Behind the Curve: ADALB Recap

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

The most recent meeting of the Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board (ADALB), held on September 23, yet again demonstrated the inequities and shortcomings of the Board licensed under the Division of Insurance and charged with the regulation of motor vehicle damage appraisers in the Commonwealth.

The ADALB continued its review of 212 CMR 2.00 et. seq. with Board member Peter Smith (MAPFRE) honing in on four particular sections. Smith began with proposing a new section be added as 2.02(4)a: Duty to Disclose on a Renewal Application. Due to the recent transition to the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) and electronically processing applications, “there have been an increasing number of license renewals that have had flags on them for various adverse actions on the licensee’s license, and not necessarily in the Commonwealth, but in other states that report to NIPR and so there was really no clear and concise language in the prior renewal language that addressed this,” Smith explained.

Board member Carl Garcia (Carl’s Collision Center; Fall River) took exception to the inclusion of “civil judgment” on the list: “Anyone can sue anyone for anything, right?” Board member Bill Johnson (Pleasant Street Auto; South Hadley/Belchertown) agreed that the Board’s concern was related more to criminal issues like “any type of insurance fraud, fraudulent behavior, thievery, etc.” Smith offered to revisit the language for additional review. 

Moving onto 2.02(7) Conflict of Interest, Smith proposed the addition of verbiage to identify the makeup of the ADALB; feedback from Johnson and Garcia indicated the need for additional revisions. The proposed amendment to 2.02(8) seeks to clarify the difference between suspension and revocation, according to Smith, by specifying the conditions under which a license may be revoked and emphasizing the appraiser’s inability to be relicensed.

During discussion about 2.02(9) Drive-in Claim and Appraisal Facilities, Johnson and Garcia heavily emphasized the need to include OEM procedures, and Johnson added the caveat, “I don’t have a problem with an insurance company writing a straight appraisal identifying the major damages. I do have a problem when it goes to a legitimate shop, and [the insurer] doesn’t want to pay for certain procedures and proper procedures to put the vehicle back into pre-accident condition.”

Attorney Michael Powers also provided an update on the progress being made by the Auto Body Labor Rate Advisory Board (ABLRAB), sharing a recap of the September 15 meeting. Surveys have been sent to “auto insurance companies in Massachusetts with a market share of one percent or more” and written testimony from experts is currently being gathered. Powers expressed optimism about being able to submit a “helpful recommendation” to the Insurance Commissioner by the December 31 deadline.

Although the meeting began with Chairman Michael Donovan acknowledging the absence of Board member Vicky Wei Ye (Bos Insurance Agency), the meeting proceeded unhindered…until the Board progressed to the complaint review stage of its agenda. “We will postpone [review of complaints] until the next meeting due to the fact that Vicky is not in attendance today,” Donovan announced unequivocally. Johnson and Garcia spoke out, arguing that nothing was postponed when Johnson was absent. “I’d rather table it for the next meeting,” Donovan insisted as he called for a motion to adjourn.

The ADALB is scheduled to reconvene on November 18. Information pertaining to the ADALB’s meeting schedule and planned agenda is typically posted by the Friday prior to the meeting at bit.ly/ADALBagendas.

AASP/MA members are strongly encouraged to listen to the recording of the September 23 meeting in the Members Only section of aaspma.org for a glimpse into the inner workings of the ADALB. View the meeting agenda at bit.ly/ADALB092325. More detailed coverage of this meeting appears in the October/November issue of Damage Report, AASP/MA’s members-only newsletter.

Want more? Check out the November 2025 issue of New England Automotive Report!