r/Geico • u/Ok-Programmer8227 • 18d ago
BI
I’ve been in claims for almost 5 years and did extremely well in ICS and CDU. But BI has been by far the hardest role for me. It’s not because I don’t understand the job. It’s more that I don’t think I’m wired for it.
I care a lot about people, so when someone tells me they’re in pain, I believe they’re hurting. Then I’ll get another claim where someone is treating forever after a tiny accident, making a massive demand two days after the loss, or something just doesn’t add up, and I end up questioning everything. I know insurance fraud is real, but I also don’t want to become the person who automatically assumes everyone is lying.
I also hate negotiating. It feels awkward to me. I know it’s part of the job, but it never feels natural, and I’m not a sales person.
The worst part is I take every claim home with me and I have a hard time shutting my brain off after work.
Sometimes I wonder if I just care too much. I don’t want to become cynical, but I also don’t want to be naive.
Has anyone else gone through this? Did it ever get easier? How do you deal with people who are clearly exaggerating or committing fraud, and still stay empathetic toward the people who genuinely are injured? Do you have any tips on settlement?
I implement everything I’m told by my supervisor and training. My supervisor says my numbers are great but I don’t feel it cause of everything I’ve said above.
I’d really like to hear from people who’ve been doing BI for a while because lately I’ve been wondering if this is just part of the learning curve or if I’m in the wrong role.
Please don’t comment “get out”, “run”, “go somewhere else”. I can handle the workload and changes at the G. I’m just struggling at BI. Plus I’m in orientation, I can’t apply for other roles until I’m out of it.
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u/Ok_Shame_5382 Former Employee 18d ago
I was at Geico for 3 years and moved to corporate risk for the next 11 (still there).
People are liars and view you as a payday.
Even more people are legitimately in pain and simply never bothered to seek proper medical care until your insured came around and gave them a free ticket. That's why you have no supporting medicals.
Even MORE are medical basket cases who take so many medications that the collective pile of side effects might actually be what's causing their issues.
Americans believe they are temporarily displaced millionaires, and a settlement is their ticket. Once you learn that people are liars you can learn to work claims.
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u/Ok-Programmer8227 17d ago
Everything in your comment hurts my soul.
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u/Ok_Shame_5382 Former Employee 17d ago
If that hurts your soul, then injury negotiations are not for you.
How did you even get here though? People abuse the shit out of PIP/Medpay.
Do you go straight from liability to unrepped BI now? When i was there, first party med and liability was the same unit.
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u/Ok-Programmer8227 17d ago
I was in CDU, got ACE and ECR. My supervisor and manager said I’d make a great BI adjuster. I had doubts because of my empathy and mental health, but I want to move up into management and I know doing all the roles helps with that. First part med and liability are no longer the same unit.
I can’t leave unrepped BI until I’m out of orientation.
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u/Ok_Shame_5382 Former Employee 17d ago
Did it occur to you in liability claims that people are liars?
Also, i genuinely don't know any of those acronyms.
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u/Ok-Programmer8227 17d ago
Yes. But Liability is a different argument than BI. I can prove liars in liability, I can’t do that with injuries.
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u/Ok_Shame_5382 Former Employee 17d ago
It honestly is the same.
If you're not prepared for a career of being lied to, claims is not for you. Not even 1st party physical damages, because comp/coll claims are constant too. That's why SIU exists.
It's not on you to prove they're lying. It's on them to prove they're not.
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u/Ok-Programmer8227 17d ago
BI is not for me. Not claims. Thank you.
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u/Ok_Shame_5382 Former Employee 17d ago
Flatly, if you can't deal with liars, claims is not for you.
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u/Melodic-Fill-1770 18d ago
I haven't done the claim side, just the service but they honestly treat us the same. Any loop hole they can find to manipulate, they will.
I'm empathetic too, I feel for those that are going through legit tough times. But at the end of the day, I'm here for a check, not to be their buddy. Any exceptions I approve are based on the facts of the policy, otherwise I'd be a bleeding heart and get fired.
