ADALB Kicks the Can Down the Road Again

On October 5, the Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board (ADALB) convened by teleconference to resume its review of the key issues raised in a 2016 letter from the Division of Insurance (DOI) regarding some of the Board’s proposed and submitted amendments to 212 CMR 2.00.

Although the ADALB voted to approve and submit revisions to its current regulations in October 2016, a letter sent from the Office of the Secretary of Administration and Finance on February 8, 2021 informed current ADALB Chairman Michael Donovan that, while the Board may continue the process of amending its regulations, it must consider issues raised by the Division of Insurance on December 1, 2016 - more than four years earlier!

When Board member Bill Johnson (Pleasant Street Auto; South Hadley/Belchertown) questioned why information provided by the DOI just two months after the initial proposal was not provided for nearly five years, Board member Rick Starbard (Rick’s Auto Collision; Revere) agreed:

“It’s a slap in the face to everyone who put hours and hours into clarifying the existing regulations.”

“These are the frustrations that occur in government,” Donovan admitted.

Despite Johnson’s urging that the group “get those four questions resolved and move on,” the ADALB ultimately came to an agreement on half of the issues presented in 2016 and voted to seek clarification on the remaining two issues, which will be discussed at the ADALB’s next meeting on November 23, along with any new concerns or recommendations from the Board.

AASP/MA members are strongly urged to listen to the recording of the October 5 meeting in the Members Only section of aaspma.org for insights into the ongoing disagreement related to semantics that continues to ensue during these meetings. The original proposed revisions can be found on the October 5 meeting agenda, available at mass.gov/doc/adalb-meetingnotice-10-5-2021/download. More detailed coverage of this meeting appears in the October issue of the Damage Report newsletter.

PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND THE COLLISION INDUSTRY

MASSACHUSETTS