If you are an individual that has achieved significant competence in the field of insurance and helped policyholders obtain insurance coverage and payments when the future looked bleak, you should be recognized. The National Association of Public Adjusters has a certification program for Certified Professional Public Adjusters (CPPA) and Senior Professional Public Adjusters (SPPA). The CPPA/SPPA designations are awarded by NAPIA, and The Institutes is responsible for the administration of the course work and examinations.

For the NAPIA certification, candidates for the CPPA designation need at least five (5) years of experience in adjusting on a full-time basis to sit for the exam and SPPA candidates need ten (10) years of full-time experience, and either a college degree or the equivalent in education, experience, or knowledge.

The course work and examination are geared at the college level in order to distinguish the holders of the designations.

The Institutes lists 4 benefits the SPPA designation will give public adjusters:

  1. Reduce time and costs by improving technical claim handling skills
  2. Improve claim handling by building a strong foundation in effective investigation techniques
  3. Improve customer satisfaction and retention with communication and negotiation skills
  4. Reduce costs associated with coverage disputes by gaining in-depth policy knowledge

Oscar Wilde said, "you can never be overdressed or overeducated." I am a true believer in this statement– one should always keep learning and be dressed to impress. One public adjuster I know who follows both rules is the current FAPIA President, George Keys, SPPA.

I recently asked Mr. Keys about how the SPPA designation has helped in his work with policyholders, "The SPPA designation has been a huge benefit for me. I recommend all public adjusters and attorneys who handle commercial claims work for their SPPA designation. For those who deal with mainly residential claims, the CPPA designation would be a great fit. The value of either designation is tremendous and will help any professional in their goal to be the best they can be.

For more information on these public adjuster specific designations be sure to check out NAPIA’s designation information & the course and exam details at the Institutes.

Interested in working towards your CPCU designation, check out my prior post The Premier Professional Designation for Adjusters.