What is NCCI Atlas?
Several years ago, NCCI embarked on a multiyear initiative to modernize and transform the way we deliver our key information, starting with manuals such as NCCI's
Basic Manual. This initiative, known as
NCCI Atlas, creates a new and easier way of navigating nearly 100 years of workers compensation content by transforming how we write, manage, and distribute information for our customers.
How will this improve the way I access information on
ncci.com?
We are mapping key NCCI information that you access every day and creating new connections to the personalized information you need. Based on customer feedback, you will be able to search for information by topic, state, and market type.
NCCI is using modern industry standards to structure our information by topic to eliminate information overload.
What are the benefits to NCCI stakeholders?
All stakeholders benefit because they will have online access to answers that are available to them by topic, state, market type, etc. In addition:
- Regulators will benefit from having concise and efficient delivery of item filings and supporting information.
- Insurance providers will benefit because they will be able to consume information in a variety of formats—single state, multistate, or all states combined.
- Agents will benefit because they will have access to all states’ manual classification and rule information for a small fee, and the
Class Look-Up tool is available at no charge.
What does “Agile” mean for this project?
Agile project management is an iterative development methodology that values communication and feedback, adapting to change, and producing working results. Our stakeholders will see continuous improvements to
NCCI Atlas as we incorporate requested customer requirements, enhancements, updates, and delivery options. Our goal is to provide an improved experience in a timely manner.
How will NCCI roll out the changes to the content? All states at once? All manuals at once? How many item filings will there be each year?
You have seen the incremental delivery of manual content in PDFs as we transformed content. In December 2023, we launched
NCCI Atlas and have loaded the
Basic Manual and the
Residual Market Manual. Our goal is to load the
Experience Rating Plan Manual directly into
NCCI Atlas with a PDF by the end of the year. We want to continue to provide increased content and functionality in a staggered manner. We will then continue to work on adding the remaining transformed manuals to
NCCI Atlas.
What is the schedule for NCCI’s manuals being transformed?
We have a proposed content roadmap that we can share; however, it is subject to significant change as we learn more during this project and receive your feedback.
When will the project be completed?
Our goal is to finish the project by the end of 2025 but continue transforming the remaining manuals as part of our operational areas until they are complete.
Why did NCCI change how we write our content? Did we need to change the format?
The Voice of our Customers (VOC) told us they wanted information they could easily find and immediately use. To make this possible, NCCI’s content was designed, structured, and optimized for our customer needs today and in the future with
NCCI Atlas. As a result, instead of a standard book format, our content was developed to be topic-based for fast and relevant retrieval.
Most people know the topic of what they are looking for—whether it is payroll, classification rules, etc. They don’t always know which manual this topic is in or what the rule number is for the topic. By changing our content to topic-based rules, they can search for terms that make sense and retrieve the rules for that topic—no matter which manual they may be in. As we transform and load more manuals, this search feature will improve.
In addition, customers told us that the volume of content on a page was too much and overwhelming. They wanted to get answers quickly, and they wanted information presented in a format that could be quickly scanned for accurate information.
Applying the structured authoring technique that we have adopted allows NCCI’s content to be in a consistent format across content types and manuals, which is the critical first step to achieving the goals our stakeholders asked us for.
What is changing with the release of
NCCI Atlas?
NCCI has been transforming content and how you access information by providing information in a format that is current, direct, and easy to find.
You will have centralized access to:
- view transformed and non-transformed manuals in one system
- compare content—future effective dates and past effective dates, and
- compare the rule that is in effect currently to the future update or previous update for a topic that has been filed and approved with a future effective date.
Most importantly, finding a topic has never been easier or faster.
NCCI Atlas will provide you with the view of state information by single state, multiple states, or all available states.
State exception language is now available as part of the multistate and all available states' views. The state alternate rule has been restated in its entirety to make it easier for you to compare to the standard rule.
Where on
ncci.com can I find and access
NCCI Atlas?
You can access
NCCI Atlas by clicking:
- the
Access Manuals task tile on the home page
- the
Access Data Manuals task tile on the Data Reporting page
- the
Access Manuals task tile on the Industry Information, Residual Markets, Underwriting, and Agents/Brokers pages, or
-
My Profile > My Products > NCCI Atlas (Access Manuals).
Where are NCCI’s loss costs and rates located?
