Zalma on Insurance
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Insurance Claims professional presents articles and videos on insurance, insurance Claims and insurance law for insurance Claims adjusters, insurance professionals and insurance lawyers who wish to improve their skills and knowledge. Presented by an internationally recognized expert and author.
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July 10, 2022
Excellence in Claims Handling at Locals.com

A Place to Learn Excellence in Claims Handling
Barry Zalma

Every Insurer is Obligated to Maintain a Professional Claims Staff

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/ghYXHqur

Excellence in Claims Handling at Locals.co and see the video at https://lnkd.in/grN-3ubG and at https://lnkd.in/ggpuewAD; see the introductory video at https://lnkd.in/grwu3i_M and at https://lnkd.in/gr98_xC2, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4250 posts.

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Barry Zalma

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See the video at https://rumble.com/v1br3xb-xcellence-in-claims-handling-at-locals.com.html and at

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Subscribe to the Excellence in Claims Handling program at zalmaoninurance.locals.com. and receive the videos limited to subscribers of Excellence in Claims Handling at locals.com by clicking on the following link https://zalmaoninsurance.locals.com/subscribe. Subscribe to become a supporter. Get access to all content and interact with Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE and the Zalma on Insurance Community.

See the introductory video at

and at https://rumble.com/vrhaka-excellence-in-claims-handling.html

There are presently six videos posted with hundreds to come.

Insurance is a business. It must change if it is to survive. It must rethink the firing of experienced claims staff and reductions in training to save “expense.”
The Excellence in Claims Handling Program

Excellence in claims handling is a program that can help insurers avoid charges of bad faith in both first and third party claims.

An insurer must understand that it cannot adequately fulfill the promises it makes to it insured and the Fair Claims Practices Act which exist in almost every state, when dealing with claimants without excellence in claims handling. An insurer must work intelligently and with vigor to create a professional claims department.
A Proposal to Create Claims Professionals

To avoid claims of bad faith; to avoid punitive damages; to avoid losses; and to make a profit insurers must maintain claim staffs who are dedicated to excellence in claims handling. That means they will make sure every promise made in every policy is satisfied by the:

Insurers who only hire insurance claims professionals.

Insurers who train the claims staff to be insurance claims professionals.

Insurers who require that the claims staff treat every insured with good faith and fair dealing.

Insurers who demand excellence in claims handling from the claims staff.

The insurance industry for the last 25 years has decimated the number of insurance claims professionals for insurers to hire.

If any experienced claims professionals exist in the insurer’s staff, the insurer must cherish and nurture them. If none are available, the insurer has no option but to train its people.

Those who treat all insureds and claimants with good faith and fair dealing and provide excellence in claims handling must be honored with increases in earnings and perquisites.

The insurer must immediately eliminate those who do not provide excellence in claims handling from the claims staff.

What Sources Are Available to Obtain Training?

The Excellence in Claims Handling program includes a series of web-based lectures supported by text materials like my claims books available at amazon.com and over the insurance claims library at my web site at https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library/.

The web lectures should be supplemented by meetings between supervisors and claims staff on a regular basis to reinforce the information learned in the lectures.

The Excellence in Claims Handling Program is not enough. In addition, the insurer must institute a regular program of auditing claims files to establish compliance with the subjects studied. There is no quick and easy solution. The training takes time. Learning takes longer. The insurer’s management must support and reinforce the training regularly.
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If you wish your claims staff to provide excellence in claims handling you, and your claims staff, can Subscribe to the Excellence in Claims Handling program at https://zalmaoninsurance.locals.com/subscribe.

(c) 2022 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.

Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business. He is available at http://www.zalma.com and [email protected].

Subscribe and receive videos limited to subscribers of Excellence in Claims Handling at locals.com https://zalmaoninsurance.locals.com/subscribe.

Subscribe to Excellence in Claims Handling at https://barryzalma.substack.com/welcome.

Write to Mr. Zalma at [email protected]; http://www.zalma.com; http://zalma.com/blog; daily articles are published at https://zalma.substack.com.

Go to the podcast Zalma On Insurance at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma; Follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/c/c-262921; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library/

00:06:42
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Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter – January 15, 2026

ZIFL Volume 30, Number 2

THE SOURCE FOR THE INSURANCE FRAUD PROFESSIONAL

Post number 5260

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gzCr4jkF, see the video at https://lnkd.in/g432fs3q and at https://lnkd.in/gcNuT84h, https://zalma.com/blog, and at https://lnkd.in/gKVa6r9B.

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter (ZIFL) continues its 30th year of publication dedicated to those involved in reducing the effect of insurance fraud. ZIFL is published 24 times a year by ClaimSchool and is written by Barry Zalma. It is provided FREE to anyone who visits the site at http://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/ This issue contains the following articles about insurance fraud:

Read the full 19 page issue of ZIFL at https://zalma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ZIFL-01-15-2026.pdf.

The Contents of the January 15, 2026 Issue of ZIFL Includes:

Use of the Examination Under Oath to Defeat Fraud

The insurance Examination Under Oath (“EUO”) is a condition precedent to indemnity under a first party property insurance policy that allows an insurer ...

