For a claims handler, the practicum log is a line-by-line account of every held claim action they decide over ten working days: the agent's proposed offer, decline or document request, the policy wording it relied on, the handler's decision and reason, the supervisor's independent call, and any red line. Below are the template and sample household claims.
When does a claims handler start the log?
On the first day of the practicum, before the first held item is opened. The header is filled in with the supervisor, the claim types in scope, the handler's practicum authority limit and the red lines. From then on, every decision gets a row, including the easy ones; leaving out routine items makes the score look worse than it is and hides whether the handler is reading them at all.
In most claims teams the agent records first notice of loss at depth 3, requests missing documents at depth 2, and drafts settlement offers and declines for a person to decide. A settlement payment is depth 4 and held for a named handler. The log covers everything that reaches the handler's queue. How the fortnight is set up is in how to run a two-week practicum for claims handlers.
What makes a claims entry complete?
Four things a general review log does not ask for:
- The wording relied on. Every offer and every decline should cite the clause. If the agent's draft cites one and the handler relies on another, both are recorded.
- The amount against authority. The handler's practicum limit, the amount, and whether the item needed referral.
- Fraud indicators. Present or not, and whether there is an open referral.
- Who supplied the key evidence. An engineer's report on the insurer's panel is signed; a repair estimate emailed by the policyholder's garage is external; the policyholder's description is declared.
Template: claims practicum log
Header: handler; supervisor and certificate number; claim types; practicum authority limit; dates; bar (at least 95 correct in every 100, no missed red line); red lines.
Red lines for most claims teams:
- Declining a claim without a clause that supports it.
- Agreeing a settlement above the handler's authority.
- Paying while a fraud referral is open.
- Paying to bank details supplied through an unverified channel.
| Column | Entry |
|---|---|
| No. and date | |
| Claim number and product | |
| Stage | Notice of loss, cover check, documents, offer, decline, payment |
| Agent's proposal and verdict | Including the deciding bound |
| Clause cited by the agent | |
| Key evidence and provenance | Sealed, signed, declared or external |
| Amount and authority | Amount; within limit or referred |
| Fraud indicators | None / present / open referral |
| Handler's decision and reason | Citing the clause relied on |
| Supervisor's decision | Recorded first |
| Match | Yes / no / defensible |
| Red line | None / caught / missed |
| Debrief note |
Example entries from a household claims queue
Take a sample home insurer. Values are illustrative.
Entry 58. Escape of water. The agent drafts an offer of 1,800 for kitchen units, citing the accidental damage section. Evidence: loss adjuster's report (signed); photos from the policyholder (declared). Handler: edits the offer to cite the escape of water section, which applies here and carries a different excess, and reduces to 1,550. Supervisor: same. Match: yes.
Entry 59. Storm damage to a fence. The agent drafts a decline citing the exclusion for fences, gates and hedges. Handler: approves the decline. Supervisor: approves. Match: yes. A routine entry, logged because it is still a decision.
Entry 60. Theft from a shed. The agent's offer of 900 is held because a fraud indicator fired: three similar claims at nearby addresses in two months. Handler: releases the offer, reasoning that the policyholder's story is consistent. Supervisor: hold; refer to the fraud team. Match: no. Red line: paying while indicators are unresolved, missed. No money moved, because the supervisor's decision governs during the practicum, but the bar is failed.
Entry 61. Accidental damage to a television. The policyholder emails new bank details for payment. Handler: holds and calls the number on the policy. Supervisor: same. Match: yes. Red line caught.
Entry 60 is the kind of item that makes a practicum worth running. Most handlers would pass a written test on fraud indicators; fewer hold a sympathetic claim when the queue is long.
Claims logs share their red line about bank details with other roles that release money; compare the practicum log for collections agents and, for contact-heavy work, the log for customer support agents.
Where the Academy fits
Pryme Intelligence Academy's Certified Pryme Operator ends in exactly this kind of evidence: two weeks of real review decisions, at least 95 in every 100 correct and no missed red line, signed off by a Pryme assessor, after a written exam of 40 questions. Insurers can make a handler's right to release held payments depend on a current certificate. The guide to AI literacy and certification for people who work with agents has more.
Questions people ask
Should declines count the same as offers in the score?
Yes, one decision each. Declines often carry more risk for the customer, so some teams double-check every decline, but the score stays a simple count.
What happens if the handler disagrees with the supervisor and is right?
Record it as defensible, note the reason, and keep it in the debrief. A practicum that only rewards agreement teaches handlers to guess what the supervisor thinks.
Does the handler become accountable for the agent's offers after passing?
The handler answers for what they approve, and the insurer for the deployment. See are claims handlers accountable for an AI agent's mistakes and do claims handlers need a certificate to approve AI agent actions.