NCCI provides multiple years of loss costs, rates, or assigned risk rates by state in
NCCI Atlas. At the bottom left of the page, you will see links for the five most recently updated loss costs or rates along with their update dates. Select
View all to take you to the landing page with links for each state to the most recent Assigned Risk, Loss Costs―Not Rates, and Voluntary Rates, along with their Update Dates and History, which includes prior years’ links. You can also access rates or loss costs by clicking the link found in the top menu.
Will NCCI manual content still maintain a numbering sequence?
NCCI understands that the numbering sequence is important. The numbering sequence that NCCI is implementing will be informational, allowing content to be referenced by number; however, it is not the standard outline format used in the past. Because we are structuring the content by topic, you should see a reduction in the levels of hierarchy in our manuals. You will be able to quickly search and scan the Table of Contents for the topic or topics you need. The new sequencing will allow us to add content for topics at any time, as well as identify the source of the content.
Should I be referring to the topic name instead of the Rule ID number when referencing information?
Yes, by referencing NCCI content by topic, it can benefit you by
- maintaining a consistent reference point that does not change as content is updated
- eliminating the need to memorize a number that does not have meaning
- providing a more descriptive reference of the content that you are referencing or searching for
- eliminating the need to follow a sequential structure, and
- making it easier for new employees to grasp the information they are looking for or referencing.
How will topic-specific navigation streamline my search?
Manuals are written to be topic-based and in a format that can be quickly scanned for accurate information. You can now look for the rules for the states you want by filtering topics by a single, multiple, or all states option.
How does Search work?
Search in
NCCI Atlas centralizes three main categories:
-
NCCI Atlas (currently
Basic Manual,
Residual Market Manual, and
Experience Rating Plan Manual)
-
Manuals Library (any manual that has not been transformed) also excludes transformed manuals available only in PDF
- Circulars (all circulars)
The
NCCI Atlas category searches manual content that is transformed and available in HTML. All manual content will ultimately be added to this search category.
For more information, please reference the Help section in the tool.
Will I be able to obtain content updates through a Web service?
Not at this time. As part of the future enhancements planned for this multiyear project, we are exploring this functionality based on stakeholder feedback. NCCI’s plan is to make continuous enhancements to this new tool as we transform and publish content.
Will there be revision history for the content that existed before the transformation, and will I still be able to access that content in the current
Manuals Library?
Yes. You will continue to have access to previously filed and retired manuals in the archived
Manuals Library.
In
NCCI Atlas, updates made to new content will be viewable and printable by date from the Updates page in
NCCI Atlas. You are able to compare previous content to new updates.
Will content be available for regulatory needs, legal questions, or evidence in court cases? Will I be able to obtain a manual by its effective date or publish date?
Yes. PDFs for a manual, based on an effective or published date, are available in
NCCI Atlas. Previously filed and sunset manuals will be available in the
Manuals Library under Previous Editions.
Will there be an easier way to view information available for residual market states only?
Yes. Based on stakeholder feedback, we created a
Residual Market Manual that is available by state. This manual includes all the rules formerly in
Basic Manual Rule 4. It also includes Assigned Risk Premium Algorithms and residual market Miscellaneous Rules. Assigned Risk Rates are conveniently located on the landing page of
NCCI Atlas. This manual is now available in
NCCI Atlas and can be viewed by single state, multistate, or all available states.
How can I access the transformed manuals?
Access to all manuals can be found via the Access Manuals task tile on
ncci.com.
NCCI Atlas provides access to the Basic Manual, the Residual Market Manual, and the Experience Rating Plan Manual in HTML format.
Manuals Library will still be available and eventually will become an archive when
NCCI Atlas includes all transformed manuals in HTML. For ease of access, we include these transformed manuals within the current
Manuals Library and links to these manuals within NCCI Atlas:
-
Basic Manual User’s Guide
-
Assigned Risk Supplement
-
Scopes® Manual
-
Filing Guide for Rates and Forms
-
Electronic Transmission User’s Guide
- Data Quality Guidebook
What is the effective date for these changes?
- For most states, the
Basic Manual and
Residual Market Manual filings are effective November 1, 2021.
- For Texas, the
Basic Manual is effective April 1, 2022.
- For Florida, the Basic Manual is effective July 1, 2024.
Will this reduce the number of item filings NCCI will submit?
No. We do not believe the number or frequency of item filings submitted by NCCI will be changing. But, by filing at a smaller topic level, the item filings should be smaller and more easily reviewed. We anticipate that the changes will streamline the item filing review process in the long term, reducing the time needed to review the new content for approval.
