What does a disability examiner do?
A disability examiner is primarily in charge of conducting assessments and examinations to determine an applicant's eligibility for disability benefits and programs. Their duties usually include reviewing medical and health records, conducting interviews, and evaluating applications. There are also times when a disability examiner must directly coordinate with healthcare providers to obtain and assess records. Moreover, as a disability examiner, it is essential to assist clients by answering inquiries, providing instructions and advice, and helping them understand the extent of procedures.
Disability examiner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real disability examiner resumes:
- 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.
- Set up and request information on initial, recon, and CDR cases.
- Adjudicate initial, reconsideration and CDR's for adult and disable children claims.
- Develop a system of procedure and filing to enable consistent case management, adhering to HIPAA regulations.
- Function as examiner-in-charge for field exams of small companies; assist in large, highly complex audits.
- Assist examiner-in-charge in writing the report of examination.
Disability examiner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Disability Examiners are proficient in Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security Administration. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Disability Examiners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Security Disability, 24%
Determine disability eligibility for Social Security disability.
- Supplemental Security Income, 9%
Managed and adjudicated cases of applicants seeking disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income benefits, and assistance from other medical programs.
- Social Security Administration, 8%
Submitted written summaries to appropriate doctors regarding decisions of disability and reviewed applications and made recommendations to the Social Security Administration.
- Disability Determinations, 6%
Prepared disability determination rationales and determination notices.
- Medical Terminology, 5%
Utilize knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and diseases to compare to physical/mental demands of occupations.
- Disability Benefits, 5%
Processed and analyzed claims based on eligibility for disability benefits and qualification under current laws and guidelines.
Most disability examiners use their skills in "social security disability," "supplemental security income," and "social security administration" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential disability examiner responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a disability examiner to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what disability examiners do because "adjusters and examiners must each evaluate whether the insurance company is obligated to pay a claim and determine the amount to pay." Additionally, a disability examiner resume shows how disability examiners use analytical skills: "review and analyze disability claims for social security and supplemental security income benefits, state and federal medical assistance programs. "
Detail oriented. Many disability examiner duties rely on detail oriented. "adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators must carefully review documents and damaged property, because small details can have large financial consequences.," so a disability examiner will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways disability examiner responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "solicit medical evidence, activities of daily living information, obtain detailed descriptions of work history and obtain teacher questionnaire reports. "
Communication skills. For certain disability examiner responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a disability examiner rely on this skill, as "claims adjusters and investigators must get information from a range of people, including claimants, witnesses, and medical experts." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what disability examiners do: "utilized effective verbal communication skills and telephone techniques to develop and/or establish necessary factual medical and vocational evidence/documentation. "
Interpersonal skills. Another crucial skill for a disability examiner to carry out their responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." A big part of what disability examiners relies on this skill, since "adjusters, examiners, and investigators often meet with claimants and others who may be upset by the situation that requires a claim or by the settlement the company is offering." How this skill relates to disability examiner duties can be seen in an example from a disability examiner resume snippet: "cited for excellence in interpersonal communications, teamwork, customer service, flexibility and reliability. "
The three companies that hire the most disability examiners are:
- UnitedHealth Group3 disability examiners jobs
- Indiana State Police1 disability examiners jobs
- My Florida Regional Mls1 disability examiners jobs
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Compare different disability examiners
Disability examiner vs. Subrogation specialist
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. Furthermore, as a claims supervisor, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while making sure that they adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, disability examiner responsibilities require skills like "social security disability," "supplemental security income," "social security administration," and "disability determinations." Meanwhile a typical subrogation specialist has skills in areas such as "insurance carriers," "arbitration," "subrogation claims," and "litigation." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Subrogation specialists tend to reach lower levels of education than disability examiners. In fact, subrogation specialists are 13.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Disability examiner vs. Claims supervisor
A senior claims adjuster is in charge of inspecting and analyzing insurance claims to validate and adjust payments. Among their responsibilities include reviewing and verifying claims documents, visiting sites to investigate property damages and personal injuries, gathering evidence such as photos and videos, and conducting interviews with witnesses and clients. Moreover, as a senior claims adjuster, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to fellow claims adjusters while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that disability examiner responsibilities requires skills like "social security disability," "supplemental security income," "social security administration," and "disability determinations." But a claims supervisor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "corrective action," "claims adjusters," and "litigation."
Claims supervisors earn a higher average salary than disability examiners. But claims supervisors earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $102,674. Additionally, disability examiners earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $47,657 annually.claims supervisors earn lower levels of education than disability examiners in general. They're 11.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Disability examiner vs. Senior claims adjuster
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. Such a role is important because an agent makes sure that no fraud claims are being paid out. It is also highlighted that an agent works in compliance with state regulations.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, disability examiners are more likely to have skills like "social security disability," "supplemental security income," "social security administration," and "disability determinations." But a senior claims adjuster is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "litigation," "coverage issues," and "strong customer service."
Senior claims adjusters earn the best pay in the insurance industry, where they command an average salary of $66,103. Disability examiners earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $47,657.Most senior claims adjusters achieve a lower degree level compared to disability examiners. For example, they're 12.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Disability examiner vs. Claims representative
Types of disability examiner
Updated January 8, 2025
