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.
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.
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
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. We believe that this was temporary and that quarterly certification in person is still the preferred standard.
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. These exams will need to be passed in order 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.
Important keys to know before you get started:
- In order 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 in order 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’ own websites and social media accounts.
- Registrations for the certification must be completed as much as a month prior to 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 prior to 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 prior to the certification. Better yet, take the course seriously, study hard, and you’ll do fine.
- Fees vary per firm but are generally nominal.