Another benefit from this initiative is that the regulator will be able to view only content that is applicable for their state.
Will I need to update technology or plan for any other changes to my operations?
NCCI is changing the structure and numbering sequence of our manuals, which should not result in any significant technological impact. There may be some changes as to how you access or refer to our information. We advise you to review your current process if you are:
- updating your systems
- updating internal SharePoint sites with NCCI content (e.g., links), or
- using a third-party vendor to maintain your systems.
NCCI can work with you or your vendors during this transition.
Will NCCI work with our third-party vendors if they have questions on the coming changes?
Yes. We are working with our third-party software vendors that license NCCI content, which supports NCCI Carrier Software Solutions. NCCI is available to assist with any questions during this transition. If you need assistance, please contact your NCCI representative, e.g., NCCI’s Customer Service Center (800-NCCI-123), affiliate services executive, or state relations executive.
What manuals have been sunset? And when?
-
Scopes® Manual for Virginia (sunset effective February 1, 2020)—Completed
-
Tax and Assessment Directory (converted to an online Excel tool as of August 17, 2020)—Completed
-
Classification Codes and Statistical Codes Manual (sunset because the information is now available at no charge in the Class Look-Up tool effective January 1, 2021)—Completed
-
Basic Manual 2001 Edition (sunset effective July 1, 2024)—Completed
What is the impact of content online versus PDF—hard copy elimination?
Content will be the same, but we will be increasing functionality and delivery options online that we cannot reproduce in a PDF.
Will I be able to use NCCI’s search function for the manuals that have been transformed and published?
Yes.
NCCI Atlas includes the ability to search the
Basic Manual, the
Residual Market Manual, and the
Experience Rating Plan Manual. NCCI search results will not include results from the PDFs; however, each individual state manual PDF can be searched using the Adobe® search feature or by pressing Ctrl-F for a key word search within that PDF.
Because rule numbers will no longer be associated with a specific rule, what suggestions can NCCI share on best practices when referring to a rule?
We suggest referring only to the manuals or the topic title when referencing information from the transformed manuals depending on how you are citing the content.
Which manual resource should I refer to for New Mexico assigned risk rules?
Continue to use the
New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Assigned Risk Pool Manual (NMARM) as your current resource for residual market only information.
Where can I find information about the latest updates made to the
Scopes® Manual and the Filing Guide for Rates and Forms?
The
Manuals Library on
ncci.com contains a drop-down menu for each of these manuals, which contains a list of states. Click the state name to get to the state’s landing page. The landing page displays the “Issued” dates for the most recent manuals. Next to each issued date, you’ll find links for the “Current PDF” and to "View Updates." Click View Updates to go to the "Summary of Changes" and "Comparison of Changes" PDF. In this document, you will find these tables:
- Summary of changes—This table provides supporting information about the change, including the subject, topic, unique ID number associated with the topic, reason for the change, and item filing number (when applicable).
- Comparison of changes—This table provides a comparison of the previous content with the approved content (i.e., the latest updates). In the “Approved content” column, additions are indicated by underlined text and deletions by strikethrough.
NCCI will retain previous versions of the state-specific manual PDFs for your reference.
Who can access
NCCI Atlas?
NCCI Atlas is available to all our stakeholders and provides benefits to all types of customers, including:
- regulators, who will benefit from access to a state-based manual showing all their rules in one place with more concise state filings and supporting information
- carriers affiliated with NCCI, who will be able to consume information in a variety of formats, and
- agents, who will have access to manual information at the enterprise level for a small fee, as well as access to the
Class Look-Up tool for no charge.
Do you need to log in to use
NCCI Atlas?
Yes, everyone who uses
NCCI Atlas will need an individual ID and password that they can get by calling NCCI’s Customer Service Center at 800-622-4123.
Is there a fee for agents/brokers to access
NCCI Atlas?
Yes, agents, as current subscribers to one or more of NCCI’s underwriting manuals, will automatically have access to the new
NCCI Atlas Underwriting Bundle. This includes our underwriting manuals: the
Basic Manual,
Residual Market Manual, and
Scopes® Manual for all NCCI states plus Indiana. Every agent in their company with a user ID and password on ncci.com has access under one subscription fee of $250/year.
Does my access change with
NCCI Atlas if I subscribe or have access to just a few states today?
Everyone will have access to all available states, even if you currently have access to one or a few states today.
