How Do I Get Started?

Many companies have established policies and procedures regarding how structures are to be done and they usually cover three areas: approved structured settlement brokers, approved annuity issuers, and prototype documents to be used when structuring a settlement.

Some companies have a "structure coordinator" who can help you get started. but if you've never done a structure before, simply call a broker on your company's approved list and say so. Full-time, full-service firms are used to working with claim professionals at all levels of experience and will be happy to walk you through the entire process.

As you gain experience, you can decide how involved or uninvolved you wish to be. Some claim professionals find structures interesting and enjoy negotiating them. Others like to have the broker assist them.

Either way, the most important things you can do—and you are the ONLY one who can do these—are:

1. Identify appropriate cases, and;
   
   
2. Make the first call to the broker.

If you do only those two things, but you do them consistently, you will easily advance your company's structure program and meet every office or individual goal set for you.