HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE INSURANCE ADJUSTER TO EVALUATE MY CLAIM?

You have completed your medical treatment, the attorney's office has collected your medical records and prepared a settlement demand package that has been mailed to the insurance company- How long should it take before your case is resolved and you have your settlement money in hand?

The simple answer to this question is that the time for the insurance company to evaluate your claim varies based upon several factors. I tell my clients that "normally, the insurance adjuster will evaluate your claim and make a first offer within 30 days after the demand package has been received." However, many times it takes longer that 30 days for several reasons, including the following:

        1.   The adjuster is behind on evaluating other cases that are in line before yours. Some insurance companies do not hire enough adjusters to handle claims and therefore the processing time is slower. The adjuster may have been out of the office on vacation or attending a seminar that has put them behind in their evaluations. Normally, the adjuster has to obtain approval from a manager for any settlement offer and if the manager is busy or out of the office then your offer will take longer.

        2.   You have received prior medical treatment for the same injured area of your body that was injured in the accident and that prompts the adjuster to ask your attorney to request your prior records. If this occurs, then the evaluation will be delayed by 60 days or more while your attorney requests more medical records.

        3.   Your adjuster is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and he or she is not efficient in resolving claims.

Auto accident claims can be slow at times and it is the job of the auto accident attorney to check with the insurance company when the process is slow to make sure the insurance company is moving as fast as possible.