Agents, as current subscribers to one or more of NCCI’s underwriting manuals, will automatically have access to the new
NCCI Atlas Underwriting Bundle. This includes our underwriting manuals: the
Basic Manual,
Residual Market Manual, and
Scopes® Manual for all NCCI states plus Indiana. Every agent in their company with a user ID and password on ncci.com has access under one subscription fee of $250/year.
These are some of the specific changes identified in the new transformed
Experience Rating Plan Manual.
Why are these changes being proposed now?
Similar to NCCI's
Basic Manual, this new edition of NCCI's
Experience Rating Plan Manual has been modernized with an emphasis on structuring and formatting the content for online consumption—so that customers can quickly find the information they need in an increasingly electronic environment. Previously, NCCI had focused on substantive changes to the content in our manuals while making only minor improvements in overall structure and format. Through this modernization effort, NCCI focused on the overall structure and format, ensuring consistency while maintaining the context and intent of the rules.
What is the effective date of these changes?
The proposed effective date for the
Experience Rating Plan Manual filing is July 1, 2025.
Are you creating state manuals like the
Basic Manual?
Yes. We have eliminated state exception pages and instead created a complete
Experience Rating Plan Manual for each state. Each state's manual will display the rules applicable in that state. Because all of the rules for a state are in the order that they would flow in a manual, customers no longer need to jump around to state exception pages.
Will we be able to see a national or multistate manual?
Yes. Once a manual is in
NCCI Atlas, you can view the manual information the way you want to—by single state, multiple states, or all available states. Our goal is to move the approved states’
Experience Rating Plan Manual directly into
NCCI Atlas due to the multistate and interstate needs of this manual by year-end.
How do I determine whether an
Experience Rating Plan Manual rule applies to an intrastate-rated or interstate-rated risk?
Each state’s
Experience Rating Plan Manual applies to intrastate-rated and interstate-rated risks unless a rule specifically indicates otherwise. A risk qualifies for experience rating on an interstate (multistate) basis when it (a) meets the premium eligibility requirement for intrastate experience rating in one state and (b) develops experience during the experience period in one or more additional states where this Plan permits a combination for interstate experience rating. The experience developed in each additional state does not have to meet the premium eligibility requirement for intrastate experience rating.
Is “you,” “your,” or “your company” used instead of “carrier” or “self-insured group” in the
Experience Rating Plan Manual, similar to how the “carrier” references were revised in the
Basic Manual?
No. Due to the various stakeholders involved in the experience rating processes, we decided to use the term “insurance provider,” which is a broader term. For the purposes of this manual only, the term “insurance provider” may be the carrier, the self-insured group, a third-party data reporter, or another non-affiliate.
The only time that the term “carrier” is used is when the term “carrier of record” is needed to identify the responsible party that performs an action or must provide information.
There are data reporting rules in the
Experience Rating Plan Manual. Are they staying in the
Experience Rating Plan Manual?
No. Historically, it was easier to include certain data reporting rules within the
Experience Rating Plan Manual. However, now that we are transforming our manuals, we want to place the data reporting rules in the appropriate data reporting manuals.
As a result, rules such as Third-Party Cases (Rule 4-B-4) and Liability-Over Cases (Rule 4-B-5) have been removed from the
Experience Rating Plan Manual and will be included as rules in the
Statistical Plan.
Why were interstate manuals created for Minnesota and Wisconsin?
While NCCI's
Experience Rating Plan Manual applies to jurisdictions where NCCI is the rating organization, it also applies in some independent bureau states that issue their own intrastate experience rating modifications and have also chosen to participate in interstate experience rating. As a result, we produced reference-only manuals for Minnesota and Wisconsin containing only interstate rules that are used to calculate experience rating modifications for interstate-rated only risks.
What is the best way to find information in the manual?
The
Experience Rating Plan Manual has been transformed based on topics, which are displayed in the order that is needed to understand and calculate an experience rating modification. There are multiple options to find the topic you are looking for in the manual.
First, the easiest way to find information is to use the Table of Contents (TOC), which is always available on the manual landing page. Determine what topic you are interested in and use the TOC to drill down into the topic.
Second, you can use the search tool at the top of the page to find the topic you are searching for by entering a key word. This search comes back with the topics you are looking for in any manual.
Finally, if you are looking at the PDF, there is an alphabetical Index that allows you to search using similar words.
Where will I be able to find the ERM-14 Form and ERM-6 Form?
