SLAI COVID-19 Response Measures
The Surplus Line Association of Illinois has taken the following measures in response to the current crisis:
Remote Staffing
The SLAI staff began working remotely on Monday, March 16th. Since then, Governor Pritzker has issued a "stay at home" order that, among other things, closes all workplaces except for some specific essential government offices and businesses. Although we are working remotely, we are endeavoring to continue to provide the high quality service you have come to expect from the SLAI. Please send us an email if there is something you need.
Phones / Voicemail
The easiest way to communicate with staff right now is via email. See our contact page for a list of email addresses. If you absolutely need to call someone at the office, please leave a voicemail in an individual staff member's voice mailbox. You can do this by dialing that person's direct number (usually found in their email signature line), or by dialing the general number, waiting for the auto-attendant to answer, and following the prompts to reach the staff member of your choice. Voicemail messages are then immediately delivered to staff via email.
Electronic Signatures on Tax Statements
The Illinois Department of Insurance has indicated that electronic signatures on Tax Statements are acceptable.
SLAI Filing Fee Payments - Grace Period
We realize that many of you are also working remotely during the COVID-19 crisis, and this makes it difficult to cut paper checks. Accordingly, the Association has implemented a grace period with no adverse effect for late payment of SLAI filing fee payments for four months after the due date. We will continually monitor and reevaluate this policy as necessary. At some point in the future, as adverse effects from the pandemic subside, delinquent payments will be expected to be remitted and payment due dates will be enforced once again.
There is NO grace period for payment of taxes.
If you have any questions, send an email to
and we'll be happy to respond.
Mail / Deliveries
Although the office is not currently staffed, we are picking up mail and depositing checks periodically. We will notify you here or with an email if this changes. Deliveries should be left at the door of the office, like the mail is left. Deliveries that require a signature cannot be accepted at this time so make sure any deliveries you send do not require a signature.
SLAI Filing Fee Monthly Invoices & Activity Reports
At the end of each month, the SLAI typically mails filing fee (stamping fee) invoices and activity reports to members via USPS. During this period when the office is not staffed, paper mailings are not possible. Accordingly, they are being distributed via email. Since this was a paper process in the past, we don't have email addresses for all of the billing contacts. In those cases, we send the email to alternate contacts, like the licensee and/or the EFS Administrator. If you received the filing fee invoice and activity report, but they should have gone to someone else, kindly forward the email to the proper person. Then, let us know of that person's name and email so we can update our records.
Remember, you can always generate and save/print your own filing fee invoices and activity reports. Simply follow the instructions on our website.
Tax Statement Deadlines
To date, the Department of Insurance has not indicated that there will be any extensions for tax statement filing and payment deadlines. We will, of course, notify the membership as soon as we learn of any changes to this policy. In the meantime, you can refer to the Filing / Payment / Due Dates section of our online Procedures Manual.
Filing Policies & Endorsements
The Electronic Filing System (EFS) is up and running normally. There should be no change needed in how you file your policies and endorsements. Remember, policies and premium bearing endorsements must be filed with the Association before being delivered to the insured.
Other Helpful Resources
Some other helpful resources:
Be sure to discuss all aspects of this changing regulatory environment with your legal counsel to determine applicability to your specific situation.
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