Claim investigator vs insurance examiner

The differences between claim investigators and insurance examiners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a claim investigator and an insurance examiner. Additionally, an insurance examiner has an average salary of $50,967, which is higher than the $49,415 average annual salary of a claim investigator.

The top three skills for a claim investigator include scene investigations, insurance claims and property damage. The most important skills for an insurance examiner are EKG, financial statements, and blood pressure.

Claim investigator vs insurance examiner overview

	Claim Investigator	Insurance Examiner
Yearly salary	$49,415	$50,967
Hourly rate	$23.76	$24.50
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	8,738	39,601
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a claim investigator do?

Claim Investigators are professionals who are responsible for examining facts of insurance claims to determine their extent and validity to prevent any cases of fraud. These investigators must use a combination of tools such as cutting-edge software to help insurance companies to settle claims quickly by evaluating them. They are required to manage multiple cases by investigating defective products or events such as an oil spill. Claim Investigators must also prepare reports while keeping track of evidence trails.

What does an insurance examiner do?

A claims examiner is responsible for conducting a claim review of a client against a particular insurance company--usually a health and life insurance company. An examiner must review claims and then approve them, reject them, or develop a possible settlement. They need to communicate with policyholders and insurance agents to assess if all the information under the company's claims guidelines and policies are correct and accurate.

Claim investigator vs insurance examiner salary

Claim investigators and insurance examiners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Claim Investigator	Insurance Examiner
Average salary	$49,415	$50,967
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $65,000	Between $34,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Farmington, CT
Highest paying state	Alaska	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Health Alliance	RSM US
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between claim investigator and insurance examiner education

There are a few differences between a claim investigator and an insurance examiner in terms of educational background:

	Claim Investigator	Insurance Examiner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Claim investigator vs insurance examiner demographics

Here are the differences between claim investigators' and insurance examiners' demographics:

	Claim Investigator	Insurance Examiner
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5%	Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 6.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between claim investigator and insurance examiner duties and responsibilities

Claim investigator example responsibilities.

Manage and dispose of claims in litigation by preparing and developing strategy with defense counsel and consensus relative to litigation handling.
Coordinate with SIU investigators in their investigations of the same claimant or insure.
Collaborate with SIU, fire, and police personnel in an effort to resolve investigations.
Conduct extensive field investigations and interact with staff attorneys on litigation matters.
Prepare and/or review property and content estimates for settlement using Xactimate and XactContents software programs.
Conduct complete assessment of interior and exterior damage to create a detail repair estimate within Xactimate software.

Insurance examiner example responsibilities.

Manage operating procedure and accounting systems for payroll, operating expenses, supplies and inventory management and commercial accounts.
Court / arbitration / litigation appearances.
Review the subpoenas records in court house.
Used audit software utilize at insure's site, with PAAS and GAAP.
Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
Perform insurance exams in client's homes which including history and physicals and phlebotomy.

Claim investigator vs insurance examiner skills

Common claim investigator skills

Scene Investigations, 11%
Insurance Claims, 7%
Property Damage, 5%
Fraud Claims, 5%
Background Checks, 5%
Litigation, 4%

Common insurance examiner skills

EKG, 14%
Financial Statements, 7%
Blood Pressure, 6%
Health History, 6%
Vital Signs, 6%
Naic, 6%

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Claim Investigator
Claim Investigator vs Insurance Examiner

Updated January 8, 2025

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