USAA Adjuster Certification
United Services Automobile Association is an insurance company that offers investment and insurance products to military service members, veterans and their families. Adjusters who wish to handle losses for USAA must meet specific requirements, including passing a USAA certification examination.
USAA has established baseline requirements for its adjusters. An adjuster must have at least three years of experience in property adjusting and must hold an adjusting license in his home state. An adjuster must be physically able to climb onto the roof of a single-story home. USAA adjusters must pass a USAA adjuster certification test with a score of 70 percent or higher. USAA administers the test twice a year, and adjusters must take the test once every three years to renew their certifications.
Adjusters need a laptop computer with a fully charged battery to take the USAA certification exam. As of the time of publication, USAA adjusters must use Xactimate Sketch software, version 25.1 or greater, to create diagrams of roofs and interiors. The software calculates roof size based on the adjuser's measurements and calculates the square footage of interior areas. The certification exam, which USAA administers twice a year, includes content that tests an adjuster's proficiency with the Xactimate Sketch software.
Adjusting firms use independent-contractor adjusters to perform adjusting service for the firm's clients -- insurance carriers. Firms that provide services to USAA offer training courses for their adjusters and invite adjusters to who wish to take the USAA certification exam. The course agenda includes software training that teaches adjusters how to sketch roofs and rooms and sample test questions similar to those on the USAA exam. Courses vary in duration and price, ranging from a free half-day course to a two-day course that costs $300 as of July 2011.
The USAA Adjuster certification exam tests an adjuster's ability to sketch a roof and a room based on on-site measurements using Xactimate software. The exam also asks the test taker to provide information about a sample roof, such as the actual number of squares on the roof, the number of linear feet of gutters, and the waste factor applied to the roof. The test contains similar questions about interior surfaces such as how to calculate the linear feet of baseboard trim for three rooms on a sample map and the square footage of sample areas to be painted.