Adjustment (law)


According to the law, the term adjustment may appear in varied contexts, as a synonym for terms with unrelated definitions:

General Definition

Adjust:
  1. To settle or to bring to a satisfactory state, so that the parties are agreed in the result; as, to adjust accounts.
  2. When applied to a liquidated demand, the verb "adjust" has the same meaning as the word "settle" in the same connection, and means to pay the demand. When applied to an unliquidated demand, it means to ascertain the amount due or to settle. In the latter connection, to settle means to effect a mutual adjustment between the parties and to agree upon the balance.

    Common Uses

General Debt

Staff Adjuster- a staff adjuster works for one insurance company, typically in their internal claim's department. A staff adjuster's allegiance on handling the claim is to the insurance company, not the insured. A staff adjuster is not always required to be licensed by the State Department of Insurance in the state they are working as the insurer typically holds a license with the state department of insurance which allows the insurer to regulate their own staff adjusters.
Independent Adjuster- an independent adjuster works for many insurance companies, typically on a contractual at need basis. An independent adjuster may represent the interest of multiple insurance companies at the same time. An independent adjuster's allegiance on handling the claim is to the insurance company, not the insured. An independent adjuster is not always required to be licensed by the State Department of Insurance in the state they are working as this varies state to state and is regulated by the state department of insurance. During emergency situations, especially when the Governor of a State or the Present of the United States declares a state of emergency, independent adjusters are typically granted temporary licenses to assist insurers in handling an influx of claims.

Accounting