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The differences between workerss' compensation claims adjuster and claim investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a workers' compensation claims adjuster and a claim investigator. Additionally, a workers' compensation claims adjuster has an average salary of $57,583, which is higher than the $49,415 average annual salary of a claim investigator.
The top three skills for a workers' compensation claims adjuster include customer service, claim process and compensation benefits. The most important skills for a claim investigator are scene investigations, insurance claims, and property damage.
| Workers' Compensation Claims Adjuster | Claim Investigator | |
| Yearly salary | $57,583 | $49,415 |
| Hourly rate | $27.68 | $23.76 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,506 | 8,738 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A worker's compensation claims adjuster is responsible for analyzing and validating compensation claims, ensuring eligibility and accuracy to authorize payments. Their responsibilities also include coordinating with different departments to gather data, liaising with internal and external parties, determining the amount of compensation, and negotiating claims. Furthermore, a worker's compensation claims adjuster may also perform administrative support tasks such as preparing progress reports and other documentation, answering calls and inquiries, maintaining records of all transactions, and training new members of the workforce.
Claim Investigators are professionals who are responsible for examining facts of insurance claims to determine their extent and validity to prevent any cases of fraud. These investigators must use a combination of tools such as cutting-edge software to help insurance companies to settle claims quickly by evaluating them. They are required to manage multiple cases by investigating defective products or events such as an oil spill. Claim Investigators must also prepare reports while keeping track of evidence trails.
Workerss' compensation claims adjuster and claim investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Workers' Compensation Claims Adjuster | Claim Investigator | |
| Average salary | $57,583 | $49,415 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $82,000 | Between $37,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Alaska |
| Best paying company | The Travelers Companies | Health Alliance |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a workers' compensation claims adjuster and a claim investigator in terms of educational background:
| Workers' Compensation Claims Adjuster | Claim Investigator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between workerss' compensation claims adjuster' and claim investigators' demographics:
| Workers' Compensation Claims Adjuster | Claim Investigator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |