California Indemnity Insurance Keeps Clients Covered for Workers Compensation

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Now, more than ever, it's important to know that your workers compensation insurance underwriter is standing behind both your employees and your business. That's the philosophy of California Indemnity Insurance Company at 5627 Gibraltar Drive, a wholly owed subsidiary of Sierra Insurance Group. Sierra Insurance Group consists of four different companies, California Indemnity Insurance Company, Commercial Casualty Insurance Company, Sierra Insurance Company of Texas, and CII Insurance. The Sierra Insurance Group is a subsidiary of Sierra Health Services, Inc., a Las Vegas-based managed care organization and the largest private health insurer in Nevada.

California Indemnity specializes in providing workers compensation insurance for commercial businesses through independent insurance agents. "We operate through the Independent Agents Association, which means we are not a direct writer of business," says Bob Riordan, Senior Vice President of California Indemnity Insurance. "Our clients are actually independent agents. Some of them represent three companies, some can represent a hundred companies. The independent agents are the ones who really deal with the client and help them understand which company is right for their insurance program."

Workers compensation insurance is a type of protection that can't be overlooked by any business. Workers compensation benefits in the state of California are required by law, meaning every commercial business in the state needs to have a policy for injured workers. A company's premium for workers compensation insurance is determined by the amount of exposure to potential injury its employees experience. "The rates are fixed by the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, which provides guidance about premiums based on the amount of exposure," Riordan says.

California Indemnity's offices at Hacienda are the workplace for 80 employees who are responsible for $75 million of premiums for 4,000 business owners in Northern California. Sierra Insurance Group operates in nine states and has close to 400 employees overall. California Indemnity has had offices in Hacienda for more than a decade, and Riordan has been a first-hand witness to the area's growth. "Many companies have come into the neighborhood and we're pleased to see that development and growth. We also look at it as an indication of prosperity and that makes us feel good about the choice that we made to be here. We would love to be able to grow along with this environment."

At its core, the business of California Indemnity Insurance is to provide care for people. "We're committed to both the independent agents and to the employers who insure through us," Riordan says. "The main thing that you buy is claim service and we pride ourselves on having an excellent claims staff that treats injured workers fairly and gets them back to work quickly." Since the workers are the backbone of every company, making sure they're treated well when an accident occurs is a necessity every business should take seriously.

Photo: Sara Przemielewski (right) and Kathy Brandao provide underwriting services for California Indemnity's clients.

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