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The differences between claims adjusters and claim specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a claims adjuster, becoming a claim specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a claims adjuster has an average salary of $51,116, which is higher than the $43,164 average annual salary of a claim specialist.
The top three skills for a claims adjuster include insurance carriers, auto claims and customer service. The most important skills for a claim specialist are customer service, litigation, and patients.
| Claims Adjuster | Claim Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,116 | $43,164 |
| Hourly rate | $24.57 | $20.75 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 13,221 | 29,505 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A claim's adjuster is responsible for the handling of the insurance claims and investigating the extent of property damage and processing the business or a person's liability. Claims adjusters have a broad range of duties such as damage inspection to evaluate incident reports, communicating with property owners and spectators as well as referring to legal documents. They must also have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills to calculate payments and analyze the complexities of multiple sources. Claims adjusters should also provide timely reports for reference and possible disputes.
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.
Claims adjusters and claim specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Claims Adjuster | Claim Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,116 | $43,164 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $64,000 | Between $27,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Merchants Insurance Group | W. R. Berkley |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a claims adjuster and a claim specialist in terms of educational background:
| Claims Adjuster | Claim Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between claims adjusters' and claim specialists' demographics:
| Claims Adjuster | Claim Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9% | Male, 31.0% Female, 69.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |