02
Apr, 2019
When you receive a reassignment and it’s quite evident that the original adjuster was not a VAS graduate it makes you feel proud of the work you turn in. When you get to the reassignment and do your “ordinary” inspection and the insured is in awe over your thoroughness, because the last adjuster didn’t look at half the stuff you looked at (hence the re-inspection), it makes 6 weeks in Sedona AZ studying under Guy and the VAS staff amazing and well worth it! I can’t thank the VAS crew enough; especially you Cheryl because you scared me from day one…..Lol. Again and again….Thanks to all of you
Semper Fi….
1stSgt. Patrick Brittingham, USMC, Ret.
It gives me immense pleasure to write a testimonial regarding my experience with VAS. From the first contact I made with VAS to post graduation, my experience has been fantastic.
This was an intense six week program that tested me in every way. The amount of knowledge that is passed on to the student is incredible. VAS sets high standards for their students and then they give them the tools to succeed. Guy and the rest of the staff keep the students motivated and intellectually stimulated throughout this challenging program.
As an insightful educator, Guy recognized early on when I was struggling and he took steps to give me the extra help before and after class. His efforts and teaching techniques are reflected by the confidence I’ve gained in this industry and the immediate deployment I experienced.
A few people have asked me if the cost of the school was worth it. My answer has been simple. The INVESTMENT I made was at an absolute bargain! I’d highly recommend anyone interested in breaking into the tough field of insurance adjusting to invest in VAS first.
– Rodney G – VAS graduate 2016
I spent years not working, volunteering my time towards useful ventures supporting my children’s schools. I was so far out of the job market that it became a challenge to sell myself into new career paths with a long absence in employment as well as facing the challenges of marketing an Infantry Officer. I sent out over 500 professionally designed resumes to various industries utilizing the strengths that those in the military find useful, which earned only a handful of interviews and no new career paths, emerged.
I discovered VAS as one of 110 companies at my local Veterans Job fair in Orlando. I met Guy Grand that day and it has been a whirlwind since then. We spoke for the better part of 30min, by far longer than any other booth at the fair. I came home, read his online book, and signed up for my Insurance Adjusting license that week. I attempted to get signed up for the course that started the following month, but was sad to learn that it was full. I was able to sign up for the April course and it was a great time to go.
Everyone is skeptical at the cost and time put into the program, and the real question of “does it really put you into a new career path as easy as the brochures say?”. The short answer is YES! The long answer is YES, but if you don’t put the effort into your employment then your opportunities will dry up. You need to be ready for immediate deployment if you are attending school during the storm season and be ready to apply with a variety of firms so that you have a multitude of companies with exposure around the nation. I attended VAS with 5 state adjusting licenses, finished with 7, and now have 10. Combine that with the 16 states that do not have licenses and I have 26 states covered.
I took a needed vacation with my family immediately following the conclusion of VAS. Everyone else in my session deployed to Canada immediately upon graduation! Upon returning home I was receiving claims within 4 days. I have been working daily claims for two firms in Florida while waiting for a catastrophe to come in. In the mean time I have been busy applying with the VAS partner IA Firms to ensure that I have the maximum amount of personal coverage across those 26 available states. Additionally, to bolster my new resume I have been busy working on continuing education through VAS online resources and regional classes specializing in water and fire damages. I am on the CAT rosters of 10 companies with exposure in varied locations around the country and I am getting certified with the nation’s largest insurance carrier at the end of next month. This is my new career path. There is work out there. VAS can give it to you. Make the call.
-Sean O., (Captain US Army) – VAS Graduate 2016
With over 96% job placement rate, Veteran Adjusting School has over 15 Insurance Partners that appreciate the high level of quality graduates the school produces. Here is a letter from one of these partners.
Guy,
Back in 2012, when you asked Insurance Claims Adjusters (ICA) to become a partner of Veteran Adjusting School (VAS), we were proud to join forces and help our military men and women find a rewarding career in insurance adjusting. We were familiar with you and your partner’s – Gary Pitts – work product as independent adjusters, and we were confident in your ability to provide well trained and qualified new adjusters to our growing roster. Four years later, I am happy to say that our trust in you has paid out dividends. To date, I believe we now have 14 of your VAS-Trained Insurance Adjusters on our roster and they are all performing above expectations. In fact, we now have 7 of your adjusters working for us as W2 employees.
As you know – insurance claims adjusting – especially catastrophe adjusting – has always been basically an unknown vocation within the insurance industry. Those of us that have been in the business for any length of time know we have always had to find friends or family to fill vacancies, and that the primary training method is done by going into the field with a seasoned adjuster and learning on-the-job. The major flaw with that model was the fact that the seasoned adjuster who was assigned the claim was a lot more interested in getting the claim done and pulling in revenue than he was in training the rookie. Whatever training might take place was the result of the rookie having a front-row seat and getting an overview of the process – it was not a formal training program.
Your knowledge and insight into the unique nuances of our industry has changed all of that. It is amazing to watch VAS take a person that knows nothing about adjusting – or even construction for that matter – and turn them into a well-trained adjuster in just six short weeks.
We both agree that you can’t teach – or learn – all there is to know about adjusting in six weeks. But I want you to know that we definitely feel confident in hiring your graduates. It is easy for us to support them knowing that they have the knowledge and the skills that the VAS mentorship program has provided them.
A true partnership is one where ALL parties receive a win, and this doesn’t actually occur that often in business. From our vantage point, VAS has indeed accomplished this goal. We are honored to support our military personnel as they enter our profession and look forward to our continued partnership with VAS.
Sincerely,
Dave Perkins
VP Claim Operations
Insurance Claims Adjusters Inc.
