Dearborn Group Life and Disability Business Conversion to Symetra

See our press release: Symetra Completes Acquisition of Dearborn Group’s Life and Disability Business, Enters Distribution Agreement

Symetra has acquired Dearborn Group’s life and disability (LAD) business, which includes group and individual life, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), group short- and long-term disability, paid family and medical leave (PFML) and absence management. This arrangement includes a multiyear agreement with Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), through which Symetra's group life and disability products will be available to HCSC health care customers.

Maintaining high levels of service and consistency is a key focus. We’re acquiring all Dearborn Group’s group LAD operations—including product, sales, and claims—who are experts in serving and managing the acquired book of business.

Plans are in development to migrate Dearborn Group LAD business to Symetra policies and contracts. While timing and sequencing are still being finalized, no immediate changes are expected.

Brokers and policyholders will receive advance communications as migration plans are confirmed, along with regular updates throughout the process. Any future transitions will be carefully planned to minimize disruption and ensure continuity of coverage, service, and claims handling.

Please continue working with your existing contacts, who are now part of the Symetra team for any questions related to your policy.

Symetra and HCSC have a long-term distribution agreement with a focus on delivering quality customer experience. Both parties will work together through the transition to deliver value to our customers.

No. You will continue to access your account the same way you do today, using your current login and credentials. Nothing is changing with your online access at this time.

Your current rate guarantee remains in place. There are no changes to your premium rates or the terms of your existing policy.

No. You should continue to submit premiums exactly as you do today, whether by mail or online.

No. You don't need to make any changes to your file feeds at this time. Continue sending them as you always have.

No. Claims will continue to be processed as usual.

No. Please continue submitting claims the same way you do today. There are no changes to the claim submission process.

You can continue to reach out to your existing service and support contacts with questions. If changes need to be made to your regular contact, Symetra will notify you.

Your coverage remains the same. The acquisition does not affect your current policy provisions, coverage or benefits.

No. All policy terms, benefits and premiums remain unchanged. Your plan continues as it does today.

No, service levels and claims processing timelines remain consistent. Our teams, systems, and day-to-day operations continue without interruption. We are focused on delivering a reliable, responsive customer experience and will continue to monitor service performance to ensure consistency as we move forward.

We are committed to maintaining the same level of personalized service you value today. Your experience and satisfaction remain a top priority.

Over time, you may gain access to additional offerings, but nothing is changing immediately. For now, you should expect business as usual.

Symetra and Dearborn Group share a strong commitment to customer service, innovative insurance solutions, and financial strength. By combining Dearborn Group’s LAD business with Symetra’s Workforce Benefits business, Symetra can expand our reach and bring greater resources to support customers, while continuing to deliver the same excellent service you know and trust.

Symetra assigns an account manager to all accounts with 100+ lives. For accounts with under 100 lives, we provide a streamlined, service-focused model that combines a robust online service platform—similar to Dearborn’s Ancillary Service Center—with support from our Account Service team. This approach ensures responsive, efficient service tailored to the needs of smaller groups, while maintaining consistent access to knowledgeable representatives.

As part of Symetra’s seamless transition, the billing process should remain mostly the same upon conversion with minimal changes or alterations. Billing statements will be available via Symetra's portal.

Due to administrative limitations, the billing method cannot be changed at the time of conversion; however, upon renewal groups can consult with their Symetra service contact to explore other billing options.

Groups should receive their first Symetra billing statement within 30 days of conversion to Symetra systems. Groups will be notified via email when their billing statement is available in the Symetra portal.

Symetra billing statements will feature a new layout and Symetra branding, but they will continue to include the same key billing information you receive today.

For active claim files, Symetra will send a letter to the claimant/beneficiaries explaining the impact of conversion on the claim and provide resources for the claimant/beneficiaries for any questions and/or issues, including contact information for Symetra's Customer Service Center and Claims contacts.

For short-term disability, claim forms will be available in the Dearborn portal through 10/1/2027. For all other benefits/claims—and any STD claim beyond 10/1/2027—claim forms will be available via Symetra's portal, along with contact information for Symetra's Customer Service Center and Claims contacts.

Symetra is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and consistent, high‑quality service. Active long-term disability, life, and WOP claims will be moved to the new platform and will continue to be administered with the same level of care and standards you experience today. Short‑term disability claims will continue to be managed on the current platform through 10/1/2027, ensuring uninterrupted support for those claimants.

