San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group

What San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group does

San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group (SMCSIG) is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) formed in 1977 under California Government Code to provide pooled, self-insured insurance programs and risk management services exclusively to the 23 public school districts in San Mateo County and the San Mateo County Office of Education. Operating from Redwood City, California with a small core staff (11-50 employees, an Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director plus claims, loss control, and administrative roles), SMCSIG insures 177+ buildings with an aggregate insured property value exceeding $3 billion and covers 11,000 employees and a student average daily attendance (ADA) of 97,000+.

SMCSIG's portfolio comprises the Property/Liability Program (established 1979, self-insured since 1986) and the Workers' Compensation Program (established 1977, self-insured since 2020) as the core products, supplemented by a Dental Program (1980) administered by Delta Dental, a Vision Program (2000) administered by VSP, an Unemployment Program supported by TALX, an Employee Assistance Program provided by OPTUM, the Healthcare Consortium (HCC) for pooled health benefit purchasing, and Loss Control Services including return-to-work software (Sentinel) and physical-demand measurement tooling (Occumetric). Excess coverage is sourced through statewide and national pools: PRISM for excess workers' compensation and excess general liability, SELF for additional excess liability up to $55 million per occurrence, and the Alliant Public Entity Property Insurance Program (PEPIP) for excess property coverage.

Revenue is generated through annual member participation agreements with premiums set by the JPA Board using member loss data and experience modification formulas (with optional higher deductibles for premium credits). Property deductibles sit at $5,000 per occurrence and liability at $1,500, with workers' compensation self-insured retention at $500,000. Members include all 23 San Mateo County school districts plus the County Office of Education, with the Community College District participating only in dental and vision. Because SMCSIG is a public entity rather than a private firm, no equity, funding, or valuation data is reported, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group

Legal name

San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group

Website

https://smcsig.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group (SMCSIG) is a Joint Powers Authority providing self-insured property, liability, workers' compensation, dental, vision, EAP, and health benefit pool programs to 23 San Mateo County school districts and the County Office of Education, covering 11,000 employees and 97,000+ students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Entity Risk Pool / School District Insurance Services

NAICS

Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Other Insurance Funds (52519)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAH)

Keywords

• School district insurance
• Joint powers authority
• Workers compensation programs
• Property liability coverage
• Risk management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Property & Liability Insurance Premiums: Member districts pay property and liability deductibles per occurrence. Property deductible is $5,000 and liability deductible is $1,500. Members may choose higher deductibles for premium credits.
2. Workers' Compensation Premiums: Self-insured workers' compensation program where member districts pay rates determined by the JPA Board based on member loss data and experience modification formula. Base rate established annually by May.
3. Dental Insurance Premiums: Self-funded dental program where districts pay monthly premiums according to enrollment for the previous month. SMCSIG funds claims and Delta Dental administers payment of claims.
4. Vision Insurance Premiums: Self-funded vision program where districts pay monthly premiums based on employee enrollment. SMCSIG funds claims and VSP pays the claims.
5. Employee Assistance Program: EAP coverage funded by redistributing surplus funds from the dental program. No separate premium charged to members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SMCSIG operates as a Joint Powers Authority delivering self-insured property/liability and workers' compensation programs, along with self-funded dental and vision coverage, unemployment claims administration, an Employee Assistance Program, a Healthcare Consortium for pooled health benefits, and loss control/risk management services. Coverage and services are provided exclusively to the 23 school districts and the County Office of Education within San Mateo County.

