Pet Insurance MGA Go-Live Checklist: 50 Tasks Before You Bind Your First Policy

The period between securing your binding authority agreement and binding your first policy is critical. Every operational system, compliance procedure, and team capability must be verified before going live. Missing items can result in carrier audit failures, regulatory issues, or poor customer experiences.

This checklist covers 50 essential tasks organized by functional area.

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What Legal and Carrier Requirements Must Be Completed Before Launch? (Tasks 1–10)

Before an MGA can go live, all legal and carrier requirements must be fully executed and documented. This includes a binding authority agreement with the fronting carrier, carrier appointments in all operating states, premium trust accounts, E&O insurance, and data security agreements forming the contractual foundation for your program.

1. Binding authority agreement fully executed with fronting carrier
2. All BAA schedules and exhibits finalized (authority limits, territory, products)
3. Carrier appointment filed in all operating states
4. Reinsurance treaty executed (if separate from carrier arrangement)
5. Premium trust account established and verified by carrier
6. E&O insurance certificate delivered to carrier and state DOIs
7. Data security and privacy agreements executed
8. Service level agreements defined with carrier
9. Carrier program manager identified and first operational call scheduled
10. Run-off provisions and contingency plans documented

What Licensing and Regulatory Tasks Are Required? (Tasks 11–20)

All state licensing and regulatory requirements must be in place before binding policies. This means obtaining your resident MGA license, non-resident licenses in all launch states, individual producer licenses for all personnel, rate and form approvals through SERFF, and full compliance with the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act.

11. Resident MGA license obtained in home state
12. Non-resident licenses obtained in all launch states
13. Individual producer licenses current for all licensed personnel
14. Rate and form filings approved in all launch states
15. SERFF filing receipts and approval letters on file
16. NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act compliance verified for all forms
17. Marketing materials reviewed and approved by compliance
18. Consumer disclosure documents finalized and compliant
19. Privacy policy and terms of service published
20. Complaint handling procedures documented and staff trained

What Technology and Systems Must Be Operational? (Tasks 21–30)

Every core technology system must be fully configured, integrated, and tested before launch. This includes the policy administration system, rating engine, claims management system, payment processing, customer portal, document generation, communication systems, data backup, security testing, and carrier data feed integration.

21. Policy administration system fully configured and tested
22. Rating engine validated against actuarial pricing model
23. Claims management system operational and tested
24. Payment processing integration tested (premium collection and claims payment)
25. Customer portal live and user-tested
26. Document generation tested (policy documents, ID cards, EOBs)
27. Email and communication systems configured
28. Data backup and disaster recovery tested
29. Security penetration testing completed
30. Carrier data feed and reporting integration verified

What Claims Operations Setup Is Needed? (Tasks 31–37)

Claims operations must be fully documented, tested, and staffed before the first policy is bound. This means having complete claims handling SOPs, trained adjusters, fraud detection procedures, defined authority limits, approved EOB templates, end-to-end payment testing, and a functional veterinary invoice OCR system.

31. Claims handling procedures and SOPs documented
32. Claims adjuster training completed
33. Fraud detection rules and procedures implemented
34. Claims authority limits defined and communicated to team
35. EOB templates created and approved
36. Claims payment process tested end-to-end
37. Veterinary invoice OCR system tested with sample invoices

What Financial and Accounting Systems Must Be Ready? (Tasks 38–42)

All financial and accounting infrastructure must be operational to ensure accurate premium accounting, commission tracking, carrier reporting, and payment processing from day one. This covers documented premium accounting procedures, commission systems, financial reporting templates, general ledger accounts, and verified bank accounts and payment rails.

38. Premium accounting procedures documented
39. Commission calculation and tracking system operational
40. Financial reporting templates created for carrier
41. General ledger accounts established for insurance operations
42. Bank accounts and payment rails verified

What Team and Training Requirements Must Be Met? (Tasks 43–47)

Every team member must be onboarded, trained, licensed, and appointed before launch. This includes training on all core systems, documented underwriting authority delegations, customer service scripts, escalation procedures, and verification that all staff are properly licensed and appointed in required jurisdictions.

43. All staff onboarded and trained on core systems
44. Underwriting authority delegation documented and signed
45. Customer service scripts and FAQ developed
46. Escalation procedures documented and communicated
47. Staff licensed and appointed in all required jurisdictions

What Marketing and Distribution Steps Are Required? (Tasks 48–50)

Marketing and distribution readiness ensures you have a compliant, functioning customer acquisition engine on launch day. This means a live website with a compliant quote flow, completed distribution partner onboarding, and prepared launch communications.

48. Website live with compliant quote flow
49. Distribution partner onboarding complete for launch partners
50. Launch communications prepared and scheduled

What Are the Go-Live Decision Criteria?

The go-live decision should only be made when all 50 checklist items are verified complete, end-to-end workflow testing has passed, and every key stakeholder including the fronting carrier program manager and internal compliance officer has formally signed off on launch readiness.

Before final go-live approval, verify:

• All 50 checklist items completed
• End-to-end workflow test passed (quote → bind → claim → pay)
• Carrier sign-off received
• Compliance officer attestation signed
• Team readiness confirmed by all department heads
• Backup procedures tested for system failures
• Customer support channels operational

What Should Be Monitored During the First 30 Days Post-Launch?

During the first 30 days after binding your first policies, close monitoring is essential to catch issues early. Track daily policy issuance counts and error rates, quote-to-bind conversion rates, customer feedback and complaints, system performance, first claims processing times, premium collection success rates, and any regulatory or carrier inquiries.

After binding your first policies, monitor closely:

• Daily policy issuance counts and error rates
• Quote-to-bind conversion rates
• Customer feedback and complaints
• System performance and uptime
• First claims received and processing time
• Premium collection success rates
• Any regulatory or carrier inquiries

For the complete launch timeline, see our article on MGA launch phases. For the operations guide, see our Operations Playbook.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What must be in place before an MGA can bind its first pet insurance policy?

Essential items include executed binding authority agreement, state licensing, rate and form approvals, operational technology systems, claims handling capability, compliance procedures, and trained staff.

How long before launch should the go-live checklist start?

Begin the checklist 8–12 weeks before target launch date. Some items (licensing, carrier agreement) should be completed well before the checklist phase begins.

What testing should be done before going live?

Test end-to-end workflows including quoting, binding, policy issuance, premium collection, claims submission, adjudication, payment processing, and customer communications.

Who should sign off on the go-live decision?

The CEO, CUO, Head of Claims, Compliance Officer, and the fronting carrier program manager should all sign off on launch readiness.

What happens if the fronting carrier does not approve the go-live?

If the fronting carrier withholds go-live approval, the MGA cannot bind policies under the binding authority agreement. Common reasons include incomplete system integration, unresolved compliance gaps, or outstanding documentation all of which must be remediated before resubmitting for carrier sign-off.

What E&O insurance coverage is required before launching a pet insurance MGA?

Most carriers and state DOIs require errors and omissions (E&O) insurance with minimum limits of $1M–$5M per occurrence. The E&O certificate must be delivered to both the carrier and applicable state departments of insurance before binding any policies.

How should an MGA handle system failures on launch day?

MGAs should have documented backup procedures and disaster recovery plans tested before launch. This includes manual policy issuance workflows, backup communication channels, and escalation paths to technology vendors and carrier program managers.

What are the most commonly missed items on an MGA go-live checklist?

Frequently missed items include carrier data feed integration verification, premium trust account setup, run-off provisions documentation, individual producer licensing for all personnel, and end-to-end claims payment testing with actual bank accounts.

External Sources

• https://naphia.org/industry-data/

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