Yes, claims integration from ComPsych will continue after the disability is transitioned to Symetra. Any legacy Dearborn clients who currently have FMLASource integration will continue to have that integration after being converted to Symetra paper. Conversions of these groups to Symetra will not take place until the FMLASource integrations have been built into the Symetra ecosystem. The tentative timing that the integrations are expected to be built is March 2027 to June 2027.

The conversion to Symetra systems and paper will not affect any medical discounts currently in place. For any business written with Dearborn prior to October 1, 2025, the medical discount will be extended through the end of the first renewal that is initiated by the client and Symetra. For business written on Dearborn paper, with effective dates from October 1, 2025, through January 1, 2026, the medical discount will remain in place through the end of the initial rate guarantee period.

Open enrollments will not be offered proactively. Any open enrollment or modified open enrollment offerings will be reviewed by underwriting, upon request.

Symetra's EOI process permits online applications submitted through our vendor, Uniblox. Applicants will be provided a link where they will be able to input their coverage information and complete the EOI application. All decisions will be communicated through email.

Our goal is to make the transition as seamless as possible and ensure uninterrupted coverage.

For business converting from Dearborn to Symetra, we are filing “mirror” versions of the existing Dearborn Life/AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability and standalone AD&D products. These filings are intended to closely align with the current coverage structure so that clients experience consistency in their benefits as they move to Symetra.

What to expect:

• Product offerings: Core products and coverage designs will remain consistent with what groups have today.
• Contract provisions and benefits: We do not anticipate substantive changes to core benefits or key contract provisions as part of the conversion. Some variations may be required to comply with applicable state insurance regulations or Interstate Compact standards.
• Administration: Symetra will work with groups and brokers to assist with conversions that will begin July 1, 2026, and proceed in preplanned waves through September 1, 2027. Coverage will remain in-force throughout the transition. Upon conversion, policies will be issued on Symetra paper and administered on Symetra systems. Groups will receive updated policy documents and will be supported by Symetra’s experienced service and claims teams, with a continued focus on responsiveness and ease of doing business.

We will communicate proactively with brokers and groups in advance of their conversion date to support a smooth transition. Our priority is to maintain continuity of coverage, minimize disruption, and deliver a positive experience throughout the conversion.

To help ensure a smooth and seamless transition for everyone, changes to existing policies or administrative processes will be paused during the conversion period. Changes may resume once the conversion has been completed. We anticipate this process taking three days to complete.

No, there will not be a full implementation for each case converting from Dearborn to Symetra. Instead, a data transfer will occur from Dearborn to Symetra, with no changes to existing policies or administrative processes at that time.

We will send a packet, including a Docusign email, to brokers and groups containing how the process works and what documents may require signatures. We will pre-populate as much of the information as possible and distribute only the applicable documents for each case.

If a group moves forward with ComPsych now and then decides that they want to move to Symetra's integrated absence offering at a later time, they will need to complete another FMLA implementation. Our implementation timelines are either 60, 90, or 120 days depending upon the size and complexity of the group.

For business transitioning from Dearborn to Symetra, we are filing “mirror” versions of the existing Dearborn Life/AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and standalone AD&D products. These filings are intended to closely align with the current coverage structure so that clients experience consistency in their benefits as they move to Symetra.

We do not standardly have different benefits based on client size; however, for U250 groups, there are less opportunities to accommodate customization.

Customers will be able to access the Dearborn hosted portal throughout the conversion but with certain restrictions in the days prior to becoming effective in Symetra systems. Specifically, customers will not be able to make billing changes or payments in the Dearborn portal from approximately the 21st of the month prior to their conversion effective date (the following 1st of the month). Then from approximately the 26th to the end of the month customers will not be able to access their life and disability products through Dearborn’s portal as the customer’s data will have moved to Symetra systems. Access to Symetra’s MyBenefits portal will not be affected, and converting customers will be granted access to the Symetra portal as soon as their policy is effective on the conversion date.

Policy changes will not be allowed 30 days prior to a customer’s conversion date in order to ensure the records and contracts are up-to-date following conversion.

We are currently in discussions with vendors to create conversion plans with minimal impacts to clients.

There is no cost to the group to convert their feeds to Symetra.

Groups will be notified 90 days prior to the scheduled conversion. They will receive an email with the necessary guidance, FAQs, and related information, including a Docusign email containing a packet of forms requiring signatures, including the master application.

Yes, where appropriate, Symetra will provide new benefit summaries.

Conversion to Symetra systems will roll out in stages starting in August 2026 and will continue through September 2027.

Prior to moving onto the Symetra platform, there will be a freeze period for a couple of days (around the 21st of the month) when groups can access/view the Dearborn portal but will not have edit capabilities.