2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 38a - Insurance
Chapter 704a - Insurance Guaranty Funds
Section 38a-860 - (Formerly Sec. 38-303). Application of chapter. Obligations of association.

(a) Sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall provide coverage for the policies and contracts specified in subsection (f) of this section: (1) To any person, except for a nonresident certificate holder under a group policy or contract, who is the beneficiary, assignee or payee of the person covered under subdivision (2) of this subsection, regardless of where the person resides, and (2) any person who is the owner of, or certificate holder under, such policy or contract and in each case who (A) is a resident, or (B) is not a resident, provided (i) the insurer that issued such policy or contract is domiciled in this state, (ii) the state in which the person resides has an association similar to the association created by this section and sections 38a-837, 38a-838, 38a-845, 38a-853, 38a-862, 38a-863, 38a-865 and 38a-866, and (iii) the person is not eligible for coverage by an association in any other state because the insurer was not licensed in the state at the time specified in the state’s guaranty association law.

(b) For unallocated annuity contracts specified in subsection (f) of this section, subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply, and except as provided in subsections (d) and (e) of this section, sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall apply to: (1) Any person who is the owner of the unallocated annuity contract if the contract is issued to, or in connection with, a specific benefit plan whose plan sponsor has its principal place of business in this state; and (2) any person who is the owner of an unallocated annuity contract issued to, or in connection with, government lotteries if the owners are residents.

(c) For structured settlement annuities specified in subsection (f) of this section, subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply, and except as provided in subsections (d) and (e) of this section, sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall apply to a person who is a payee under a structured settlement annuity, or to a beneficiary of a payee if the payee is deceased, if the payee: (1) Is a resident, regardless of where the contract owner resides, or (2) is not a resident, provided: (A) (i) The contract owner of the structured settlement annuity is a resident, or (ii) the contract owner of the structured settlement annuity is not a resident, but the insurer that issued the structured settlement annuity is domiciled in this state, and the state in which the contract owner resides has an association similar to the association created by sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive; and (B) neither the payee, beneficiary or contract owner is eligible for coverage by the association of the state in which the payee, beneficiary or contract owner resides.

(d) Sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall not provide coverage to: (1) A person who is a payee or beneficiary of a contract owner resident of this state, if the payee or beneficiary is afforded any coverage by the association of another state; or (2) a person covered under subsection (b) of this section, if any coverage is provided by the association of another state to the person.

(e) Sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall provide coverage to a person who is a resident and, in special circumstances, to a nonresident. In order to avoid duplicate coverage, if a person who would otherwise receive coverage under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, is provided coverage under the laws of any other state, the person shall not be provided coverage under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive. In determining the application of the provisions of this subsection in situations where a person could be covered by the association of more than one state, whether as an owner, payee, beneficiary or assignee, sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall be construed in conjunction with the laws of other states to result in coverage by only one association.

(f) (1) Sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall provide coverage to the persons specified in subsections (a) to (d), inclusive, of this section for direct, nongroup life, health or annuity policies or contracts and supplemental contracts to such policies or contracts, for certificates under direct group policies and contracts, and for unallocated annuity contracts issued by member insurers, except as limited by said sections. Annuity contracts and certificates under group annuity contracts include, but are not limited to, guaranteed investment contracts, deposit administration contracts, unallocated funding agreements, allocated funding agreements, structured settlement annuities, annuities issued to or in connection with government lotteries and any immediate or deferred annuity contracts.

(2) Sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, shall not provide coverage for: (A) Any portion of a policy or contract not guaranteed by the insurer, or under which the risk is borne by the policy or contract holder; (B) any policy or contract of reinsurance, unless assumption certificates have been issued; (C) any portion of a policy or contract to the extent that the rate of interest on which it is based or the interest rate, crediting rate or similar factor determined by use of an index or other external reference stated in the policy or contract employed in calculating returns or changes in value (i) averaged over the period of four years prior to the date on which the member insurer becomes an impaired or insolvent insurer under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, exceeds the rate of interest determined by subtracting two percentage points from Moody’s corporate bond yield average averaged for that same four-year period or for such lesser period if the policy or contract was issued less than four years before the member insurer becomes an impaired or insolvent insurer under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, whichever is earlier, and (ii) on and after the date on which the member insurer becomes an impaired or insolvent insurer under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, whichever is earlier, exceeds the rate of interest determined by subtracting three percentage points from Moody’s corporate bond yield average as most recently available; (D) a portion of a policy or contract issued to any plan or program of an employer, association or similar entity to provide life, health or annuity benefits to its employees or members to the extent that such plan or program is self-funded or uninsured, including, but not limited to, benefits payable by an employer, association or similar entity under (i) a multiple employer welfare arrangement as defined in Section 514 of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, (ii) a minimum premium group insurance plan, or (iii) an administrative services only contract; (E) any stop-loss or excess loss insurance policy or contract providing for the indemnification of or payment to a policy owner, a contract owner, a plan or another person obligated to pay life, health or annuity benefits; (F) any portion of a policy or contract to the extent that it provides dividends, experience rating credits, voting rights or provides that any fees or allowances be paid to any person, including, but not limited to, the policy or contract holder, in connection with the service to or administration of such policy or contract; (G) any policy or contract issued in this state by a member insurer at a time when it was not licensed or did not have a certificate of authority to issue such policy or contract in this state; (H) any unallocated annuity contract issued to an employee benefit plan protected under the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, regardless of whether the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has yet become liable to make any payments with respect to the benefit plan; (I) any portion of an unallocated annuity contract that is not issued to, or in connection with a specific employee, union or association of natural persons benefit plan or a government lottery; (J) any subscriber contract issued by a health care center; (K) a contractual agreement that establishes the insurer’s obligation by reference to a portfolio of assets that is not owned or possessed by the insurance company; (L) an obligation that does not arise under the express written terms of the policy or contract issued by the insurer to the contract owner or policy owner, including, but not limited to, (i) a claim based on marketing materials, (ii) a claim based on side letters, riders or other documents that were issued by the insurer without meeting applicable policy form filing or approval requirements, (iii) a misrepresentation of or regarding policy benefits, (iv) an extra-contractual claim, or (v) a claim for penalties or consequential or incidental damages; (M) a contractual agreement that establishes the member insurer’s obligations to provide a book value accounting guaranty for defined contribution benefit plan participants by reference to a portfolio of assets that is owned by the benefit plan or its trustee, which in each case is not an affiliate of the member insurer; (N) a portion of a policy or contract to the extent it provides for interest or other changes in value to be determined by the use of an index or other external reference stated in the policy or contract, but that have not been credited to the policy or contract, or as to which the policy or contract owner’s rights are subject to forfeiture, as of the date the member insurer becomes an impaired or insolvent insurer under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, whichever is earlier. If a policy’s or contract’s interest or changes in value are credited less frequently than annually, then for purposes of determining the values that have been credited and are not subject to forfeiture under this subparagraph, the interest or change in value determined by using the procedures defined in the policy or contract shall be credited as if the contractual date of crediting interest or changing values was the date of impairment or insolvency, whichever is earlier, and shall not be subject to forfeiture; and (O) any policy or contract providing hospital, medical, prescription drugs or other health care benefits pursuant to Part C, 42 USC 1395w21 et seq., or Part D, 42 USC 1395w101 et seq., as both may be amended from time to time, or any regulations issued thereunder.

