Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
- Education Required
- A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for a person to work as an entry-level claims adjuster or examiner. However, employers sometimes prefer to hire applicants who have a bachelors degree or some insurance-related work experience.
- Training Required
- At the beginning of their careers, claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators work on small claims under the supervision of an experienced worker. As they learn more about claims investigation and settlement, they are assigned larger, more complex claims.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: -1% (Little or no change)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
- Licensing requirements for claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators vary by state. Some states have few requirements; others require either completing prelicensing education or receiving a satisfactory score on a licensing exam (or both).
- Median pay: How much do Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators make?
- $63,670 Annual Salary
- $30.61 per hour
Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators evaluate insurance claims. They decide whether an insurance company must pay a claim and if so, how much.
What do Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators do?
Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators typically do the following:
- Investigate, evaluate, and settle insurance claims
- Determine whether the insurance policy covers the loss claimed
- Decide the appropriate amount the insurance company should pay
- Ensure that claims are not fraudulent
- Contact claimants doctors or employers to get additional information on questionable claims
- Confer with legal counsel on claims when needed
- Negotiate settlements
- Authorize payments
Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators have varying duties, depending on the type of insurance company they work for. They must know a lot about what their company insures. For example, workers in property and casualty insurance must know housing and construction costs in order to properly evaluate damage from floods or fires. Workers in health insurance must be able to determine which types of treatments are medically necessary and which are questionable.
Careers for Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators
- Adjusters
- Appraisers
- Auto damage appraisers
- Auto damage insurance appraisers
- Automobile damage appraisers
- Claims analysts
- Claims examiners
- Claims representatives
- Examiners
- Fire claims adjusters
- Health claims examiners
- Health insurance adjusters
- Independent adjusters
- Independent insurance adjusters
- Insurance adjusters
- Insurance investigators
- Investigators, insurance
- Medical claims analysts
- Medical claims examiners
- Property and casualty insurance claims examiners
- Property damage claims adjusters
- Public adjusters
- Reinsurance claims analysts
- Vehicle damage appraisers
- Workers compensation claims adjusters
- Workers compensation claims examiners