The ERM-14 Form and ERM-6 Form will no longer be in the Appendix and will not be filed as part of each state’s
Experience Rating Plan Manual. Instead, these forms will be easier to locate because they will be available on
ncci.com under Popular Forms on the Underwriting and Agents/Brokers pages.
Will premium eligibility amounts for all states, as currently provided in the State Table of Subject Premium Eligibility Amounts, continue to be available in each state’s
Experience Rating Plan Manual?
Since we are filing state
Experience Rating Plan Manuals, each state’s PDF manual will display the table showing the premium eligibility amounts that are applicable in that state. By breaking up this table, manual updates are easier to make when one state changes its premium eligibility amounts. We do not have to refile an entire table in each state when only one state changes.
Once the manual is approved and available in
NCCI Atlas, you will be able to see the premium eligibility information for all states within the same topic.
The complete table may be added to the
Experience Rating Plan Manual User's Guide because this would benefit the carriers writing multistate policies. Because the
Experience Rating Plan Manual User's Guide is not a filed manual, it is easier to update as needed.
The current manual has information in three tables: Basic Loss Limitation Table, Loss Limitations for Accidents Involving Two or More Persons Table 1, and Loss Limitations for Accidents Involving Two or More Persons Table 2. Where will these tables be located?
These tables have been broken up into individual topics to ensure more clarity.
Rule 2-E-4—Insolvent Insurance Provider Data was a state exception for Oregon in the current
Experience Rating Plan Manual, but now this rule appears to be applicable in all states except MA and NC. Is that correct?
Yes. NCCI, as the rating organization, has always included insolvent data in the calculation of experience rating modifications as long as the insolvent carrier or insolvent self-insured group submits the data in accordance with NCCI's
Statistical Plan or the data is submitted by the carrier of record via an ERM-6 Form.
Adding this rule provides clarity on how NCCI handles this type of data in the other states.
The
Experience Rating Plan Manual includes Rating Values for all NCCI states. Where will this information reside in the future?
The Rating Values will still be part of the
Experience Rating Plan Manual. However, similar to the Rates or Loss Costs section/tab in the
Basic Manual, the Rating Values will have their own dedicated section/tab accessible from the
NCCI Atlas landing page.
Can you confirm that the changes to the
Experience Rating Plan Manual will not have any premium impact to policyholders?
Yes. We are not making substantive changes to any rule or methodology that would result in premium impact to individual policyholders. We are improving the format and structure, using active voice versus passive voice, and providing some clarity.
How will these changes impact premium?
There will be no premium impact as a result of NCCI's new edition of the
Experience Rating Plan Manual.
Will there be an overall rate impact?
No. The content transformation of NCCI manuals will not have an impact to rate/loss cost filings or rating values.
When insurance departments reference the new, transformed
Experience Rating Plan Manual, how should they refer to it? Will the title of this new manual change?
The manual will continue to be NCCI’s
Experience Rating Plan Manual. We do not put edition dates on manuals any longer because we have found that edition dates are sometimes included in state statutes or regulations. When a manual is revised and it includes a new edition date, legislation may be necessary to change the manual edition date. Each state’s
Experience Rating Plan Manual will have an effective date based on the state’s approved effective date. The rules within NCCI’s
Experience Rating Plan Manual will show as effective July 1, 2025.
What are the changes to A-2—Affiliate Self-Insurers’ Applicability of the Preface in NCCI’s
Statistical Plan?
NCCI's
Statistical Plan will be updated to remove the option for affiliate self-insured groups to report data under the
Pre-URE Workers Compensation Statistical Plan and to report data required under the current
Statistical Plan. National rules will replace state exceptions for FL and VA, and the TX exception rule will be more in line with the national rule.
What are the changes to the rules related to liability-over claims that were moved from NCCI's
Experience Rating Plan Manual to NCCI's
Statistical Plan?
The
Experience Rating Plan Manual rules related to liability-over claims provide instruction on how to report incurred losses that include liability-over claims. It is more appropriate to include these rules in NCCI's
Statistical Plan, which provides rules related to reporting the payroll and losses used to calculate a risk’s experience rating modification. No changes were made to these rules.
Will training be available for various departments of insurance or carrier teams?
Yes. As part of our change management plan, training is always available through your SRE or ASE. Our goal is to make the content as easy to consume as possible.
Will there be ongoing technical support for these new solutions?
Yes. NCCI is always available if you should experience any technical issues. Your first point of contact will still be Customer Service or your designated SRE or ASE, and they will coordinate the best plan of action to resolve your technical difficulty.
