People First Relief Program

Providing Help During COVID-19

Our People First Relief Program is ensuring the health and safety of our workforce and offering more than $20 million in immediate financial and operational assistance to our valued agents, policyholders and injured workers as we collectively face the challenges of COVID-19.

This new program is supporting vulnerable businesses and provides resources to support community service organizations across the country.

“Our partnership with agents, policyholders, injured workers and our communities has led to remarkable and shared success for more than a century,” said Lisa Corless, president and CEO of AF Group. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to so many, and this important relief program reflects our commitment toward supporting our customer base and our communities. All of this is predicated on the efforts of our amazing workforce, which is why we’re also working hard to protect the health and safety of more than 1,500 teammates nationwide. Their dedication to our collective success is allowing us to make a lasting impact.”

People First Relief Program Summary

For Teammates:

  • Enhanced cleaning and social distancing practices in its offices
  • Flexible leave options
  • Free onsite lunches
  • Paid leave for teammates with existing COVID-19 health issues

For Agents:

  • Accelerated Commissions – Provides cashflow by paying agency commissions at the beginning of the policy period (for written premium and for AFICA/CW only)
  • Pay it Forward – Allows qualifying agents the option to receive either 25 or 50% of their profit-sharing early
  • The Essentials – Partnership to identify food service policyholders to provide lunch/coffee to essential workers
  • Connection Opportunities – Partnerships with agents to provide marketing support and education, as well as lunches and medical supplies to policyholders nationwide

For Policyholders:

  • No Pay/No Penalty – Provides flexibility on premium payment and ensures no policy is cancelled for non-payment
  • Furlough Education – Resources to help policyholders navigate the furlough pay process
  • Payroll Accelerator – Proactive program to help policyholders adjust estimated premium to reflect more accurate class codes and lower payroll expense
  • Fast Pay – Accelerated payment program for Accident Fund group program participants, eliminating a three-month wait period
  • TeleCompCare – Enables policyholders’ access to immediate medical care through telemedicine (physician/PT visits)
  • The Essentials – In conjunction with the agent program, identifies policyholders who can provide meals to essential service employees while offering financial support to small businesses
  • Endorsement Priority – Noting that AF Group has received premium endorsements in excess of $8M in April, the Service Center is prioritizing these endorsement changes to ensure policyholders receive appropriate, timely credits and are billed accurately going forward
  • Communication – As regulatory non-pay cancel mandates are suspended, plans are in place to communicate with policyholders to aid their understanding of the process
  • Safety Related Social Media Campaign – Includes ongoing posts related to health and safety measures, business and financial resources, remote work tools and techniques, home office ergonomics and other useful resources for policyholders

For Injured Workers:

  • EFT Convenience – Encourages the use of electronic fund transfer to accelerate wage and medical payments
  • TeleCompCare (telemedicine) – Provides access to nurses and/or providers for injury evaluation

Additional information and commonly asked questions can be found on our COVID-19 information page.

For Communities:

  • Community Assistance – Contributions to community service organizations in Michigan and these donations will increase nationwide over the next several months in the communities where employees work and live.
  • Healthcare Worker Meals – Provided weekly to healthcare workers in Lansing
  • Front-line Volunteerism – Encourages AF Group employees with medical field certifications to volunteer for COVID-19 healthcare efforts

“Through the years, our collective success has been the direct result of the tireless commitment of our teammates and our remarkable partnerships with agents and policyholders,” said Corless. “We consider it an honor and a privilege to protect our teammates while exploring every opportunity to help sustain these partnerships for a shared, successful future.”