renewal Invoices may be sent to Lisa Hastings, Licensing Supervisor at doi-appt-renewals@wyo.gov or by phone at (307) 777-7344.