In an insurance claims operation, you handle the open active-claims inventory — managing aging files, working with adjusters on resolution paths, communicating with claimants, and pushing claims toward closure.
A typical week often runs with the open-claims report at the top of the inbox — reviewing aged files, sitting with adjusters on stuck claims, communicating with claimants on next steps, working through documentation gaps. You're often measured on cycle-time and aging metrics that pull leadership attention.
The friction tends to be the inheritance problem — open claims often arrive with prior handlers' decisions, partial documentation, and history you have to reconstruct. Variance across employers is wide: at major carriers the open-claims function is structured by line; at smaller insurers it shares space with broader claims-coordination work.
This work tends to suit people who are persistent through stuck files and warm in difficult claimant conversations. AIC, AINS, and CPCU credentials anchor advancement toward adjuster roles. The trade-off is the emotional load of inherited cases and the productivity pressure of aging metrics that always seem to grow.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →In an insurance claims operation, you handle the open active-claims inventory — managing aging files, working with adjusters on resolution paths, communicating with claimants, and pushing claims toward closure.
Median pay for an Open Claims Representative (OCR) is about $48K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $37K to $73K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Time Management, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a high school diploma.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 3.7% through 2034, with roughly 229,070 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Liability Claims Representative, Claims Analyst, and Claims Processor.
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