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The differences between claim specialists and adjusters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a claim specialist, becoming an adjuster takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an adjuster has an average salary of $49,396, which is higher than the $43,164 average annual salary of a claim specialist.
The top three skills for a claim specialist include customer service, litigation and patients. The most important skills for an adjuster are customer service, strong customer service, and litigation.
| Claim Specialist | Adjuster | |
| Yearly salary | $43,164 | $49,396 |
| Hourly rate | $20.75 | $23.75 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 29,505 | 7,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A claims specialist is responsible for processing insurance claims, reviewing insurance coverage, and analyzing claims cases. Claims specialists' duties include negotiating claims settlements, validating claims to prevent fraud, creating court testimonies as needed, developing claim review plans, and checking necessary documents and related resolve claims. A claims specialist must have strong analytical and critical-thinking skills to authorize claim payment and investigate complex and unusual claims. Claims specialists should also have extensive knowledge of the insurance processes to handle various cases, following legal policies and regulatory procedures.
An adjuster is responsible for evaluating the extent of loss in the company by calculating the damage costs, determining the settlement payment to the client, and managing the reputation of the company for claims accountability. Adjusters must have extensive knowledge of the insurance principles and processes, following the state and federal regulations to protect clients and the business from insurance fraud. They collect documents from different organizations, perform field research, and interview witnesses to verify the accuracy of claims statement.
Claim specialists and adjusters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Claim Specialist | Adjuster | |
| Average salary | $43,164 | $49,396 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $67,000 | Between $35,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | W. R. Berkley | FCCI |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a claim specialist and an adjuster in terms of educational background:
| Claim Specialist | Adjuster | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between claim specialists' and adjusters' demographics:
| Claim Specialist | Adjuster | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.0% Female, 69.0% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |