State Farm Property Adjuster Certification is a great option for independent adjusters who want to be noticed by potential employers.
State Farm has more homes and cars than any other insurance in the United States. This is the place to go if you want to get a carrier certification that will maximize your chances of being deployed. However, there is a surprising amount of information on the subject. Let’s look at the basics of State Farm Certification.
Many insurance companies require that an adjuster hold their carrier-specific certification to be able to handle their claim. State Farm is no exception. You will still need their certification even if you work temporarily at an independent adjusting company that handles State Farm claims. Add that to the above.
Independent Adjuster Firms Contracted With State Farm
The State Farm share is owned by most of the large, independent adjusting companies. The sheer volume of claims from the country’s largest insurance means that there is plenty to go around even for smaller firms.
The IA Firms offer approved certification courses to adjusters who handle substantial State Farm claims. The certification training is available only to adjusters who are on the firms’ rosters.
These courses are not usually promoted on firms’ websites, nor made available to the public unless there is a major catastrophe that requires emergency certification. This is another reason why you should be on as many rosters as possible.
IA Firms that work with State Farm Include: Alacrity, Eberls, Renfroe, and Worley.
The following list of adjusting companies is currently approved to offer State Farm Certificates, although it’s not complete.
- Eberl Claims Service
- Pilot Catastrophe Services, Inc.
- E.A. Renfroe & Company
- Alacrity Solutions (formerly Worley).
- The Best IRS
- QA Claims
- CNC
- Wardlaw
- Crawford & Co.
- Prime Consulting Group
This certification is the most difficult to get because the companies can only offer it on a monthly basis. State Farm selects the dates for training courses to be held simultaneously at all of the companies. Certification courses can only be taken in person at designated locations (e.g. company training facilities). They are not online.
- Some firms offered courses online more frequently during the pandemic and when a major landfall for a hurricane is imminent.
It is important to get ‘State Farm Certified” as soon as possible, regardless of whether you are currently employed. Firms can assign claims to you immediately without you having to complete any training.
Certification takes two days. The IDL, or Interactive Distance Learning, is the first day. It consists of a 6-hour IDL (previously known as the LDP or Live Desktop Presentation). This segment is streamed live from State Farm to the classroom. This material covers the protocol for handling State Farm claims.
The second day consists of two certification exams: Wind/Hail or Estimatics. You must pass these exams to receive your certification.
As mentioned above, certification courses are usually conducted once per quarter. ‘Emergency courses’ are sometimes offered after a big catastrophe but we don’t recommend waiting or hoping for an emergency class. Dates are often released right before training and availability is usually limited.
How to Get State Farm Certified
You will need to take a few steps prior to adjusting claims for State Farm.
- You must hold an adjuster’s license in your home or designated home state.
- Join the roster of IA firms that handle insurance claims for State Farm.
- Register for the State Farm Certification via one of the adjusting firms offering the certification.
- Pass the estimatics and policy portions of the certification.
Attending the certification and testing sessions held by IA Firms who service State Farm is the only way to become State Farm Certified. These events sometimes include a training event that is simulcast to prepare you for your in-person exam.
State Farm Guidelines, processes, and procedures are covered in the testing events that are held several times a year. The training event is followed by a test to determine your knowledge and skills.
State Farm Certification is only awarded to those who achieve a passing grade of 70 or above on both the policy and estimatics portion of the certification test.
Requirements for State Farm Certification
Important keys to know before you get started:
- To qualify to take the certification with a firm, you must be on their roster. You’ll need to submit a resume and online application to the adjusting firm to see the course schedule and register for a session. Remember – being on the roster email lists is usually the only way to find out about these courses, which is especially important as the process is evolving, albeit slowly, due to the pandemic.
- Trainings are rarely publicized, even on the firms’ websites and social media accounts.
- Registrations for the certification must be completed as much as a month before the actual certification dates so don’t delay in getting your information in and your registration complete.
- There is a fairly good amount of prep work and studying that you’ll need to complete before the course so give yourself plenty of time to prepare.
- Exam retakes are only offered on a set schedule. Make sure you know the retake policy before the certification. Better yet, take the course seriously, study hard, and you’ll do fine.
- Fees vary per firm but are generally nominal.
Next Steps
Getting both of the State Farm Certifications makes you more valuable as an independent adjuster and is generally the first step on a path to a successful career.
There are other licenses you can look into, like all-lines adjuster licenses in Hail and Hurricane states, the NFIP certification for flood damage claims, and lastly, an Xactimate Level 1 Certification.