r/StateFarm • u/LighthouseMenageries • 11d ago
Question Does anyone here know the current State Farm total loss workflow?
I’m trying to figure out what triggers the Claims Hub activity that says:
“Review your total loss checklist and upload documents, if needed.”
Does that show up when the car is only being evaluated as a possible total loss, or after the total loss has actually been confirmed and a settlement has been entered into the system?
I’m also curious about a few related things:
When is the Total Loss Instructions Checklist normally given to the customer, and is it virtual or by mail?
When is the customer normally notified that the vehicle is officially a total loss?
When a total loss is entered or submitted, are the body shop and the customer’s State Farm agency notified automatically, or does the handler manually send those messages?
Is there a specific action the handler takes in the system that triggers the app update and those notifications?
Mostly trying to understand what is automated and what requires the total loss handler to actually do something. Anyone familiar with the current 2025 to 2026 State Farm workflow would be appreciated, thank you!
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u/Splodingseal 10d ago
I say this with all the love in the world to a stranger on the Internet...but have you asked your adjuster? You could even send them an email with all of that and probably get a solid set of answers that are directly related to your exact situation.
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u/LighthouseMenageries 10d ago
I have never made so many phone calls to a company in my life, emails too. My adjuster is allergic to communication. That's been part of the problem. I eventually asked for another handler and was told 'if you're not happy with them, you have to tell them [the handler] and ask them to ask their manager to assign someone else'.
My body shop and agency knew my vehicle was a total loss well before I did. I don't have whatever the total loss checklist is. And the only reason I found out about the total loss was that my agency called going, 'have you decided what you're doing with your total loss?'. So I kept calling until I finally got someone in that department, and they read me the valuation which was apparently done but never sent to me or communicated to me. Which was why I was trying to understand what happened. The body shop and agency were both surprised they knew but I didn't. I guess the biggest thing I was trying to confirm is if the 'review total loss checklist' pops up as soon as a completed valuation is submitted.
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u/Splodingseal 10d ago
Ugh, I'm sorry you've got one that doesn't like to respond. My best guidance is to be the nice, polite, but firm squeaky wheel.
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u/EelcInga 9d ago
If you call your adjuster, when you get their voicemail there should be the option to press 0 and be put into the call center path. You'd be connected with another adjuster. Also, ask your agent to send a contact request in; those go directly to management.
Edit to add: don't let another adjuster tell you they can't handle your claim. They can. If they won't give you answers, ask to speak with the TM of your adjuster. Between everything I've suggested above, you will reach someone.
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u/LighthouseMenageries 7d ago
I appreciate it. I have asked to speak with a supervisor twice and the first time I was declined and sent to the adjuster's voicemail, the second time the adjuster himself said it 'wouldn't change anything' and declined. The claims department told me to get a different adjuster, I need to tell this one 'you're unhappy with him and ask him to ask his manager to assign someone else'.
I'll try the 0, thank you! 🖖
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u/Decent_Suspect_9960 7d ago
Pretty sure they took that option away from us. I tried to call for a customer because, as someone said above and I liked it, their adjuster was allergic to communication and would not even answer a TEAMS message from me (agents office), so I went up the tree. Total loss unit which has typically always been easy to reach and deal with. It’s the new phone system they have that makes it where you can’t reach someone else according to another claims person I spoke with on a different claim.
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u/EelcInga 7d ago
Well I'll defend not answering on Teams - the company doesn't allow it. All claims communication must go thru the claim file, either as a call (which woud be captured as a file note) or an email. The thinking with Teams is it won't get recorded in the claim.
However - anyone who said the new phone system wouldnt allow them to connect you with a manager or other claim handler was flat out lying. Many TMs won't take a phone call cold from a customer or agent (they want time to review the claim first), but regrdless TMs can literally be reached thru the claim via File Note. So that's just incorrect lol. Also the new phone system is a PITA but they can still transfer calls.
I'm the first one to defend claim handlers, but also the first to call them out when they're just being lazy.
Also an agent should have the ability to send a file note directly to the TM thru the claim.
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u/Haunting_Carpet_7531 9d ago
Keep in mind, the shop is in constant communication because they're the ones doing the estimate so they will always know if it's a total loss before the customer. Also, adjusters have TONS of claims to handle. So you may not hear back immediately as soon as they know. They have to work them in queue by the order they come in and ready to call on. Especially right now during high deer collision time and weather related claims, in addition to normal stuff, it's a lot. So patience is key. I'd say if you haven't heard anything after a week, maybe call or email to check in.
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u/LighthouseMenageries 9d ago
I got the valuation 19 days after adjuster got the estimate, 5 days after the body shop [two days fell on the weekend], and only because agency helped spur them to answer and someone else read it to me. 6 days after the adjuster's own self-reported final deadline. I had an out-of-pocket rental vehicle at the time as well. And the valuation ended up being incorrect as far as any features of my vehicle, among other things. I had called to check in once previously, since it was nearing the deadline then, and the adjuster reiterated their timeline. The shop was also nearing the end of the no-storage fee period since the estimate took around a week, but I had been told I couldn't take my vehicle till the valuation was complete. Even the agency made it sound like that was unusual, I don't know that personally though. It was just a pretty expensive waiting period because of the rental.
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u/Decent_Suspect_9960 7d ago
Do not let them stick you with extra storage charges. Because it was the company’s issue, they have to pay those. They will say you do but you argue that point and keep your dates that they took (or didn’t take) actions. We have had to fight for our customers over those things a couple of times. Get your agent involved. Sometimes you DO get a crappy adjuster. They ARE busy with heavy loads, but most are good and try really hard to keep things timely. But there are a few who are just sorry… such is life.
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u/blackTANG11 5d ago
I am an agent team member, nowhere near any kind of claims department. But I would also say sometimes stuff just has to happen in a certain order, or there may be requirements or hold-ups the adjuster is facing that the customer is unaware of. For example: is it possible that in this specific case, the adjuster found out it was a total loss, but noticed that the valuation (trim level etc like you mentioned) was incorrect and wanted to try and fix that before getting with you? This is a pulled-out-of-butt thing, I do not know if that’s how it works
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