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The differences between claims associates 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 associate, becoming a claim specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a claim specialist has an average salary of $43,164, which is higher than the $36,558 average annual salary of a claims associate.
The top three skills for a claims associate include customer service, medical claims and phone calls. The most important skills for a claim specialist are customer service, litigation, and patients.
| Claims Associate | Claim Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,558 | $43,164 |
| Hourly rate | $17.58 | $20.75 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 9,145 | 29,505 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Claims associates control claims for insurance companies. Their job duties include determining a customer's insurance coverage and evaluating those who have filed a claim. Also, they must make sure that a claim is analyzed correctly for the clients to receive their entitled financial settlement. The work may require the agent to travel to generate information about the claim and may vary from a different position in the insurance industry. Qualifications for the job include an associate degree, excellent interpersonal and research skills as well as relevant experience in customer service.
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 associates and claim specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Claims Associate | Claim Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,558 | $43,164 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $44,000 | Between $27,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Accenture | W. R. Berkley |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a claims associate and a claim specialist in terms of educational background:
| Claims Associate | Claim Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between claims associates' and claim specialists' demographics:
| Claims Associate | Claim Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% | Male, 31.0% Female, 69.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 3.9% White, 63.2% 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 | 11% | 10% |