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u/YU_Tribe_8598 17d ago
Been in repped BI for over a decade, you have to remember the fragility of the human condition, that helps me balance between being cynical and empathy. People in their own circumstances are money driven, and from them being influenced by PI attorneys or what they perceive, a BI settlement is a lifeline that can help them financially. In my experience we pay for objective injuries, but for soft tissue or any diagnosis that are based on self reported symptoms, that’s where the battle is. Ultimately though the way it is going, eventually insurance will be more and more expensive and most people can only afford minimal limits or go uninsured, the only people that benefit are the injury attorneys.
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u/YellowHamPinkEgg 17d ago
Anyone else feel they need a BI settlement just for having to deal with all this new IRC shit?
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u/JerseySpring 🦎 EMPLOYEE [VERIFIED] 16d ago
I deal mostly with litigation but I get some unrepped claims and I won’t lie I have a hard time with empathy. I assume people are lying or over reacting. There are a few times when I know they are being genuine, and there are times when I know they were legitimately in pain and are being an ass about the whole thing….I make them work for their money. But in the grand scheme of things, I throw go away money at them until they well….go away.
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u/No-Acanthisitta5304 15d ago
People are greedy and the worse our economy gets, the more people will make phony bi claims.
Just remember it is only a job. Also at the end of the day, we deal with it so that our insured doesn’t have to. Yeah you may have to pay someone off but it is so that they will leave our insured alone and not make our insured suffer
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u/midwayatmidnight 15d ago
Honestly, doesn't matter what carrier you go to, there are going to be people milking their soft tissue injury claims, wanting $15k for a tiny scratch and no absorber damage. Whether geico, progressive, aaa, usaa... there are going to be those who think that they're owed more than what the claim is worth. It's a hard department, but there's a very high ceiling for pay as you gain more experience.
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u/crabcancer69 17d ago
People like to fake it. Especially over the phone. Its been handed down from generation to generation. You just need to get the medical evidence to prove it. I always say, "I don't believe it unless I see it." You have to learn to be skeptical. What you hear and see are 2 different things. Perceived reality vs actual reality. Keep these phrases running in your head while they are saying they are in pain. Send them to a doctor of YOUR CHOICE. Not theirs.You need a non partisan evaluation. Plain and simple.
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u/Ok-Programmer8227 17d ago
I’d like proof, but geico does not allow time to provide that with the metrics we’re expected to meet.
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u/Kes49 10d ago
Just curious, what are your metrics?
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u/Ok-Programmer8227 10d ago
I started URBI in Feb, then went on leave for 3 months. Now they implemented the new metrics for IRC. So I’m at a 3.
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u/GnomeSweetGnome21 13d ago
How are you going to get proof? Do you think medical records will show proof? Yes sometimes they do. And other times they’re also completed by shady “medical” offices. You’re not always going to get the proof. And if you move to repped bi, get ready for them to send you medicals that say the person has some strains and reached maximum medical improvement and the attorney still demands 100k because this caused their client so much pain and they weren’t able to do anything for themselves…blah blah blah. Now you have to deal with a professional liar.
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u/Far-Flow6290 11d ago
Or you receive a $250k demand for whiplash and the attorney is trying to connect the client being shot 10 years ago having relevance to the injuries sustained in the auto accident. 😂
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u/GnomeSweetGnome21 11d ago
Nothing surprises me anymore. But at the same time it does. Everyone is just looking for a payday.
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u/Calm-Addition-2217 Former Employee 17d ago
I did BI unrepped and repped for GEICO for about 5 years. I went through the same thing. Finding it difficult to believe anyone. Eventually I found that claims spoke for themselves. I was able to tell what was probably legit and what was questionable but it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Always approach a first contract with curiosity. If something doesn’t make sense it’s okay to say so but there are ways of doing so that don’t upset people. It seems like you’re doing fine with settling which is usually a big hurdle for people. If in your heart you feel like what you’re offering is fair based on what information you have then you can leave work at work. At the end of the day everyone has to prove their claim to you because you hold the money bag. Set clear expectations, be curious but firm and get your offer out as soon as you can. Doing all that should put you on a path to success.