Delays & timelines
Why is my insurance claim taking so long?
The short answer: it's probably not you, and it's not necessarily your adjuster dragging their feet. The whole system is overloaded — disasters are striking every 10 days, there aren't enough workers, and parts take twice as long to arrive. Here's what's behind the wait, in plain numbers.
Disasters are happening every 10 days
In 2025, the U.S. averaged a billion-dollar weather disaster roughly every 10 days, according to Sedgwick's 2026 Loss Adjusting Insights Report. Forty years ago, the average gap was 82 days.
Every one of those disasters generates thousands of insurance claims. Your adjuster isn't handling your claim — they're handling hundreds of them, in order. You're in a line that's getting longer faster than it's getting shorter.
There aren't enough workers
The construction industry needs 349,000 additional workers in 2026 just to meet demand. Fewer available crews means longer waits for repairs — even after your claim is approved and everyone agrees on what needs doing.
Parts and equipment take twice as long
Lead times for specialized equipment have more than doubled in the past five years. A repair can stall for weeks or months waiting on a single part, while the costs around it keep running.
October 2026 update: fewer claims filed, but the system is still strained
New numbers from Verisk show U.S. claim assignments fell to 1.24 million in the second quarter of 2026 — down 12.2% from a year earlier and 13.1% below the five-year average. So why are claims still slow? Because 43% of those assignments were catastrophe claims, up from 34% five years ago. Fewer total claims, but a bigger share of the hard, complex kind.
The people problem is getting worse, not better: a quarter of claim adjusters are expected to retire by the end of 2027 — what Sedgwick's Andrew McCallum calls a "silver tsunami" of experience walking out the door. In an industry survey, 73% of respondents said the retirement wave's biggest impact would be the loss of industry knowledge.
On the repair side, higher deductibles are pushing some homeowners to handle smaller losses themselves, so restoration companies are competing for fewer jobs — while the big, complex losses that remain pull in more parties, more approvals, and more waiting. (Sources: Verisk Q2 2026 claims volume report; Sedgwick 2026 Loss Adjusting Insights, via Insurance Journal, October 5, 2026.)
What you can actually do
- Document everything. Photos, dates, receipts — and every conversation with your insurer in writing. Email beats phone calls because it leaves a trail.
- Follow up on a schedule. A polite written check-in every week keeps your file from settling to the bottom of the pile.
- Ask for timelines in writing. "When will I hear back?" should always get a date attached, not a vague "soon."
- Calibrate your expectations. The delay isn't proof your claim is weak — it's proof the system is full. The homeowners who get through fastest are the organized ones, not the loudest ones.
Insurance rules vary by state and by policy. Check your own policy documents and your state's insurance department, or talk to a licensed professional, before acting on a claim. Data: Sedgwick 2026 Loss Adjusting Insights Report; Verisk Q2 2026 claims volume report.
Where the time goes
| Delay point | What's actually happening | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Adjuster assignment | Backlog, especially after storms | Call weekly; log every call with date and name |
| Estimate review | Internal review queues at the carrier | Ask for the reviewer's name and a decision date in writing |
| "Need more info" | Sometimes legitimate, sometimes stalling | Send it same-day, certified; note the date the clock restarts |
| Supplement review | Second trip through the queue | Same as above — everything in writing, everything dated |