Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator Careers
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators look at insurance claims and decide how much an insurance company should pay depending on various circumstances. If you choose this line of work, you will have to investigate claims made to insurance companies and help determine payouts. You will have to figure out whether claims are fraudulent and work with lawyers when such situations arise. You may work directly with individuals to negotiate settlements and authorize payments.
In your job, you might inspect a home, a business, or an automobile. You may have to talk with the person making the claim as well as other professionals like accountants, lawyers and engineers. You may spend your days gather information from interviews and photographs and compiling the information into written reports. It is possible to be self-employed.
Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator Career Snapshot
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators typically work for insurance carriers as well as related agencies. Some work for the government as well. If you choose this career, you will spend time in an office doing related paperwork as well as traveling to sites to evaluate damaged property. This component of the work can be dangerous as some buildings damaged may have potential hazards like collapsed roofs.
Further details on a career as a claims adjuster, examiner, and investigator are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the median pay for claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a Bachelor’s degree while 25% have a Post-secondary certificate.
Education
Typically, claims adjusters, examiners and investigators have a high school education or a bachelor’s degree.
Job Duties
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators will do different things depending on their employer. It’s important to have a good understanding of what the company insures and then learn about that particular area. If you work for a company that insures buildings, you’ll have to understand about housing and construction costs. If you work in health care insurance, you’ll have to understand which medical procedures are required for which conditions.
Salaries
According to the BLS.gov, average salaries for 2015 were around $63,060 with the lowest 10 percent earning $37,880 per year and the highest tier making upwards of $94,190.
Job Outlook
The job outlook for claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators will probably grow about 3 percent between 2014 to 2024. The job growth will come primarily from the increase of health insurance claims and the rise of medical costs. Automation and technology may contribute to the slower job growth in this area.
Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator Skills & Traits
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Active Listening • Critical Thinking • Reading Comprehension • Speaking • Negotiation | • Oral Comprehension • Oral Expression • Written Comprehension • Deductive Reasoning • Inductive Reasoning | • Automotive computer systems • Measuring wheels for distance • Personal digital assistant PDAs • Portable data input terminals • Theodolites | • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events • Working with Others • Getting Information • Documenting Information • Processing Information |
Related Careers
Appraisers of Real Estate
Bachelor’s Degree
Cost Estimators
Bachelor’s Degree
Fire Inspectors
Postsecondary Certificate
