Virginia doesn’t have an adjuster licensing requirement and does not offer its own Virginia adjuster license. In most employment situations, however, it will still be highly beneficial to get licensed as an adjuster.

The solution to this is a DHS (designated home state) adjuster license, which — in essence — designates a separate state as your “home state.”

Even though several states offer DHS licenses, the most popular ones are Florida, Texas, and Indiana.

How to Get Your Insurance Adjuster License in Virginia

Virginia does not offer a resident Virginia insurance adjuster license and does not require its residents to hold a license in order to operate as adjusters within the state.

Having said that, getting a license from a different state — known as a DHS license — is often recommended nonetheless.

This is because operating without a license can handicap you significantly in the long run and will undoubtedly limit your employment opportunities.

What is a Designated Home State Insurance Adjuster License?

There are several states that offer what is called a Designated Home State license. Having said that, it is important to note that Florida, Texas, and Indiana are the most popular.

Essentially, this is a type of license that allows people that live in a non-licensing state — such as Virginia or Ohio — the opportunity to “designate” a different state (e.g., Florida, etc.) as their “home state.”

This allows them to apply for and obtain a Florida insurance adjuster license as if they were an in-state resident of Florida.

This is beneficial for several reasons, including:

• Employment – Many potential employers of claims adjusters will look specifically for applicants who are already licensed. Even if they aren’t specifically looking for licensed individuals, they are likely to prefer these over non-licensed applicants (due to the geographical flexibility advantage)
• Catastrophe (CAT) or Traveling Adjusters – If a non-licensed adjuster wishes to work on CAT claims, there is a good chance that they will need to travel across state lines. To operate in a state other than your home state, you will need to have a reciprocal license in that state. Applying for a reciprocity license can only be done if you hold an equivalent license in your own state (such as a DHS license)

The bottom line is this: if you wish to work in insurance claims, you should have a license to do so, and in Virginia, the only way to do that is to get a designated home state license.

Congratulations!

You’ve done the work, put in the time and effort, and now hold the key to your own success!  We’re proud of you. Take five (5) minutes and celebrate.

What Kind of Insurance Adjuster Will You Be?

There are four main types of insurance adjusters: staff adjusters, independent adjusters, catastrophe adjusters, and public adjusters.

Each of these positions accomplishes essentially the same task: assess the damage to property brought about by some event and make an evaluation of what monetary value the insurance claim should carry.

The big difference between these different types of insurance adjusters is who pays them, and in the case of the public adjuster, who they are advocating for. Staff, independent, and catastrophe adjusters do not require a license in Virginia, whereas public adjusters do.

• Staff Adjuster – Works directly for one insurance company in order to investigate, evaluate, and potentially settle claims
• Independent Adjuster – Works for a third-party company, often called an Independent Adjusting Firm, which has been contracted by insurance carriers to help settle their claims
• Catastrophe (CAT) Adjuster – Can be an independent or staff adjuster who travels to an area that has been largely affected by an event (usually severe weather) and performs claims adjuster services en masse
• Inside Adjuster – Inside adjusters, sometimes referred to as “desk” or “remote” adjusters, handle claims from an office. They are the policyholder’s main contact and the person who applies the policy terms and standards to the claim
• Public Adjuster – Is an independent insurance adjuster that customers choose to hire in order to settle insurance claims. Public adjusters are not hired by insurance companies

Virginia Public Adjuster License

Public adjusters in Virginia are required to obtain a license in order to operate legitimately.

In order to do this, you will need to take (and pass) the Virginia Public Adjuster Exam.

The exam is administered by Prometric, contains 50 scored questions, and will need to be completed within one hour.

After you pass your exam, you will need to apply for your license online through Sircon or NIPR. A $15 application fee is required in order to do this.

Please allow up to 15 business days for your application to be processed.

Note: As part of your licensure, you will be required to certify that a $50,000 bond that has been obtained from an insurance company licensed within Virginia will remain in force as long as your license will remain in effect (Form PA-2).

Virginia Department of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:

Bureau of Insurance – State Corporation Commission
P.O. Box 1157
Richmond, Virginia 23218

Phone: (804) 371-9631

Email: AgentLicensing@scc.virginia.gov

Website: https://www.scc.virginia.gov/boi/index.aspx