Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc.
Updated Filing received by DOL
Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc., a healthcare & social assistance employer in ST. Albans, Vermont, reported 451 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows 5 insurance contracts with no premium reported and $42,305 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is self-funded (the employer pays claims itself). The Department of Labor received the filing on May 27, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, 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 Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc. filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richards, Inc. · Brattleboro, VT | $15,887 | $0 | $15,887 | 2 |
| Richards Incorporated · Brattleboro, VT | $13,022 | $2,762 | $15,784 | 1 |
| Combined Services Limited Liability · Concord, NH | $9,762 | $27 | $9,789 | 1 |
| Caliber Benefits Group · Boston, MA | $547 | $5 | $552 | 1 |
| Enrollment Solutions LTD · Sutton, MA | $100 | $55 | $155 | 1 |
| Ashley Follis · Durham, NH | $80 | $7 | $87 | 1 |
| Kevin John Conway · West Barnstable, MA | $43 | $0 | $43 | 1 |
| Ryan Patrick Dempsey · Haverhill, MA | $10 | $0 | $10 | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vision Service Planvision | 210 | — | $6,774 | — |
| Investeapcoverage not coded | 426 | — | — | — |
| Delta Dental Plan of Vermont, Inc.dental | 618 | — | $9,113 | — |
| Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 7 | — | $845 | — |
| Reliance Standard Life Insurance Companylife, long-term disability | 465 | — | $25,573 | — |
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 Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, 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 | 433 | 451 | +4.2% |
| Premiums filed | $0 | $0 | — |
| Broker commissions + fees | $37,627 | $42,305 | +12.4% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc. Health & Welfare Benefit Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | May 27, 2026 | before deadline | 451 |
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 Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc.'s 2025 Form 5500 reports $42,305 in broker commissions and fees across 5 insurance contracts ($39,449 in commissions, $2,856 in fees), with Richards, Inc. receiving the largest share.
Is Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc.'s health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is self-funded (the employer pays claims itself).
How does Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc. because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 200-499 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $77,013.
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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.