Product overview

San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group (SMCSIG) operates as a Joint Powers Authority offering a unified portfolio of self-insured insurance programs and risk management services to 23 school districts in San Mateo County. The core offerings consist of the Property/Liability Program (established 1979) and Workers' Compensation Program (established 1977), which provide self-insured coverage with excess insurance purchased through risk-sharing pools. Supporting these are benefit programs including Dental Insurance (Delta Dental-administered), Vision Insurance (VSP-administered), Unemployment Program (TALX-administered), and Employee Assistance Program (OPTUM-provided). The Healthcare Consortium enables pooled health benefit purchasing. SMCSIG also provides Loss Control Services including safety training, return-to-work programs (via Sentinel), and emergency preparedness planning. The organization insures over 177 buildings valued at over $3 billion, serves 11,000 employees, and covers a student ADA of over 97,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property/Liability Program Self-insured property and liability insurance coverage for member school districts' buildings, contents, and general liability exposures, with property deductible of $5,000 and liability deductible of $1,500 per occurrence and excess coverage through Alliant PEPIP, PRISM, and SELF.
• Workers' Compensation Program Self-insured workers' compensation coverage for member school districts' employees and volunteers with medical, temporary disability, permanent disability, and vocational rehabilitation benefits; $500,000 self-insured retention with excess coverage to statutory limits through PRISM and administered by InterCare Holdings Insurance Services since July 2020.
• Dental Insurance Program Self-funded dental insurance coverage for member school district employees, with claims funded by SMCSIG and administered by Delta Dental from its San Francisco office; districts pay monthly premiums based on prior-month enrollment.
• Vision Insurance Program Self-funded vision insurance coverage for member school district employees, with claims funded by SMCSIG and administered by VSP; eligibility and billing overseen by Alliant.
• Unemployment Program Administrative assistance program that contracts with TALX to help member districts manage unemployment claims filed by former employees.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Voluntary work-based program providing free and confidential counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to school district employees with personal or work-related issues, provided through OPTUM since July 2015 and funded by redistributing surplus from the dental program.
• Healthcare Consortium (HCC) Health benefit consortium operating under the SMCSIG Joint Powers Authority that provides member school districts access to cost-effective, high-quality health benefit plans through shared pooled risk and group purchasing.
• Loss Control Services Risk management and loss prevention services for member districts, including safety training, tailgate topics, Winter Preparedness Plans, Fire Mitigation Plans, and IIPP/Workplace Violence Protection Plans, leveraging Sentinel's Return-to-Work Software and Occumetric.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3 billion in insured property value protected across 177+ buildings
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Protected Insurance Program for Schools (PIPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2003Statewide workers' compensation pool that SMCSIG joined in July 2003. Claims administered by Keenan & Associates as TPA. SMCSIG subsequently became self-insured in 2020.
• Public Risk Innovation, Solution, and Management (PRISM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRisk sharing pool of California public entities including Counties, Cities and School Districts. Provides excess general liability coverage to $5 million per occurrence with $250,000 SIR, and excess workers' compensation coverage for SMCSIG since July 2020.
• Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRisk-sharing pool of California School Districts. Provides additional excess general liability coverage to $55 million per occurrence for SMCSIG members.
• Alliant Public Entity Property Insurance Program (PEPIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint-purchase program consisting of over 6,000 public entities in 35 states. SMCSIG purchases excess property insurance through PEPIP with $250,000 SIR.
• Delta DentalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministers dental claims paying bills from their San Francisco office. SMCSIG is part of the California Schools Dental Coalition which provides reduced administration fees.
• Vision Service Plan (VSP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministers vision claims paying bills from their San Francisco office for member school districts.
• AlliantmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDental consultant overseeing eligibility and billing process for SMCSIG's dental program.
• Keenan & AssociatesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEligibility fee administrator for vision program. Previously administered workers' compensation claims for PIPS (until 2020). A private company that rented office space from SMCSIG.
• InterCare Holdings Insurance Services Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThird Party Administrator (TPA) for workers' compensation claims on behalf of SMCSIG since July 1, 2020 when SMCSIG became self-insured.
• TALXminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContracted company providing administrative assistance to members with respect to unemployment claims filed by former employees.
• OPTUMmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEmployee Assistance Program provider providing free and confidential counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees. SMCSIG board approved EAP coverage effective July 1, 2015.
• SentinelmajorTechnology or IntegrationReturn-to-Work Software provider whose Occupational Software program helps design safe Return-to-Work programs by providing job-specific duties that comply with doctor's recommended limits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Monterey County Schools Insurance Group: County-level JPA insurance pool serving school districts in neighboring Monterey County, providing the same multi-line insurance (workers' comp, property/liability, dental, vision) and risk management services to public education members.
• Santa Clara County Schools Insurance Group: Bay Area counterpart JPA serving school districts in Santa Clara County with pooled insurance, workers' compensation, and employee benefits programs. Operates under the same California JPA framework with a similar member-district mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Protected Insurance Program for Schools (PIPS): Former statewide workers' compensation pool that SMCSIG joined in 2003 before moving to self-insured status in 2020. Historically a direct peer and excess coverage partner for California school district workers' comp programs.
• Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF): Risk-sharing pool of California school districts providing additional excess general liability coverage up to $55M per occurrence. A direct SMCSIG excess partner and the most structurally analogous California school-focused risk pool.
• California Schools JPA: Statewide California school district insurance pool providing multi-line coverage and risk management services. Comparable as a higher-geographic-tier version of SMCSIG's county-level model.
• California State Association of Counties - Excess Insurance Authority (CSAC-EIA): California public entity insurance authority providing pooled coverage programs for counties, cities, and special districts. Adjacent to SMCSIG's space as a broader public-entity risk pool with overlapping reinsurance economics.
• Public Risk Innovation, Solution, and Management (PRISM): California public entity risk-sharing pool providing excess general liability and workers' compensation coverage to counties, cities, and school districts. Directly comparable as SMCSIG purchases its excess coverage through PRISM and operates with the same pooled-risk philosophy.

Regional players

• San Diego County Schools Insurance Pool: County-level public school insurance pool in Southern California providing pooled risk coverage and risk management services to member districts. Directly comparable in structure and member profile to SMCSIG.
• Ventura County Schools Insurance Authority: Southern California county-level school district insurance pool offering property/liability, workers' comp, and health benefits through a JPA structure. Functionally analogous to SMCSIG but serving a different regional membership.
• Kern County Schools Insurance Authority: County-level schools insurance JPA in California's Central Valley providing workers' compensation, property/liability, and benefits coverage to member districts. Operates the same pooled self-insurance model as SMCSIG in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-mateo-county-schools-insurance-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group