Claims adjusters investigate insurance claims by interviewing
the claimant and witnesses, consulting police and hospital records,
and inspecting property damage to determine the extent of the
company's liability. Claims adjusters have the knowledge to
complete the preparation of a property damage claim which, to an
unrepresented homeowner, may be unfamiliar territory. The documents
contain technical terms such as depreciation, replacement costs, and
actual cash value, that may be unknown to the policyholder and a
trained claims adjuster can ensure a correct completion.
Most colleges have
not yet recognized the need for a major
specifically for those who wish to become Claims
Adjusters, however there are some professional
designations that have become prevalent among
higher achievers in the field. For example, The
American Institute for Chartered Property
Casualty Underwriters awards the Chartered
Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)
designation to experienced underwriters. Some
Adjusters find that gaining these types of
designations have been very advantageous to
their careers. Many insurance companies prefer
their claims adjusters to have a 4-year college
degree preferably in business related fields,
however having a degree in liberal arts is
acceptable as well. There are times in which a
person with a high school education will become
a claims adjuster usually by promotion from
within the claims department while serving as a
customer service representative. Since there are
no college majors for claims adjusters, many
states require a state certification in order to
practice as an adjuster. States also require
that a certain number of continuing education
credits for claims adjusters are earned each
year in order to maintain their license. This
continuing education is achieved by attending
seminars and online training from different
claim adjuster educational resources. One brief
example of an educational seminar is where a
group of claims adjusters will meet and discuss
how to distinguish a false claim from a true
claim.
Florida is one of the few states in the United
States that has created specific designations
for the licensing of insurance claims adjusters.
The Accredited Claims Adjuster Designation,
created by statute in coordination with Polk
State College in 2002, allows an individual to
obtain the Florida All Lines Independent or
Company license, without taking the state
licensing exam.
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Claims adjusters
work long hours
including work
nights and weekends.
Their work is
appointment based
and must revolve
around the needs of
clients.[6]
Staff adjusters are
those who work for a
specific insurance
company and usually
have a company
provided office from
which to work.
Independent and
public claims
adjusters often work
from home. They
receive their work
assignments daily by
fax machine, email,
or by checking in to
a designated
website. Staff
adjusters receive
their assignments
when they arrive at
the office first
thing in the
morning. In the case
of a severe natural
disaster such as
floods or tornadoes,
or other
catastrophe,
independent and
public adjusters
travel to the area
to supplement local
adjusters. Often
this requires the
incoming adjuster's
presence in the
field for days to
weeks at a time.
Catastrophe
adjusters may spend
days to weeks in a
hotel or
RV near the
field of operations.
Husband and wife
teams often enjoy
this type of work as
it allows them to
work and travel
together to
different parts of
the country.
Adjusters should
become familiar with
the reimbursement
rules for each
company with whom
they work and track
all expenses used in
the line of work.
Keep your receipts
for everything as
virtually all
expenses, while
deployed in the
field, are tax
deductible (confer
with a qualified tax
specialist for
specific advice on
what is and isn't
deductible as an
expense).
Computer skills are
essential, including
keyboard skills.
Most insurance
companies store all
documentation
digitally. A digital
camera is highly
useful in
documenting claims
visually. Estimates,
including auto and
property losses, are
prepared on
computers connected
to a corporate
network.
