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Ethics Courses – Are They Really Worth Your Time?

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Do Ethics Courses Waste Time?

The Ethics courses for adjusters or other insurance personnel may seem really worth the time and expense.

I recently received a newsletter from the AICPCU-IIA informing all new students that Ethics will be a required course on a large number of designations. The Institute’s heart is in the right place requiring exposure to ethics in their curricula. I am wondering if one course would have much of an impact on someone. I would say that a person basically brings their level of ethical behavior to the table from the start. An unethical person is not going to change in a few weeks.

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I have also noticed ethics in almost all state CEU requirements over the last few years. I am not sure if one course every two years will really make an unethical licensee suddenly ethical. I have to take a flood course every two years to keep my adjuster’s license. The closest I ever come to a flood is watching one on the Internet or TV. In other words, I am not going to use the flood course in my profession.

Workers Compensation has so many areas where ethics do come into play. Basically, an adjuster is making decisions on someone’s livelihood if the injured employee files for weekly benefits (TTD). Quite a few adjusters handle benefit checks, reimbursement checks, and other benefits where an unethical adjuster could easily get themselves into trouble

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I am sure that you have seen the headline “Workers Compensation Adjuster Arrested By The State Insurance Department For Embezzling Funds” a few times a year. I actually worked in a claims department where a fellow adjuster was submitting fake medical bills as a fictitious provider and then making payments to a PO Box, and then cashing the checks. It came as a shock to the whole claims department as the perpetrator seemed to be a person of very high ethics. I have many more such stories, but I do not want to bore you.

Bottom Line – Any insurance personnel brings their level of Ethics upfront to the table. I can see where unintended unethical actions could be a concern. Ethics should be a requirement of any insurance license or designation. It is at least a start.

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
  • Various trade publications

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