What is a Disability Examiner?

A disability examiner is a person that specializes in evaluating disability compensation applications. These experts work in the Disability Determination Services or DDA, the office in their state, to decide whether a person has disabilities under the classification of disability by the Social Security Administration or SSA. A very detailed review of each claim is carried out by these professionals. They will determine whether you meet SSA's qualifications.

Disability examiners usually work with medical and vocational experts. Together, they will assess the seriousness of the disability. When the examiner concludes that you meet the conditions to be treated as impaired, SSA will decide the amount you will receive as benefits. Furthermore, it is very likely that disability examiners will request more information during the evaluation.

Typically, disability examiners have two to four years of experience in the field. Most professionals in this profession have a bachelor's degree or equivalent. However, it is possible to become a disability examiner with only a high school degree or GED. The annual average salary for this role is around $40,955 as of January 2021 or $21.33 an hour.

What Does a Disability Examiner Do

There are certain skills that many disability examiners have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, detail oriented and math skills.

Learn more about what a Disability Examiner does

How To Become a Disability Examiner

If you're interested in becoming a disability examiner, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 68.6% of disability examiners have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 18.1% of disability examiners have master's degrees. Even though most disability examiners have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Top Disability Examiner Jobs Near You

Disability Examiner Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a disability examiner can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as vocational rehabilitation counselor, progress to a title such as case manager and then eventually end up with the title nursing director.

Top Careers Before Disability Examiner

Customer Service Representative (209,515 Jobs)

13.1 %

Case Manager (84,959 Jobs)

9.5 %

Administrative Assistant (65,769 Jobs)

8.6 %

Top Careers After Disability Examiner

Case Manager (84,959 Jobs)

12.4 %

Customer Service Representative (209,515 Jobs)

9.3 %

Teacher (71,918 Jobs)

7.4 %

Recent Job Searches

Average Salary for a Disability Examiner

Disability Examiners in America make an average salary of $40,180 per year or $19 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $57,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $28,000 per year.

Average Disability Examiner Salary

$40,180 Yearly

$19.32 hourly

$28,00010%

$40,000Median

$57,00090%

See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Disability Examiner

There are several types of disability examiner, including:

Claims Adjuster

Role:

Claims adjusters spend a lot of their time evaluating insurance claims. Sometimes they decide the claims are valid; other times not so much. This position is full-time and isn't always located in the office. Many times you'll have to leave to inspect properties, such as damaged buildings and vehicles. This will help you assess the claim properly.

Typically, employers only require a high school diploma, but some positions can require a higher education. Or at least some insurance-related work experience. If you're looking for a job where you don't have to sit at a desk all day, this might just be the perfect fit for you.

Average Salary: $51,116
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Claims Representative

Role:

Working for insurance companies, a Claims Representative investigates and settles claims. You will be a middleman between the insurance company and the customer. You will evaluate the facts presented by the customer about the claim and determine whether the loss should be compensated or not.

As a Claims Representative, you are expected to have great analytical skills since you will be dealing with a lot of information and documents; you need to be able to filter this information and interpret data clearly. Next is that you need to be detail-oriented; you need to be mindful of details at all times. Lastly, interpersonal skills are essential; you will be working with different types of people, so you need to be able to efficiently communicate your thoughts to them.

You can earn around $37,250 per year on average as a Claims Representative. You can also further your career and take on other roles. You can be a Claim Specialist, a Claims Adjuster, and a Senior Claims Adjuster.

Average Salary: $38,796
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Claims Analyst

Role:

A claims analyst reviews insurance claims to ensure eligibility and accuracy as the reimbursement is dependent on the results of their reviews. Claims analysts would usually be found working in insurance companies, medical billing departments, private organizations, and government agencies. They are also responsible for managing workers' compensation claims. You are required to keep updated records, perform investigative research, prepare documentation and perform risk analysis when needed. You might specialize in processing medical insurance claims, and you would be required to analyze the billings, process payment, and ensure adherence to all the policies and regulations by stakeholders during the entire procedure.

A claims analyst must be capable of exceptional customer service as they would have to face clients directly. Excellent communication skills, integrity, data analysis, and processing skills are also needed to function as a good claim analyst. A minimum qualification of a bachelor's degree in business, health administration, or other related fields is required. A claims analyst can make up to $53,000 a year.

Average Salary: $48,398
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Disability Examiner Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active disability examiner jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where disability examiners earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Disability Examiner Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	200	$42,708
2	Texas	169	$35,453
3	Florida	140	$31,765
4	Georgia	111	$35,416
5	New York	96	$44,242
6	Arizona	85	$34,152
7	Virginia	84	$44,697
8	Illinois	76	$42,063
9	Pennsylvania	71	$42,638
10	Maryland	62	$44,590
11	New Jersey	59	$45,497
12	Massachusetts	58	$44,888
13	North Carolina	55	$37,775
14	Colorado	50	$41,946
15	Ohio	50	$41,135
16	Missouri	49	$37,788
17	Michigan	37	$40,994
18	Minnesota	32	$42,287
19	Wisconsin	30	$40,477
20	Indiana	27	$33,495
21	Nebraska	26	$37,904
22	South Carolina	26	$38,261
23	Washington	25	$43,440
24	Oregon	24	$42,477
25	Nevada	21	$38,095
26	Iowa	20	$38,517
27	Alabama	20	$31,010
28	Louisiana	19	$31,599
29	Kentucky	18	$45,586
30	Connecticut	16	$45,696
31	Maine	16	$40,185
32	Oklahoma	16	$34,021
33	Wyoming	15	$34,648
34	Tennessee	14	$32,595
35	Utah	13	$34,635
36	Montana	12	$40,140
37	Kansas	12	$35,088
38	New Mexico	10	$34,446
39	Arkansas	10	$33,157
40	North Dakota	8	$38,672
41	Mississippi	8	$29,287
42	Idaho	7	$39,180
43	West Virginia	6	$37,712
44	Delaware	5	$38,265
45	Hawaii	4	$40,725
46	South Dakota	3	$42,352
47	Vermont	3	$41,874
48	Rhode Island	2	$46,317
49	New Hampshire	2	$43,002
50	Alaska	0	$51,521

Disability Examiner Education

Disability Examiner Majors

Psychology

19.7 %

Business

15.5 %

Criminal Justice

9.2 %

Disability Examiner Degrees

Admissions

Most Popular Majors

Psychology

Social Work

Political Science

Communication

English

Top Skills For a Disability Examiner

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.6% of disability examiners listed social security disability on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and detail oriented are important as well.

Social Security Disability, 23.6%

Supplemental Security Income, 9.2%

Social Security Administration, 8.0%

Disability Determinations, 5.7%

Medical Terminology, 5.5%

Other Skills, 48.0%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Disability Examiner Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Disability Examiner templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Disability Examiner resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Disability Examiner Demographics

Disability Examiner Gender Distribution

Female

70%

Male

30%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among disability examiners, 70.0% of them are women, while 30.0% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among disability examiners is White, which makes up 59.8% of all disability examiners.

The most common foreign language among disability examiners is Spanish at 70.8%.

Online Courses For Disability Examiner That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure

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Course 4 discusses four populations: families, poor families, people with disabilities, and people as they age. This course addresses issues of power, oppression, and white supremacy. -The first module identifies the needs of children and the role of the state in child development. We will explore changes in the family and the resulting debates about how to best support families and child development. We’ll appraise family leave and child care programs for their role in supporting paid work and...

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2. Disability Awareness and Support

The goal of this course is to promote equal opportunity and the full participation of students with disabilities in higher education by helping participants advance their awareness of the meaning of accessibility in education. Participants will gain competence and confidence in working with students by focusing on legislation, universal design, and assistive technologies. Thank you to Abbas (Bobby) Husain Quamar, Graduate Student Researcher in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and...

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Worldwide millions of children are not able to fully participate in schooling, and this is especially a problem for children with disabilities. In this course, we explore the support that teachers need in order to meet the needs of children with severe to profound hearing, visual and intellectual disabilities. We consider how this can be done by talking with a range of experts (from teachers to activists) about inclusive education as well as sharing experiences of education. Inclusive education...

See More on Coursera

Show More Disability Examiner Courses

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Best States For a Disability Examiner

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a disability examiner. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Kentucky. Disability examiners make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $51,521. Whereas in Rhode Island and Connecticut, they would average $46,317 and $45,696, respectively. While disability examiners would only make an average of $45,586 in Kentucky, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Virginia

Total Disability Examiner Jobs: 84

Highest 10% Earn:

$68,000

Location Quotient:

1.31

$44,697

Avg. Salary

View 84 Disability Examiner Jobs In VA

2. Massachusetts

Total Disability Examiner Jobs: 58

Highest 10% Earn:

$68,000

Location Quotient:

0.93

$44,888

Avg. Salary

View 58 Disability Examiner Jobs In MA

3. New Jersey

Total Disability Examiner Jobs: 59

Highest 10% Earn:

$70,000

Location Quotient:

1.09

$45,497

Avg. Salary

View 59 Disability Examiner Jobs In NJ

Full List Of Best States For Disability Examiners

How Do Disability Examiner Rate Their Jobs?

Top Disability Examiner Employers

Most Common Employers For Disability Examiner

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	The Hartford	$57,390	$27.59	14
2	MetLife	$53,407	$25.68	3
3	Social Security Administration	$52,887	$25.43	36
4	Minnesota State Fair	$49,810	$23.95	5
5	WEA Member Benefits	$48,169	$23.16	4
6	Standard Insurance Company	$46,871	$22.53	27
7	Matrix Absence Management, Inc.	$44,878	$21.58	7
8	State Bar of Michigan	$43,836	$21.07	4
9	Iowa Department of Transportation	$43,230	$20.78	5
10	Iowa State Government	$42,810	$20.58	4

Disability Examiner Videos

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What is a Disability Examiner?

What Does a Disability Examiner Do

How To Become a Disability Examiner

Disability Examiner Career Paths

Top Careers Before Disability Examiner

Top Careers After Disability Examiner

Recent Job Searches

Average Salary for a Disability Examiner

Roles and Types of Disability Examiner

Claims Adjuster

Claims Representative

Claims Analyst

States With The Most Disability Examiner Jobs

Number Of Disability Examiner Jobs By State

Disability Examiner Education

Disability Examiner Majors

Disability Examiner Degrees

Top Colleges for Disability Examiners

1. SUNY at Binghamton

2. University of Pennsylvania

3. SUNY Stony Brook

4. New York University

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6. Howard University

7. Northwestern University

8. SUNY at Albany

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

10. University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Top Skills For a Disability Examiner

Choose From 10+ Customizable Disability Examiner Resume templates

Disability Examiner Demographics

Disability Examiner Gender Distribution

Online Courses For Disability Examiner That You May Like

Best States For a Disability Examiner

How Do Disability Examiner Rate Their Jobs?

Top Disability Examiner Employers

Most Common Employers For Disability Examiner

Disability Examiner Videos

Disability Examiner Related Careers

Disability Examiner Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs