California requires a new claims adjuster to complete at least 120 hours of classroom training. Most people picture a room, a whiteboard and a set of class dates. The regulation is broader than that in one way and more specific in others.
Whether an hour of adjuster classroom training counts toward the 120 depends on three things the regulation spells out: where the training happens, who delivers it and what it covers. A fourth, the record the insurer keeps, is what makes those hours provable.
The short answer: under 10 CCR §2592.02, classroom hours are training “conducted in a classroom with an instructor.” Section 2592.01 defines a classroom broadly enough to include online training and sets a minimum level of experience for instructors. Section 2592.03 lists the topics the course must cover. The insurer records each topic and the time spent on it, then certifies the training to the Insurance Commissioner.
How many classroom hours you need
Section 2592.02 sets a classroom minimum for each role. See the training hours for each role for the full picture.
| Role | Total hours | Classroom minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Claims adjuster | 160 | 120 |
| Medical-only claims adjuster | 80 | 50 |
| Medical-only adjuster moving to claims adjuster | 80 additional | 70 |
The classroom figure is a minimum. Classroom hours above it also count toward the total. The balance may be done on the job under supervision, which our guide to adjuster on-the-job training covers in detail.
Where: what counts as a classroom
The regulation defines the word. Under §2592.01(c), a classroom is “any space sufficiently designed so that the instructor and students can communicate with a high degree of privacy and relative freedom from outside interference.”
The same subsection settles the question of online training. The instructor “may be physically present or may communicate with students by means of an electronic medium, including, but not limited to, audio, video, computer, or Internet.”
In practice, that means all of these can be classroom training:
- An in-person class at your employer or a training provider
- A live webinar
- An on-demand online course
A physical room is not required. What the definition describes is a setting with privacy and “relative freedom from outside interference,” so plan to take online training somewhere you can focus.
Who: the instructor standard
Classroom hours must be “with an instructor,” and §2592.01(i) sets out who qualifies. An instructor conveys curriculum content to students on behalf of an insurer, a training entity or a medical billing entity, and must have either:
- at least five years within the past eight of on-the-job experience adjusting California workers’ compensation claims, and have been designated as a claims adjuster by an insurer, or
- at least eight years of experience in California workers’ compensation within the past twelve.
Other experts can teach too. The same definition allows “persons knowledgeable about specific workers’ compensation issues who are not instructors” to train students under the direction of an instructor. An attorney, nurse case manager or bill review specialist can lead a session, as long as an instructor is directing the training.
This is one place where classroom hours differ from on-the-job hours. On-the-job training may be supervised by an instructor or an experienced claims adjuster. Classroom training needs an instructor.
What: the topics the course must cover
A course only counts if it teaches the required curriculum. Section 2592.01(e) says the curriculum must include “time allocated to each subject area,” and §2592.03(a) lists the topics. For claims adjusters, the course of study “shall include, but not be limited to”:
- Historical overview of the workers’ compensation system
- Organizational structure of the system
- The workers’ compensation insurance policy, its forms and endorsements, insurance principles of compensation
- Concepts and terminology
- Benefit provisions
- Compensability
- Notice requirements
- Temporary disability
- Permanent disability, including evaluation and rating
- Death benefits
- Return to work and vocational rehabilitation
- Cumulative trauma
- Serious and willful misconduct
- Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board procedures, forms, hearings and penalties
- Investigation
- Fraud
- Medical terminology
- Knowledge and use of utilization guidelines (American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine or other guidelines approved by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers’ Compensation)
- Medical evidence
- Medical dispute resolution (Qualified Medical Examiners, spinal surgery second opinions, pre-designation of physicians, independent medical reviewers, utilization review)
- Fee schedules
- Liens
- Apportionment
- Subrogation
- Reserving
- Ethical issues
Medical-only claims adjusters study the same list, minus six topics (§2592.03(b)): temporary disability, permanent disability, death benefits, return to work and vocational rehabilitation, serious and willful misconduct, and apportionment.
What does not count toward the classroom minimum
The regulation separates classroom training from other kinds of time. These do not count toward the 120:
- Supervised claims work. It can count toward the total as on-the-job training, but not toward the classroom minimum (§2592.02(a)(1)).
- Working claims on your own. Time at a desk without supervision is not training at all.
- Post-designation training. Seminars, workshops and informational meetings “need not be in a classroom with an instructor” (§2592.02(e)). They meet a separate requirement: 30 hours every two years for adjusters who are already designated.
A course that cannot show which topics it covered, and for how long, creates a different problem. The insurer must keep a record of exactly that (§2592.06(d)), so a course without it leaves a gap in the insurer’s file.
There is no state-approved course list
The regulation does not have the state approve adjuster classroom training courses or providers. Instead, the insurer certifies to the Insurance Commissioner that “the course of instruction provided for training meets all the requirements” of the regulation, and that its adjusters attended for the required number of hours (§2592.02(g)).
The insurer may provide the training directly or send adjusters to a training entity for the entire designation curriculum. Either way, the insurer decides which course it relies on, and the insurer signs the certification.
Who keeps the record
Under §2592.06(d), the insurer keeps a record of every course its adjusters take to meet the requirement, including:
- A complete description of the curriculum
- Each topic covered, with a detailed statement of the time spent on it
- The entity that provided the instruction
- The name of each instructor, and anyone who taught under an instructor’s direction
- Your start and end dates, and whether you completed every required topic area
Once you have completed the training and been designated, you do not have to repeat it to adjust for a different insurer (§2592.02(h)). Keep your own completion certificates. They are the quickest way to show a new employer what you have done.
Questions to ask before you choose adjuster classroom training
- Does it cover every topic in §2592.03, or the medical-only set if that is your role?
- Can it show the time allocated to each topic?
- Who writes and reviews the content, and how is it kept current?
- Does it record your completion topic by topic or module by module?
- Can you finish it within the 12-month training window while you work?
Where CPWC fits
IEA’s CPWC (Claims Practitioner in Workers’ Compensation) is on-demand classroom training built around California’s requirement. The Indemnity track covers the §2592.03 topics in 120 hours, and the Medical-Only track covers the medical-only set in 50. On-demand delivery is allowed under §2592.01(c). The curriculum is written and kept current by California workers’ compensation practitioners and reviewed by attorney of counsel, Sure S. Log. CPWC records your completion module by module. Your insurer decides which course it relies on and certifies it to the Insurance Commissioner.
CPWC does not replace the supervised on-the-job hours or the insurer’s Designation. Those come from the insurer you adjust for. If you are still choosing, compare the CPWC tracks.
Quick answers
Does online training count as adjuster classroom training?
Yes. Under §2592.01(c), the instructor may communicate with students by electronic medium, including computer or Internet. On-demand and live online courses can both count.
Can I do more than 120 classroom hours?
Yes. The 120 is a minimum. Extra classroom hours count toward the 160-hour total.
Is there a list of state-approved classroom courses?
No. The insurer certifies to the Insurance Commissioner that the course it uses meets the requirements (§2592.02(g)).
Do post-designation training hours count toward the 120?
No. Post-designation training is a separate requirement for adjusters who are already designated: 30 hours every two years for claims adjusters and 20 for medical-only adjusters (§2592.02(d)).
Will my classroom hours count if I change insurers?
Once you are trained and designated, you do not need to retrain for a new insurer (§2592.02(h)). If you are still in training, the 12-month limit is a combined total across insurers (§2592.02(b)), so the clock keeps running.
This article explains California’s adjuster training regulations (10 CCR §§2592.01 to 2592.06) as published on November 9, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Each insurer is responsible for training and designating its adjusters, and regulations can change. For your specific situation, check with your employer’s training or compliance team, or a qualified attorney. IEA Training is a training provider, not a regulator.
