First Step, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
First Step, Inc., a healthcare & social assistance employer in Hot Springs, Arkansas, reported 506 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $185,801 in insurance premiums across 4 contracts and $40,206 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). The Department of Labor received the filing on July 24, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on First Step, Inc.'s plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract First Step, Inc. filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Health Captives Inc | $21,728 | $0 | $21,728 | 1 |
| Group Health Captive Inc · Little Rock, AR | $18,478 | $0 | $18,478 | 3 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2025, as published in EBSA's 2025 "Latest" dataset. Part I names whoever the carrier paid, which can be a firm or an individual agent; both are public record. Amounts exclude pay from carriers not tied to a listed contract.
Insurance contracts and carriers
Every insurance contract reported on Schedule A: carrier, what it covers, people covered at year end, earned premium, and broker compensation.
| Carrier · coverage | Covered | Premium | Broker pay | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Dental Plan of Arkansasdental | 546 | $147,134 | $1,036 | 0.7% |
| Delta Vision Plan of Arkansasvision | 494 | $38,667 | $3,760 | 9.7% |
| American United Life Insurance Companylife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 515 | — | $21,728 | — |
| Sun Life Assurance Company of Canadashort-term disability | 164 | — | $13,682 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2025. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How First Step, Inc. compares
Medians across employers for plan year 2024, the most recent complete year. Commission rates use fully insured medical contracts only; dollar medians use every employer that disclosed broker pay.
Not computable: no insured medical premium on the filing.
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2024 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 472 | 506 | +7.2% |
| Premiums filed | $198,830 | $185,801 | −6.6% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $47,524 | $40,206 | −15.4% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2024 and 2025.
Filings and timeliness
Plans this employer filed under its EIN with a health benefit code. Large plans are due seven months after the plan year ends, or two and a half months later with an extension; amended filings carry the amendment date, so no timing is asserted for them.
| Plan | Plan year end | Received by DOL | Timing | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Step, Inc. Employee Benefits Plan#501 · insurance | December 31, 2025 | July 24, 2026 | before deadline | 506 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Part I and signature dates; "late" means received after the extended deadline (the 15th day of the tenth month after plan year end). What a late Form 5500 costs.
How much did First Step, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
First Step, Inc.'s 2025 Form 5500 reports $40,206 in broker commissions and fees across 4 insurance contracts ($40,206 in commissions, $0 in fees), with Group Health Captives Inc receiving the largest share.
Is First Step, Inc.'s health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims).
How does First Step, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for First Step, Inc. because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 500-999 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $104,902.
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Record built October 24, 2026 from U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA Form 5500 datasets (2025, 2024, 2023 plan years, 'Latest' files). Filings can run 7 to 10 months behind the plan year; always confirm against current plan documents. BenefitsLedger is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. Open the DOL filing search.