What Does a Casualty Adjuster Do?

It is the job of a casualty adjuster to evaluate and settle casualty insurance policy claims for an insurance company. The person in this position is usually expected to determine the right amount of money to offer the customer filing the claim, because doing so can allow the company to avoid being sued by customers who feel they are owed more. One of the main tasks of this job to work with customers, lawyers and others to get the facts of a case. Research skills can be beneficial, and casualty adjusters typically need to know how to utilize various research methods to obtain necessary information, such as medical records stemming from an auto accident. They are then expected to review all available information and propose a sum to offer the customer so the claim can be settled out of court.

Investigating the facts is a crucial part of this business, and to get started, it is usually necessary to call or meet with the person reporting the claim. The casualty adjuster is typically expected to listen to the customer's side of the story, and then ask the right questions to get the most accurate answers. Casualty adjusters should remember that most customers will likely be upset since they have experienced a loss of some sort, so superior customer service skills are important. Not only do adjusters talk to customers often, but they also tend to meet with attorneys in order to negotiate, which is another reason that customer service skills are expected to be above average for this job.

An investigation continues, even after the casualty adjuster has talked to the customer to gather facts, so paperwork and research are both major parts of the workday. In many cases, adjusters need to request the medical records of customers to confirm injuries, and they also need to check the coverage available for each claim. Files must be organized and updated, which may be a challenge when the casualty insurance adjuster has several cases going on at once. Additionally, most adjusters need to write letters and send emails periodically, because the other people involved in negotiations need to be kept updated.

After the facts have been culled from various sources — including the customer, medical records and witnesses — the casualty adjuster is expected to evaluate and eventually settle the claim. This typically involves determining who will get money and how much money that will be. Negotiations may require the casualty adjuster to meet with the customer's lawyer to determine an amount that will keep the company out of court, or they may involve meeting with the customer himself if he does not have a lawyer. Thus, adjusters usually need to use the facts of the case to come to a conclusion that is agreeable to everyone involved, because offering too little money can anger the customer enough that he files suit, while offering too much can harm the insurance company's bottom line.