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It's my understanding that you have to be proficient in Xactimate 25.1 and have two years adjusting experience. 

My vendor holds a one-day mandatory Citizens seminar which includes an Xactimate proficiency test. 

Posted By Roy Cupps on 15 Mar 2010 09:53 AM
Did they also have a claim handling experience requirement? I would think and hope that this requirement would exceed any software requirement.

As in number, type, and size of claims handled?  I think that if a person is on their roster they'll know. 

It looks like Citizens is trying to make sure they get experienced adjusters?  Can't blame them for that. 

Gotta go...   I just got deployed!

 

I think all carriers have a right and I will also say a duty to get qualified adjusters to work their losses in a cat. It seems all the vendors for State Farm make sure all the deployment list have to be kissed by the vendor. When a big one (Andrew, Katrina, IKE) hits the new people have about 2 to 3 weeks  to make it or go home. Getting out the paper work is always the killer, overscope, not in phone contact, bad judgement, wormy estimates. Can not handle the stress is a biggie and many can not work this long and hard. Just think if you do not get a pay check for weeks, it happens if you hook up with that type.

Posted By ddreisbach on 15 Mar 2010 01:29 PM

As in number, type, and size of claims handled?  I think that if a person is on their roster they'll know.  

 

My reply was aimed at the first post in which he stated he was told Xactimate experience was required to get on the Roster but nothing was stated about needing adjusting experience.  I think the adjusting experience (handling claims) should be ahead of the software experience.

 

SFA,

Three years in this field is just beginning. You have a lot of learning to do and all of us can learn something everyday. 

Any carrier can set their requirements wether they make sense to anyone besides themselves. It can also be that the vendor has decided to exceed what a carrier wants as well. Possibly this vendor has seen instances where people who are not totally familiar or has limited experience with xm8 had problems uploading, or what ever and it caused the vendor grief with the carrier they were doing work for. Or the carrier has had too many problems with inexperienced users.

Be it the case of the carrier or the vendor wanting two years verified experience on an estimating system is their decision. Get the experience and reapply next year. Citizens is not the only carrier in FL. There are many carriers out there is you are wanting only Fl work.

The truth of all this is that the carrier and/or vendor doesn't want to train people while on the job. The truth is also that some have for example, 20 years experience in adjusting and 20 years experience on Xactimate but in reality once they are out in the field for practical purposes they only have 1 or 2 equivalent years. On the other hand I know men and women with 2 years in the field and 1 on Xactimate who act and adjust like they have 20.

But the company doesn't have any way to know this so they throw out a qualifier. It's like some companies require a college degree. And that does mean something, but it doesn't mean all. I once knew a seemingly uncouth roofer who turned adjuster and in spite of all I initially thought, he was a whirlwind and did a heck of a job.

So, don't give up the ship. Persistence will pay off.

I give a lot of free advice and this is good. Learn xmate, you have to practice and get your speed up. Only work for vendors that pay ever 2 weeks. Try to do some FREE estimates for a working adjuster if he.she will pay for the boot up. This is what all new people need practice and repetition. Keep a copy for your reading file. Black out the confidential and send copy,s TO Show you can do the work. Do your own house, your mothers, etc etc. sell your self. YOU are nobody, show the cat. world you can be one.

Not many vendors pay one time a month. Some never pay and some pay in 2 months. If a vendor pays on closed files it shows two things. They have a good line of credit at some bank. The carrier is kinda solid and can pay the closed files in short order and if you miss your 2nd pay check, watch out the one you missed may be months in the getting. Florida will have a lot of small companies go under if they are hit hard this year. If the funding for Citizens is shaky they will have some problems also. If the company goes under, all the workers below are crushed also.

The insurance commish and the govenor get involved when a big one hits Florida and fan the flames  The adjuster with his/her name on the file gets heat bigtime. You can,t jump the first day, but the heat is turned up a little ever night, until you think your brain is fryed. Ask the hurricane Andrew (1992) survivers.

Ray,

You and I have discussed this before.

I fully agree that if you can get on with firms that pay after they have approved and submitted to the carrier that is fantastic. If you cannot get on with firms like that then make sure that you make every attempt to find out from the firm you are comitted to who are their customers. If they only deal with the small carriers you may end up being in the line of creditors if that company goes under (taken into receivership).

Ray is also correct that in FL if a major hits it will become a political hot potato. Many politicians will come out and demand that the insureds be paid and those who do the work may have to wait and wait for their pay if funding from the cat fund runs low. FL has pretty much mandated that carriers use FL's reinsurance pool. Between that and the amount of coverage the state run insurance company has in coverage could be way short in the event of a storm the size of Andrew or larger. Today, working almost any hurricane is a gamble. Between the small carriers that may not have enough to pay claims, adjusting firms that act big but in reality are hanging on day to day with no back up funding  and other issues it really is a throw of the dice.