How to hire a disability examiner

How to hire a disability examiner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step disability examiner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a disability examiner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new disability examiner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a disability examiner do?

Post a disability examiner job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The disability examiner hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect disability examiner also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents disability examiner salaries for various positions.

   Type of Disability Examiner	Description	Hourly rate
   Disability Examiner	Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators evaluate insurance claims. They decide whether an insurance company must pay a claim, and if so, how much... Show more	$13-27
   Claims Supervisor	A claims supervisor is in charge of overseeing the workflow and the workforce involved in processing insurance claims, ensuring accuracy and smooth progress. Their responsibilities typically revolve around liaising with key clients and third party agencies, assisting staff in negotiating terms, verifying the authenticity and completeness of all applications, monitoring the finances, and resolving complex issues... Show more	$23-56
   Claims Representative	A Claims Representative is an agent who works for insurance companies in order to investigate and settle claims. The agent acts as an intermediary between customers and insurance companies by evaluating the customers' facts surrounding claims and determining whether the loss is covered or should be compensated... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Security Disability
   • Supplemental Security Income
   • Social Security Administration
   • Disability Determinations
   • Medical Terminology
   • Disability Benefits
   • Medical Evidence
   • Medical Professionals
   • Functional Capacity
   • DDS
   • Independent Decisions
   • Policy Provisions
   • Liability Management
   • Medical Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a number of cases dealing with veterans' requests for claims and education benefits.
   • Provide comprehensive written and verbal reports to broker-dealer executives and FINRA management.
   • Interact extensively with senior management of securities firms to discuss their procedures and any weaknesses and/or findings regarding their processes.
   • Collaborate with FINRA enforcement on taking official on-the-record testimonies of register principals and register representatives.
   • Blood collection by venipuncture and capillary technique ensure all specimens are collect accurately, on time and according to establish procedures.
   • Work with the client and claimants to discuss the evaluation process and future action of short term disability and FMLA claims.

   More disability examiner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the disability examiner job description is a good way to get more applicants. A disability examiner salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a disability examiner in Arkansas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level disability examiner. Additionally, a disability examiner with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average disability examiner salary

   $40,180yearly

   $19.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level disability examiner salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average disability examiner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$45,901	$22
   2	Massachusetts	$45,016	$22
   3	Oregon	$42,508	$20
   4	Minnesota	$42,285	$20
   5	Illinois	$42,246	$20
   6	Colorado	$41,967	$20
   7	Michigan	$40,848	$20
   8	Wisconsin	$40,559	$20
   9	South Carolina	$39,105	$19
   10	Iowa	$38,337	$18
   11	North Carolina	$38,334	$18
   12	Nebraska	$37,711	$18
   13	Texas	$34,758	$17
   14	Florida	$33,070	$16
   15	Louisiana	$32,270	$16

   Average disability examiner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Minnesota State Fair	$49,810	$23.95	10
   2	State Bar of Michigan	$43,836	$21.07	6
   3	Iowa Department of Transportation	$43,230	$20.78
   4	UnitedHealth Group	$42,506	$20.44
   5	Colorado State Express	$39,333	$18.91
   6	STANDARD HOLDING INC.	$39,333	$18.91
   7	My Florida Regional Mls	$38,777	$18.64
   8	Colorado Department of Transportation	$36,198	$17.40
   9	S.C. Department of Commerce	$35,966	$17.29
   10	State Of Florida	$34,488	$16.58	2
   11	Florida Department of Transportation	$32,833	$15.79
   12	Florida Dept. of Health	$31,888	$15.33

4. Writing a disability examiner job description

   A good disability examiner job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a disability examiner job description:

   Disability examiner job description example

   At The Standard, you'll join a team focused on putting our customers first.
   
   Our continued success is driven by a high-performance culture. We're looking for people who are collaborative, accountable, creative, agile and are driven by a passion for doing what's right - across the company and in our local communities.
   
   We offer a caring culture where you can make a real difference, every day.
   
   Ready to reach your highest potential? Let's work together.
   
   Job Summary:
   
   Secure and analyze claim documentation; make benefit decisions and payments on long term disability claims in accordance with policy provisions and department guidelines. Provide responsive customer service to survivors, policyholders and internal stakeholders.
   
   Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
   
   * Investigate, secure and analyze information pertaining to insured's eligibility for survivor benefits within the long-term disability contract; identify file/fact/contract discrepancies and outstanding issues and secure additional documentation as needed while investigating within prescribed timeframes.
   
   * Within authority level, independently make and communicate claim decisions and issue correct survivor benefits.
   
   * Proactively communicate and respond to claim inquiries from insureds, beneficiaries, policyholders and internal stakeholders; resolve issues through effective oral and written communication by involving appropriate people within, or outside the department or company; effectively and professionally represent the company in all interactions.
   
   * Participate in special projects as assigned.
   
   Individuals must be organized with the ability to identify and shift priorities to support the team and department in a dynamic environment. Team members should support Life Waiver processes where applicable.
   
   Job Specifications:
   
   Education: Associate's degree in business, science or related field.
   
   Experience: One year of work experience with emphasis on analysis, critical thinking, decision making, meeting deadlines, and customer service or relevant experience. Professional certification required: None.
   
   Physical Demands:
   
   None
   
   #LI-REMOTE
   
   Note: The Standard is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the pay rate for this role when hiring a Colorado resident. The salary for employees working in Colorado in this role is listed below. The Standard's package also includes incentive plan participation and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, retirement, and paid time off.
   
   * Please note, eligibility to participate in an incentive program is subject to the rules governing the program and plan. Any award depends on various factors, including individual and organizational performance.
   
   Hourly Pay Range:
   
   18.13 - 28.37
   
   Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Equities, Inc. and StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., marketed as The Standard, are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status or any other condition protected by federal, state or local law. The Standard offers a drug and alcohol free work environment where possession, manufacture, transfer, offer, use of or being impaired by an illegal substance while on Standard property, or in other cases which the company believes might affect operations, safety or reputation of the company is prohibited. The Standard requires a criminal background investigation, drug test, employment, education and licensing verification as a condition of employment. All employees of The Standard must be bondable.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right disability examiner for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with disability examiners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit disability examiners who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your disability examiner job on Zippia to find and recruit disability examiner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting disability examiners requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new disability examiner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the disability examiner position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new disability examiner. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a disability examiner?