Authority structure
Adjuster authority
- Entry-level: $5K-$10K
- Mid: $25K
- Senior: $50K-$100K
- Specialist: Higher
Supervisor authority
- $100K typical ceiling
- Exceptions escalate to manager
Manager authority
- $250K-$500K typical
- Larger to director/VP
Director / VP authority
- Generally unlimited within corporate policy
- Direct ownership of high-profile claims
What moves up the chain
- Amounts exceeding authority
- Coverage disputes
- Bad-faith-risk indicators
- Public-attention claims
- Commercial / specialty policies
What slows at each level
At adjuster
- Scope documentation concerns
- Coverage uncertainty
At supervisor
- Policy compliance review
- Pattern-consistency check
- Reserve justification
At manager
- Strategic considerations
- Legal-risk assessment
- Reputation
At VP / director
- Commercial / legal exposure
- Policyholder-relationship value
- Precedent concerns
Policyholder implications
- Ask who has authority on your claim
- Request supervisor involvement when stuck
- Understand decision pace reflects approval chain
- CRN / DFS complaint elevate automatically