Insurance Term of the Day: Claims Adjuster
The moments after an accident can be fearful and full of anxiety. Following the accident, it’s important to contact your insurance company–they will walk you through what steps to take. While talking to the claims department, they will ask you a series of questions regarding the location, date, time, damages, etc. They’ll mention to you that a claims adjuster will be contacting you soon.
Claims adjusters work on claims involving both property damage to your property, or liability claims involving personal injuries and third-party injuries. Whether you are in an auto accident which caused injury to another person, or you are in the midst of a hail storm that damaged your roof, you will be talking to a Claims adjuster.
Basically, your claims adjuster will investigate your claim. Their job is to calculate the extent of the damages. Generally, they will inspect the damage, read police reports, speak to any witnesses, and talk with the claimant or property owner. The adjuster will determine a fair amount for settlement depending upon the damage done and the value of the property. Once the price of the damage is decided, the adjuster will give the documents to the insurance company which includes a description of the incident, and their calculations of how much the claim is. This is the amount the insurance company will pay out on the claim, minus your deductible, in order to repair the property.
The claims adjuster works for the insurance company, and their job is crucial to get you back to where you were before the loss.