(g) The benefits for which the association may become liable shall in no event exceed the lesser of: (1) The contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired insurer, or (2) (A) with respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) Five hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but no more than five hundred thousand dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (ii) five hundred thousand dollars in health insurance benefits, including, but not limited to, any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (iii) five hundred thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including, but not limited to, net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (B) with respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement plan established under Section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, five hundred thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, including, but not limited to, net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (C) with respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, five hundred thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including, but not limited to, net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any, provided in no event shall the association be liable to expend (i) more than the five hundred thousand dollars in the aggregate with respect to any one individual under subparagraphs (A), (B) and (C) of this subdivision, and (ii) with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than five million dollars in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; (D) with respect to either (i) one contract owner provided coverage under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, or (ii) one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (2) of this subsection, five million dollars in benefits regardless of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor, except that in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state and in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than five million dollars in benefits with respect to all such unallocated contracts.

(h) The limits set forth in subsection (g) of this section are limits on the benefits for which the association is obligated before taking into account either the association’s subrogation and assignment rights or the extent to which those benefits could be provided out of the assets of the impaired or insolvent insurer that are attributable to covered policies. The costs of the association’s obligations under sections 38a-858 to 38a-875, inclusive, may be met by the use of assets attributable to covered policies or reimbursed to the association pursuant to the association’s subrogation and assignment rights.

(i) In performing its obligation to provide coverage under section 38a-865, the association shall not be required to guarantee, assume, reinsure or perform, or cause to be guaranteed, assumed, reinsured or performed, the contractual obligations of the insolvent or impaired insurer under a covered policy or contract that does not materially affect the economic value or economic benefit of the covered policy or contract.

(1972, P.A. 280, S. 3; P.A. 75-224; P.A. 87-290, S. 6, 8; P.A. 88-76, S. 5, 10; P.A. 90-243, S. 152; P.A. 97-108, S. 4; P.A. 98-19, S. 1, 2; P.A. 01-67, S. 1; P.A. 04-17, S. 1; P.A. 08-147, S. 10; P.A. 09-74, S. 27, 28; P.A. 15-171, S. 4.)

History: P.A. 75-224 divided section into Subsecs., rephrased provisions re applicability of chapter, now Subsec. (b), specifically exempted variable life insurance or annuity contract not guaranteed by an insurer and added reference to “insolvent” insurers; P.A. 87-290 amended Subsec. (a) to limit the chapter’s application to policies and contracts issued to residents of this state; P.A. 88-76 rewrote section entirely, describing the limits of coverage in greater detail; P.A. 90-243 amended Subsec. (b) to exempt coverage for subscriber contracts issued by a health care center; Sec. 38-303 transferred to Sec. 38a-860 in 1991; P.A. 97-108 added Subsec. (b)(J) re a contractual agreement that establishes the insurer’s obligation by reference to a portfolio not owned by the insurer; P.A. 98-19 amended Subsec. (c)(2)(A)(ii) to substitute $500,000 for $300,000 re health insurance, and amended Subsec. (c)(2)(B) to substitute $500,000 for $300,000 re aggregate with respect to any individual under Subparas. (A) and (B), effective April 24, 1998; P.A. 01-67 amended Subsec. (a) to make a technical change and replace former Subdivs. (1) and (2) with new Subdivs. (1) and (2), added new Subsecs. (b) to (e), redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (f) and (g) and made substantial revisions thereto, adding new Subsec. (f)(K) to (M), and (g)(D), and added new Subsecs. (h) and (i) re obligations of the association; P.A. 04-17 substituted $500,000 for $300,000 and $100,000 re benefits in Subsec. (g); P.A. 08-147 amended Subsec. (f)(2) to delete former Subpara. (D)(iii) re stop-loss group insurance plan, redesignate existing Subpara. (D)(iv) as new Subpara. (D)(iii), insert new Subpara. (E) re stop-loss or excess loss insurance policy or contract and redesignate existing Subparas. (E) to (M) as new Subparas. (F) to (N) and amended Subsec. (g)(2)(B) by making a technical change; P.A. 09-74 made technical changes in Subsecs. (f) and (g), effective May 27, 2009; P.A. 15-171 amended Subsec. (f)(2) to add “a portion of a policy or contract issued to” in Subpara. (D), add Subpara. (O) re policy or contract providing health care benefits pursuant to federal law, and make technical changes.