00:09:20
January 14, 2026
USDC Must Follow the Finding of the Administrator of the ERISA Plan

ERISA Life Policy Requires Active Employment to Order Increase in Benefits

Post 5259

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gXJqus8t, see the full video at https://lnkd.in/g7qT3y_y and at https://lnkd.in/gUduPkn4, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5250 posts.

In Katherine Crow Albert Guidry, Individually And On Behalf Of The Estate Of Jason Paul Guidry v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, et al, Civil Action No. 25-18-SDD-RLB, United States District Court, M.D. Louisiana (January 7, 2026) Guidry brought suit to recover life insurance proceeds she alleges were wrongfully withheld following her husband’s death on January 9, 2024.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Jason Guidry was employed by Waste Management, which provided life insurance coverage through Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”). Plaintiff contends that after Jason’s death, the defendants (MetLife, Waste Management, and Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”)) engaged in conduct intended to confuse and ultimately deny her entitlement to...

00:07:30
January 13, 2026
Mediation in State Court Resolves Action in USDC

Failure to Respond to Motion to Dismiss is Agreement to the Motion
Post 5259

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gP52fU5s, see the video at https://lnkd.in/gR8HMUpp and at https://lnkd.in/gh7dNA99, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5250 posts.

In Mercury Casualty Company v. Haiyan Xu, et al., No. 2:23-CV-2082 JCM (EJY), United States District Court, D. Nevada (January 6, 2026) Plaintiff Mercury Casualty Company (“plaintiff”) moved to dismiss. Defendant Haiyan Xu and Victoria Harbor Investments, LLC (collectively, “defendants”) did not respond.

This case revolves around an insurance coverage dispute when the parties could not be privately resolved, litigation was initiated in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada. Plaintiff subsequently filed for a declaratory judgment in this court.

On or about April 15, 2025, the state court action was dismissed with prejudice pursuant to a stipulation following mediation. Plaintiff states that the state court dismissal renders its ...

00:04:26
December 31, 2025
“Sudden” is the Opposite of “Gradual”

Court Must Follow Judicial Precedent
Post 5252

Read the full article at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sudden-opposite-gradual-barry-zalma-esq-cfe-h7qmc, see the video at and at and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5250 posts.

Insurance Policy Interpretation Requires Application of the Judicial Construction Doctrine

In Montrose Chemical Corporation Of California v. The Superior Court Of Los Angeles County, Canadian Universal Insurance Company, Inc., et al., B335073, Court of Appeal, 337 Cal.Rptr.3d 222 (9/30/2025) the Court of Appeal refused to allow extrinsic evidence to interpret the word “sudden” in qualified pollution exclusions (QPEs) as including gradual but unexpected pollution. The court held that, under controlling California appellate precedent, the term “sudden” in these standard-form exclusions unambiguously includes a temporal element (abruptness) and cannot reasonably be construed to mean ...

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December 29, 2025
Doctor Accused of Insurance Fraud Sues Insurer Who Accused Him

Lack of Jurisdiction Defeats Suit for Defamation

Post 5250

Posted on December 29, 2025 by Barry Zalma

See the video at and at

He Who Represents Himself in a Lawsuit has a Fool for a Client

In Pankaj Merchia v. United Healthcare Services, Inc., Civil Action No. 24-2700 (RC), United States District Court, District of Columbia (December 22, 2025)

FACTUAL BACKGROUND
Parties & Claims:

The plaintiff, Pankaj Merchia, is a physician, scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur, proceeding pro se. Merchia sued United Healthcare Services, Inc., a Minnesota-based medical insurance company, for defamation and related claims. The core allegation is that United Healthcare falsely accused Merchia of healthcare fraud, which led to his indictment and arrest in Massachusetts, causing reputational and business harm in the District of Columbia and nationwide.

Underlying Events:

The alleged defamation occurred when United ...

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December 15, 2025
Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter – December 15, 2025

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/dG829BF6; see the video at https://lnkd.in/dyCggZMZ and at https://lnkd.in/d6a9QdDd.

ZIFL Volume 29, Issue 24

Subscribe to the e-mail Version of ZIFL, it’s Free! https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001Gb86hroKqEYVdo-PWnMUkcitKvwMc3HNWiyrn6jw8ERzpnmgU_oNjTrm1U1YGZ7_ay4AZ7_mCLQBKsXokYWFyD_Xo_zMFYUMovVTCgTAs7liC1eR4LsDBrk2zBNDMBPp7Bq0VeAA-SNvk6xgrgl8dNR0BjCMTm_gE7bAycDEHwRXFAoyVjSABkXPPaG2Jb3SEvkeZXRXPDs%3D

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter (ZIFL) continues its 29th year of publication dedicated to those involved in reducing the effect of insurance fraud. ZIFL is published 24 times a year by ClaimSchool and is written by Barry Zalma. It is provided FREE to anyone who visits the site at http://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter

Merry Christmas & Happy Hannukah

Read the following Articles from the December 15, 2025 issue:

Read the full 19 page issue of ZIFL at ...

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