How to Become an Insurance Claims Adjuster

An insurance claims adjuster is responsible for processing claims from clients who have sustained damage to their property or themselves in an accident. The adjuster has to investigate the claims by evaluating the damage, determining whether the damage falls within the client's policy guidelines and if it does, he/she initiates payment to the client. Quite often an adjuster has to consult with other professionals to determine the amount of damages incurred and evaluate whether there were any extenuating circumstances that may have prevented this damage. In the case of car accidents, a certified mechanic may be called in to place a monetary value on the cost of having the vehicle repaired and in damages incurred in a home, a building contractor may be the one to evaluate the cost of the repairs.

In your job as an insurance claims adjuster, you must be willing to travel to the client’s location. The tools you will use for your work include a laptop into which you can enter all the details of the interview with the client and any witnesses, as well as generate forms that you may need the client to complete. Every accident report requires pictures of the damage, so you will need to use a digital camera and then download the pictures to accompany the client’s file. Then you can send all the information to the company’s head office through email. If there is a suspicion of fraud, you pass the report on to an investigator who will do the proper investigation and report back to you about payment for the damages.

The work environment of an insurance claims adjuster changes daily depending on the nature of the claim. You may view a grizzly car accident that resulted in loss of life, walk through the charred remains of a building, or climb on the roof of a building to inspect the damage. The environment can be indoors or out depending on the case at hand. You do have to be aware of possible hazards and wear the appropriate protective clothing.



Some insurance claims adjusters visit the office each day to pick up their assignments, while others simply call in and then set about the day’s work. You may have several claims to process at the same time, so you must be able to prioritize, taking those that need immediate help first. In all cases, you do need to schedule an appointment with the client to evaluate the damages. Once you do the evaluations, you may spend time in the office preparing the reports, searching the client’s policy and doing some investigation on the costs associated with similar damages in other locations.

Although there is no specific requirements for the job of insurance claims adjuster, it would be helpful to you to take courses related to insurance from a technical college or university. You do need to be knowledgeable about the rules of the state and be licensed in the state in which you work. Since the requirements for licensing vary from state to state, you will need to check out what you need to obtain the proper credentials. For example in some states all that is required is registration while others require you to pass a state exam to become certified. Continuing education is important in this profession for you to keep up with changes in regulations regarding all types of insurance.