Senior claims specialist vs claims adjuster

The differences between senior claims specialists and claims adjusters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior claims specialist, becoming a claims adjuster takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior claims specialist has an average salary of $69,808, which is higher than the $51,116 average annual salary of a claims adjuster.

The top three skills for a senior claims specialist include customer service, litigation and claims handling. The most important skills for a claims adjuster are insurance carriers, auto claims, and customer service.

Senior claims specialist vs claims adjuster overview

	Senior Claims Specialist	Claims Adjuster
Yearly salary	$69,808	$51,116
Hourly rate	$33.56	$24.57
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	11,011	13,221
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does a senior claims specialist do?

A senior claims specialist's role is to handle and process insurance claims, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include liaising with clients to identify their needs, reviewing and validating documentation, resolving issues and concerns, and traveling to different locations in order to perform claims inspections and investigations for client eligibility. They may also approve claims applications and negotiate settlements. Furthermore, as a senior claims specialist, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior specialists, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a claims adjuster do?

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.

Senior claims specialist vs claims adjuster salary

Senior claims specialists and claims adjusters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Claims Specialist	Claims Adjuster
Average salary	$69,808	$51,116
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $107,000	Between $40,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Merchants Insurance Group
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between senior claims specialist and claims adjuster education

There are a few differences between a senior claims specialist and a claims adjuster in terms of educational background:

	Senior Claims Specialist	Claims Adjuster
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Senior claims specialist vs claims adjuster demographics

Here are the differences between senior claims specialists' and claims adjusters' demographics:

	Senior Claims Specialist	Claims Adjuster
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%	Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between senior claims specialist and claims adjuster duties and responsibilities

Senior claims specialist example responsibilities.

Manage assigned third party administration (TPA) multi-jurisdictional workers' compensation; subrogation recovery claims; assign defense attorney.
Work toward settlement with claimants and attorneys, or determine company litigation strategy, participating in mediation and arbitration when necessary.
Maintain EDI processing table logic.
Work with testing HIPAA transactions, reporting and processing data reporting to the state.
Review data entry of claims receive through the EDI system for accuracy prior to processing.
Operate within all company regulations regarding HIPAA, fraud, confidentiality, and private health information guidelines.

Claims adjuster example responsibilities.

Achieve targeted performance goals to manage costs and support Allstate's industry-leading operational standards.
Maintain a full caseload of WC files for a Louisiana customer, for six months, while managing this team.
Manage California branch operations including supervision of 5 WC adjusting and support staff
Apply strong customer service, organizational and multitasking skills to efficiently manage auto insurance claims.
Manage strict confidentiality of documents and comply with HIPAA regulations stipulate by the facility and government.
Manage file inventory by utilizing CCC pathways diary system documenting claim file activities in accordance with establish procedures

Senior claims specialist vs claims adjuster skills

Common senior claims specialist skills

Customer Service, 26%
Litigation, 10%
Claims Handling, 8%
SR, 5%
Settlement Conferences, 5%
Excellent Interpersonal, 4%

Common claims adjuster skills

Insurance Carriers, 13%
Auto Claims, 8%
Customer Service, 8%
Litigation, 7%
Xactimate, 6%
Claims Handling, 5%

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Senior Claims Specialist
Senior Claims Specialist vs Claims Adjuster

Updated January 8, 2025

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