Public Meeting Notice  Meeting Notice and Agenda Items for the Massachusetts Permanent Auto Body Labor Reimbursement Rate Advisory Board

The topics to be discussed during the meeting of the Board will be the following:

1. Call to order.
2. Introduction by Co-Chair Michael D. Powers, Esq.
3. Rules for conducting the meetings.
4. Rules for providing documents to the Board and their public disclosure as a public record under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws, M. G. L. c. 66, § 10(a), 950 C.M.R. 32.00 et seq., M.G. L. c. 4, § 7(26).
5. Discussion of surveys submitted to auto body repair shops and auto insurance companies writing auto insurance in Massachusetts pursuant to M.G.L. c. 175 §§ 231 and 232, which provides the following:

Chapter 175, Section 231. 

There shall be, within the division of insurance, a permanent auto body labor reimbursement rate advisory board to address any issues related to auto body labor reimbursement rates. The advisory board shall consist of: 1 member appointed by the commissioner of insurance, who shall serve as a co-chair; 1 member appointed by the attorney general, who shall serve as a co-chair; 1 member from the auto insurance industry appointed by the Massachusetts Insurance Federation, Inc., or its successor; 1 member from the auto repair industry appointed by the Massachusetts Auto Body Association, Inc., or its successor; and 1 member appointed by the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, Inc., or its successor. No board member shall serve more than 3 consecutive 2-year terms.  

The advisory board shall meet not less than 1 time per year. The advisory board shall be responsible for creating, implementing and overseeing a survey not more than once every 4 years that shall be given to relevant auto body shops and insurers as determined by the advisory board. The survey shall compile data pertaining to contracted hourly labor reimbursement rates, posted hourly labor reimbursement rates and any additional information the advisory board deems relevant. The advisory board shall collect industry data including, but not limited to: (i) labor reimbursement rates in neighboring states; (ii) total labor costs and total repair costs for repairs, including the total cost of repair; (iii) inflation data; (iv) workforce data; (v) vocational school trends; (vi) automobile insurance premiums; and (vii) any additional information as requested by the advisory board. The results of the survey and the data collected shall be reviewed and analyzed by the advisory board. 

Not later than December 31 every fourth year, the advisory board shall file a report of its findings and conclusions, and any recommendations of the individual members of the advisory board with the clerk of the senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on financial services, the senate and house committees on ways and means and the division of insurance. 

Section 232. 

The commissioner of insurance shall, every 4 years, issue the labor reimbursement rate survey to auto body shops and insurers, as established by the auto body labor reimbursement rate advisory board established in section 231. 

Not less than every 4 years, the commissioner of insurance shall review the findings of the survey for evidence of whether there is a reasonable degree of competition in the auto body repair market. 

If the commissioner, through review of the labor reimbursement rate surveys and consideration of competition concludes that a reasonable degree of competition does not exist, then the commissioner shall implement a full rate hearing, under the regulations of the division of insurance, to establish a minimum auto body labor reimbursement rate for the commonwealth or a region thereof.  In addition to competition, in setting the auto body labor reimbursement rate, the commissioner shall consider: (i) the best available market data relative to auto body repairs and the resulting insurance claims; and (ii) the impact on coverage premiums, including, but not limited to, phasing in the labor rate over a period of not more than 3 years.

Section 134 of Chapter 137 of the Acts of 2026.

The auto body labor reimbursement rate survey required under section 232 of chapter 175 of the General Laws shall be conducted not later than January 1, 2027.

For approval by the Board, adopting the following two surveys to Auto Repair facilities registered with the Division of Standards in the Commonwealth and Auto Insurance Companies writing auto insurance in the Commonwealth:

Repair Facility Information 

Please provide the following information about your repair facility. 

1. Name of Repair Facility
2. Registered Shop Number from the Division of Standards 
3. Facility's zip code
4. Facility's county in Massachusetts
5. Name of the individual filling out this survey
6. Email address to reach the individual above
7. Phone number of your facility

Labor Rates 

Provide the labor rate your facility charges consumers on non-insurance repairs, for the following categories of repairs. While we understand that you may have charges for other services, we are only collecting data for the following categories. Please use numerals or leave blank if non-applicable. 

1. Body Labor Rate
2.  Refinishing Labor Rate
3. Aluminum Labor Rate
4. Mechanical Labor Rate
5. Structural Labor Rate
6. Frame Labor Rate

Additional Questions

Please use numerals or leave blank if non-applicable. 

1. If your facility has fleet or governmental contracts, please provide the average labor rate charged for the past 12 months.
2. If your facility completes both insurance and non-insurance involved repairs, please provide a good faith estimate of the average monthly percentage of repairs completed without insurance company involvement.
3.  If your facility has a contract with an auto insurance carrier’s Preferred Shops Program please provide the rates charged to participating customers for the 6 Labor Rates: 
   1. Body Labor Rate; 
   2. Refinishing Labor Rate; 
   3. Aluminum Labor Rate; 
   4. Mechanical Labor Rate; 
   5. Structural Labor Rate and; 
   6. Frame Labor Rate.

Auto Insurance Companies writing auto insurance in the Commonwealth

Insurance Company Information 

1. Name of Insurance Company: 
2.  DOI License Number: 
3. Name of the individual filling out this survey: 
4. Email address to reach the individual above: 
5.  Phone number of the individual above: 

Labor Rate Information 

Please provide the current prevailing labor rate your company pays for collision repairs for the following category of repairs. Please use numerals or leave blank if non-applicable. 

1. Body Labor Rate: 
2. Refinishing Labor Rate: 
3. Mechanical Labor Rate: 
4. Structural Labor Rate: 
5. Frame Labor Rate: 

Additional Questions 

1. Please provide the number of body shops your company has under a referral contract: 
2. Are any concessions required from body shops to become part of your referral program/network? (Y/N) 

3. Does your company voluntarily conduct any randomized surveys of body shops in order to establish your company’s prevailing labor rates listed above? (Y/N)

6. Next meeting date.

7. Other business – reserved for matters the Chair did not reasonably anticipate at the time of the posting of the meeting and agenda.

8. Motion to Adjourn.