AIC-M study guide
AIC-M · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Associate in Claims–Management (AIC-M™) is a management-level professional designation for claims practitioners who want to move from technical adjusting work into claims leadership. According to The Institutes' designation catalog, it is closely tied to the Associate in Claims (AIC): the catalog states that if you have completed your AIC, you are one course away from earning the Associate in Claims-Management. That makes AIC-M a natural next step for adjusters, examiners, and claims specialists who are preparing to supervise teams, own operational results, or take on broader file-authority and quality-review responsibilities. The designation's subject matter spans the full management side of claims: coverage analysis and file handling standards, claims law and liability assessment, claims operations and workflow design, and the leadership, ethics, and performance-management skills a claims manager uses daily. The AIC-M study guide has 4 sections and about 1,234 words.
01Claims Handling and Coverage Analysis
Claims handling begins with recognizing the claim and protecting the insurer’s rights while treating the claimant fairly. The core sequence is: confirm policy status and named insured; identify the insuring agreement; test conditions; apply exclusions; then check exceptions.
321 words, about 2 min02Claims Law and Liability Assessment
Liability assessment asks whether a claimant can establish the legal elements against a party, and how much the party is likely to owe. In negligence, those elements are duty, breach, causation, and damages.
329 words, about 2 min03Claims Operations and Management
Claims operations turn coverage and liability decisions into repeatable service. Key concepts include intake and first notice of loss, triage, severity and complexity segmentation, assignment rules, reserving, diary management, payment authority, vendor and panel counsel oversight, subrogation referral, recovery, and file closure.
299 words, about 1 min04Leadership, Ethics, and Performance Management
Leadership in claims requires both ethical judgment and disciplined performance management. Ethical duties include good faith, candor, confidentiality, fair treatment, and avoiding conflicts of interest.
285 words, about 1 min