Claims Adjusters have one of the most interesting and demanding jobs in the insurance industry. Here you get to tell us about the job and how you make it part of your life.
:: Larry P., Winchester, VA
Independent Claims Adjuster / Appraiser
What type of adjuster are you?
Multiline Claims. There hasn’t been a claim I haven’t handled.
How long have you been in the business?
I have been an insurance adjuster since 1968.
Did you originally plan on getting into insurance?
I studied courses in claims while in the Army and [took] college courses that I felt would prepare me for the industry.
How did you become an insurance adjuster?
I had just been released from the Army and was working as a mail carrier. I began delivering mail to an independent adjusting company who hired me shortly thereafter.
What is your favorite or funniest claims story?
I had a claim where a very large lady was on a commode. The floor gave way and she landed unhurt in the apartment below. I have had a gun pulled on me four times but have never been shot. However...that’s a story for another time.
How do you deal with the stress of the job?
There really is no stress once you know what you are doing.
What do you do to stay on top of your e-mail?
My regular mail has dropped off 60%. Virtually all my assignments come by e-mail. My advice? Check it constantly.
If you could change one thing...what would it be?
I would have made an effort to finish college. When I started in 1968, very few adjusters in the field had much college. Later on many people went on to be lawyers and judges.
Do you have an example of a huge process change in your job and how you handled it?
We got caught with our pants down when claims went to e-mail. It happened virtually overnight and we had to scramble to get ready. I lost some good accounts, but others have replaced them now.
What do you need to be more effective (technology, training, lighter workload, etc.)?
There can never be enough training in any profession. Those insurance companies that do not support their local claims associations are missing out on a lot of good educational opportunities.
Where do you see future adjusters coming from?
I see more men and women coming out of the armed services. They are educated, have discipline and are easy to train for this type of career.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Those staff adjusters who have never been out on the street and applied their natural instincts to handle claims are missing so much education [in] dealing with people looking them in the eyes [rather] than talking on the phone. I once spoke to an adjuster who created the recorded statements on the phone and he said he wished somebody would have slapped him. He later became an insurance commissioner someplace out West.
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Claims Advisor.
