Claims Leadership, Answered
Our spotlight on Vicky Hartstein, SVP & Chief Claims Officer at Berkley Human Services.
Meet Vicky Hartstein
Vicky brings more than 12 years of litigation experience and over a decade of handling high-severity claims involving complex liability and coverage issues—providing the judgment and perspective required in today’s challenging claims environment. As Chief Claims Officer, Vicky leads claims operations while serving on the Executive Team, helping shape Berkley Human Services’ strategic direction, profitability, and long-term success. Her role bridges day-to-day claims management with enterprise-level decision making, aligning claims strategy with risk appetite, pricing intent, and the realities facing mission-drive organizations.
Guiding claims strategy in the Human Services market
“When a claim happens, our role is to step in as a trusted partner. We’re here to guide, support, and help our insureds move forward with confidence,” said Vicky.
Q: How does your team support clients, partners, or distribution?
A: The Claims team manages first‑ and third‑party claims related to damage, liability, or loss of property. The team investigates incidents and claims, determines coverage, pays claims fairly and timely, and helps BHS insureds recover while safeguarding the company’s financial and regulatory integrity.
Throughout the process, the team works closely with insureds, broker partners, and specialized vendors to keep communication clear, decisions grounded in coverage, and expectations aligned. Consistency, transparency, and responsiveness help reduce uncertainty and build trust throughout the life of a claim.
Leadership perspective and decision-making
Q: How do you approach decision-making in complex or high-stakes situations?
A: In complex or high-severity situations, I rely on a structured, discipled decision-making approach. Each decision begins with a thorough understanding of the facts, coverage, and legal considerations, followed by an assessment of risk exposure and financial impact. When appropriate, I engage subject-matter experts, leadership partners, or external specialists early in the process to help provide timely and well-supported decisions.
Q: What guides your judgement when balancing risk, service, and growth?
A: My judgement is guided by consistency, thoughtfulness, and disciplined risk management. I focus on making fair, consistent, and transparent decisions that help protect the insureds and the company. This means managing severity thoughtfully, avoiding unnecessary litigation, and maintaining fair claims handling, while also recognizing when timely resolution supports long term relationships and sustainable growth.
Value to clients, broker partners, and stakeholders
Q: What does your approach mean for the people Berkley Human Services serves?
A: Our approach means our insureds can expect thoughtful, fair, and timely claim outcomes that recognize both the coverage obligations and outcomes, focusing on our value of insuring those that serve others. We approach each claim with empathy, clarity, and accountability, so decisions are grounded in the coverage and applicable law while remaining mindful of the mission driven environments our insureds operate within.
Q: How does your leadership shape the producer and client experience?
A: Our insureds and broker partners should expect a claims team that is collaborative, disciplined, and solutions focused. We value open communication, early engagement on complex issues, and alignment across functions.
Q: What should producers expect when working with your team?
A: My leadership sets the expectation that claims is not just a transactional function, but a core part of the insured-insurer relationship. By reinforcing consistency, transparency, and responsiveness, we aim to reduce uncertainty and build trust throughout the life of a claim. I encourage my team to communicate clearly, escalate appropriately, and partner proactively with the insureds and broker partners so that our insureds feel supported and informed.
Collaboration delivers stronger outcomes
Claims do not operate in isolation. Strong outcomes depend on close collaboration with underwriting, corporate legal, actuarial, and financial teams. Working closely with underwriting, corporate legal, actuarial, and finance allows us to see a holistic view. Collaboration helps improve claim strategy and create alignment between coverage intent, claims execution, and organizational goals.
Differentiation through specialization
Q: What differentiates your approach or expertise in the market?
A: Our differentiation starts with people. We have a highly experienced, diligent, and empathetic claims team with deep tenure in property and casualty claims, particularly within the abuse space. That experience allows us to assess risk quickly, understand the operational realities of our insureds, and respond thoughtfully in both low- and high-severity situations. We act early, think beyond traditional paths, and use specialized vendors and data to drive informed decisions and creative resolution strategies. By combining seasoned judgment with targeted external expertise, we are able to resolve claims efficiently, minimize disruption, and deliver outcomes that protect both our insureds and the company.
Q: Why does specialization matter in this segment of the business?
A: Specialization is critical in the human services segment because the claims are often complex. These claims require not only technical expertise, but an understanding of insureds’ mission, the sensitive nature of the environments in which our insureds operate and the legal landscape.
A specialized claims team recognizes risk patterns early, engages the right partners proactively, and applies coverage and strategy in a way that is both sound and practical. This expertise allows us to manage severity responsibly, reduce unnecessary litigation, and support sustainable growth.
Q: How does your team remain aligned as the business evolves?
A: As the business evolves, alignment comes from clarity of purpose, strong communication, and shared accountability. I set clear expectations around decision making, documentation, escalation, and collaboration, while empowering the team to apply their experience and judgment within those guardrails. We stay aligned through regular collaboration with underwriting, legal, actuarial and finance, enabling the claims strategy to remain consistent with pricing intent and risk appetite. We also continuously refine our approach by leveraging data trends and lessons learned from claim outcomes.
Bottom line
The Berkley Human Services' Claims Team is a strategic differentiator. Through experience, specialization, early action, and cross-functional collaboration, the team delivers outcomes that protect insureds, strengthen broker relationships, and support Berkley’s long-term growth in the human services space.