Copy Policy Changes to Next Terms Overview

If your agency has enabled (turned on) the Copy Policy Changes feature and you make changes to a policy that has been renewed, rewritten, or remarketed, you have the option of copying your changes to the next term policy.

The Copy Policy Changes feature can save you time by eliminating the need to manually enter the same changes to subsequent policy terms. For example, you can add a new vehicle to the current term and copy it to the next terms without having to access the next terms policy.

Personalization

Before staff members can begin using the Copy Policy Changes feature, the agency's system coordinator must turn the feature ON by selecting Y (Yes) next to the Allow Copy Changes to Next Term? option on the Policy Flags Personalization page. The page includes additional options your agency can use to customize the feature.

Types of changes you can copy to the next terms

  • Cancellation transaction (not available if the next term is Remarketed)

  • Reinstatement transaction (not available if the next term is Remarketed)

  • Addition of a new record or line

  • Change to an existing record or line

  • Deletion of an existing line

  • Date off of an existing record, Scheduled Equipment line, or Scheduled Property line.

Types of data you can copy to the next terms

You can copy the same types of data that copy during the renewal process, with a few exceptions noted below.

Types of data you cannot copy to the next terms

The Copy Policy Changes feature ignores changes you make to:

  • Miscellaneous Remarks on the Policy Detail page

  • Policy number if the next term policy is Remarketed (CNR status of M)

  • Unit number (such as a change to Vehicle #, Driver #, etc.)

  • Claim information

  • Policy Notes

 You must access the next terms policy to process Claims or changes to any of the other items listed above.

Accessing the current term

To be able to use the Copy Policy Changes feature, you must access the current term policy using one of the following Policy Options:

  • Endorse

  • Cancellation

  • Maintain

  • Reinstate

  • Audit

The Copy Policy Changes feature is available for Audit transactions only if your agency has selected Yes next to the "Allow Copy Changes to Next Term" and "Copy Changes for Audit Transactions?" options on the Policy Flags Maintenance page.

How It Works

Each time you save eligible changes to a policy that has a next term, the system prompts you to copy those changes to the next term.

  • The first time you respond Yes to the prompt during one transaction, the system prompts you to create a new transaction, or to select an existing transaction to record the changes to the next term. Once you have created or selected a transaction, the system starts the record-matching and updating process.

  • After the first "Copy to Next Term" processes, and the newly updated term has a next term, the system will be prompted to copy the changes to the following term, as well as each subsequent term.

Exception: If you create a new cancellation or new reinstatement transaction on the current term, make changes to and save the Policy Detail page, and respond Yes to the Copy Policy Changes prompt, the system automatically creates a new cancellation or new reinstatement transaction, as applicable, on the next term.

  • Each subsequent time you respond Yes to the prompt during this one transaction, the system goes directly to the record matching and updating process.

Record matching and updating process

When you copy an addition, change, deletion, or date off to the next term, the system uses Matching Logic (a combination of matching criteria and matching rules) to determine:

  • Whether the corresponding record or line exists in the next term, and

  • How to handle making the change to the next term.

Whenever possible, the system updates the next term automatically.

The processing rules differ for record level items, line, and multi-value text boxes. To understand how the matching and updating process works, you should familiarize yourself with the matching rules, matching criteria, and manual matching process by reading the topics listed below.

Using Automatic Date Off with the Copy Policy Changes feature

You can use Automatic Date Off in conjunction with the Copy Policy Changes feature. During the record matching and updating process, the system attempts to match and then date off (or remove, depending on personalization settings) any record that was dated off in the current term, whether you dated it off manually on the page or via Automatic Date Off. If the system finds an exact match, it updates the record automatically. If the system cannot find an exact match, you can use a Lookup dialog box to select a match.

Diaries (Memo Descriptions)

When you copy changes to the next term, the system adds an additional memo description to the diary for each policy term.

Current term

This change was also copied to the next term - Policy (number)

Next term

This change was copied from the previous term - Policy (number)

The additional memo description follows the memo description that pre-fills from the transaction.

Points to Note

Audits

The Copy Policy Changes feature is available for Audit transactions only if your agency has selected Yes next to the "Allow Copy Changes to Next Term?" and "Copy Changes for Audit Transactions?" options on the Policy Flags Personalization page.

If you process an Audit on the current term, elect to copy changes, and create a new transaction to record the changes to the next term, the system creates an Endorsement transaction (not an Audit transaction) on the next term.

Cancellations and Reinstatements

To copy a new cancellation or reinstatement transaction to the next term: Create the new cancellation or reinstatement transaction on the current term, make the necessary changes to the Policy Detail page, save the page, then respond Yes to the Copy Policy Changes prompt.

If you are maintaining a cancellation or reinstatement transaction and you elect to copy changes, you must select an existing CAN or REI (as applicable) to record the changes to the next term.

Remarketed Policies

If you change the policy number in the current term and the next term is remarketed (CNR status of M = Remarketed), the system does not let you copy the change to the next term. This is because the policy number for a remarketed policy must begin with APP.

You cannot copy a new cancellation or reinstatement transaction to a next term that is remarketed. This is because you should not cancel a remarketed policy -- you should unaccept or delete it.

If you are maintaining a cancellation (CAN) or reinstatement (REI) transaction on the current term and the next term is remarketed, you cannot copy changes to the next term.

When copying changes to a remarketed policy, you must select an existing transaction to record the changes to the next term. This is because you cannot create a new transaction on a policy that is not active.

If the Next Term Policy is in Use

You cannot copy changes while the next term policy is open.

If the message shown below is displayed, the next term policy is currently in use.

Item POLICIES.CHANGES, ##### is locked by this Port or Port ###, level #...The next term policy is locked so no changes have been copied.

Your changes are not copied to the next term. You will need to access the next term policy and enter the changes manually.

A prompt for the subsequent next term will be displayed, continuing the copying to the next terms if the Locked policy has a next-policy term.

Status Messages

The following message appears each time the copy process completes successfully:

Changes successfully copied to:

Policy Number: #########

Policy Period: MM/DD/YYYY - MM/DD/YYYY 

The following message appears if the copy process is discontinued:

Copy process aborted...copy was NOT completed

The above message appears, for example, if you elect to copy changes and then click Cancel when prompted to create a new transaction or select an existing transaction.

Diary Prompt at End of the Transaction

The "Do you wish to mark this diary as completed?" prompt that appears at the end of the transaction applies to the current term policy only. To complete the diary for the next term, you must access the next term policy.