For-Profit Legal Service Contracts Strategic Plan Comments

1. What are we doing well?

2. What can we do better?

3. If you could change one service that we provide, what would it be and how would you change it?

4. If you could eliminate or amend any provision of TDLR’s statutes or rules, which one would it be and why?

5. What major changes will occur over the next five years that will impact the way you do business and the services we provide?

1. What are we doing well?

TDLR is accessible.
Responsive to calls
Works to find solutions.
Willing to listen.
Creative in finding solutions.
Has a positive persona in the Capitol.
Web page is great.
Respects the rights of the deceased in enforcement proceedings.
Not intimidating.
Respectful.
I am happy with the present arrangement.
In regards to insurance licensing/registration/certification . . . I believe the service is very good.
Scheduling and advertising for continuing education classes.
The website is easy to follow (especially considering other states that take a Philadelphia lawyer to navigate).
The instructions for various forms are quite helpful, and the download feature is efficient and easy to use.
Your early notification and reminder when licenses are due is greatly appreciated.
The simplification of legal representative licensing a couple of years ago was a great improvement.
Online license renewal for Legal Service Contract Sales Representatives – 2 attaboys.
Phone communication is good – those answering the phone are very helpful and polite.
I think you are doing a great and fine job in all areas.
You are doing licensing very well.
You are doing a great job on licensing/registration/certification – when I contact you the personnel have been well trained and helpful.
Review seems fair and impartial.
Great follow-up on renewal of licenses.
The examination process was smooth and quick – the communication was great, the examination was simple, and my picture was taken quickly.
You all do a great job processing application in a very timely manner.

2. What can we do better?

Add organization chart to web page.
Agency structure is unclear.
Improve on answering calls on customer service line.
Change web page to not use PDF documents.
Make content more Smart phone friendly.
Requirement for resumes of officers is a waste of time. For larger corporations they are meaningless.
Initial licensing takes too long.
Online renewal too difficult.
Allow online enrollment and renewal for LSC licenses.
Only allow those with no criminal history to apply initially online. If they answer no, issue the license.
Hard to reach a live person regarding LSC.
Email RFI issues, rather than mailing a letter.
Make sure website shows update data.
Communicate information electronically.
Make a blog where customers can comment on the process and get responses from TDLR.
In regards to certification for all the Medicare Advantage plans offered in Texas . . . it is a pain in the neck to have to get certified for every company that I want to offer their MA product. The reason is that it is redundant in regards to the CMS compliant part. It is the same with every company. Why can’t the CMS compliant part be the same statewide? The agent gets certified once a year through the state and this will satisfy the requirements with each MA plan for the CMS compliant part. Instead of having to listen/read the SAME CMS compliant part. This way the agent can focus on the new benefit changes for each company.
Better communication tools and/or infrastructure. Two weeks ago, I could access the DMPO link. Now I cannot. Then incredibly, your list serve sends a reminder out on April 10, 2008 reminding operators about the licensing requirements and providing a link that is useless, either through error or failure – this link http://www.license.state.tx.us/dhc/dhc.htm does not work and now there is no access to these specific forms. What happened? Does no one verify the links before they are published?
The website set-up for searching for pending or recently passed legislation status.

3. If you could change one service that we provide, what would it be and how would you change it?

Put more complete contact information on web site.
Get information to public on agency structure and who to call.
Instructions for registration and renewal could be clearer. Check out the state of Virginia.
Set up an automatic process that emails applicants when forms are received, if there are RFIS, and the general status through the application process.
Utilize computers to reduce the response time.
Initial licensing for LSC should be similar to Virginia.

4. If you could eliminate or amend any provision of TDLR’s statutes or rules, which one would it be and why?

Review fees to be sure we have enough to operate.
Licensing seems totally unnecessary, since about 34 states have no license at all.
I would like to address not just the portions of the statues or rules, but the whole process that generates the rules and adopts them. In my opinion, there is no one representing the taxpayer, the common man who uses the facilities. No one in the legislative and adoption side of the process is interested in controlling the escalating cost of these rules to the general public. I am in favor of a “people’s advocate”, someone like a Ralph Nader of Healthcare, who can step up and tell the rule makers when to consider discarding a decision which will be too expensive compared to the estimated good that it would do. As an example, I would rescind all of the changes made to the spacing of patient beds which now requires additional space inside the curtain track. This is done to provide space for an emergency situation that would allow equipment inside the patient space, but this is a huge additional square footage burden that significantly increases the cost of construction of hospitals. There has to be a point at which these “improvements” need comprehensive review and control. The tendency of the responsible parties to rule changes is to make things better for the welfare of the patient, but we are nearing the point where no one can pay for the services any longer. We must have a balancing force within the process that has no other agenda than to reduce the cost of healthcare in the country.

5. What major changes will occur over the next five years that will impact the way you do business and the services we provide?

There will be more growth in SCP products offered.
More services will be demanded online.
If the economy goes bad, then the population of LSCs will increase.
Be ready for internet business in LSC program.
Recession.
Not sure of the changes but I just hope we don’t have universal health care.

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