Methodology · Last reviewed April 2026

How Shielded Analyzes Insurance Policies

Every finding in a Shielded report is traceable to one of three sources: your policy language, a state statute, or a published benchmark. Here is exactly how it works.

1. What Shielded does — and does not do

⚠ Not Legal Advice

Shielded is an informational and educational tool. Nothing on this platform — including any report, analysis, benchmark, or guidance — constitutes legal advice, and no use of this platform creates an attorney–client relationship. For legal representation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

What Shielded does

  • Reads your policy language verbatim — identifies covered perils, exclusions, sublimits, and conditions using the exact text of your policy document
  • Compares your insurer's offer to your policy terms — flags where the offer appears inconsistent with what the policy says
  • References applicable state law — cites the relevant state insurance statute, statute of limitations, and bad faith law for your state
  • Benchmarks against published settlement data — compares loss amounts to publicly available NAIC and industry benchmark data
  • Generates a cited report — every finding includes the source (policy section, statute number, or benchmark reference)

What Shielded does NOT do

  • Give legal advice or represent you in any legal proceeding
  • Act as a licensed public adjuster
  • Guarantee any outcome in a claim dispute
  • Replace a licensed attorney, public adjuster, or insurance professional
  • Access your insurer's internal systems or adjuster notes

2. The three data sources behind every report

Every single finding in a Shielded report is tied to one of these three sources. If we cannot cite a source, we do not make the finding.

📄

Source 1 — Your Policy Document

The uploaded PDF of your commercial insurance policy. We read the exact text — coverage sections, exclusion clauses, conditions, definitions, endorsements, and declarations page.

Citation format: "Per §4.2 of policy CPP-XXXXX…"
⚖️

Source 2 — State Insurance Law

State insurance statutes, unfair claims practices acts, bad faith law, and state insurance commissioner bulletins. All public record, cited with statute numbers.

Citation format: "Under Tex. Ins. Code §541…"
📊

Source 3 — Published Benchmarks

NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) loss cost data, ISO published forms, and industry settlement benchmarks from publicly available databases.

Citation format: "NAIC 2024 commercial property benchmark…"

ℹ Why this matters for your claim

When you present a Shielded report to your insurer, every finding is traceable to public record or your own policy text. An insurer cannot call a finding "false" if it is quoting their own policy language back to them. The citation is your defense against a bad-faith pushback.

3. How the analysis works — step by step

Upload your policy PDF

Shielded reads your commercial insurance policy document — the declarations page, coverage forms, exclusions, and all endorsements. We extract the policy number, insurer, coverage limits, named perils, and exclusions.

Identify the incident type

You tell us what happened (fire, water damage, theft, equipment failure, etc.). We match that incident type to the relevant policy sections — covered perils, applicable exclusions, and any endorsements that change the coverage.

Read coverage language verbatim

We extract the exact policy language covering your incident. We identify: (a) what is expressly covered, (b) what is excluded, (c) any conditions or duties after loss that apply, and (d) the applicable sublimit or deductible.

Compare offer to policy terms

If you enter your insurer's settlement offer, we compare it against the coverage language. We flag specific sections where the offer may undervalue the loss — citing the exact policy clause that supports a higher amount.

Apply state law context

We apply the relevant statute of limitations and bad faith law for your state. We note: how long you have to dispute the claim, what your state requires the insurer to do under its unfair claims practices act, and whether bad faith penalties apply.

Benchmark against published data

Where applicable, we reference NAIC published loss benchmarks to show how your claim compares to documented settlement ranges for similar incidents. This contextualizes the gap between the offer and fair value.

Generate the cited report

The final report lists every finding with its source reference. The report is designed to be presented to your insurer, a public adjuster, or an attorney — not as legal advice, but as organized, cited documentation of what your policy says.

4. Accuracy standards and limitations

What we citeSourceAccuracy level
Policy coverage languageYour uploaded policy PDFVerbatim — we quote the document exactly
State statutesOfficial state code, last reviewed April 2026High — public law, cited with statute numbers
Claim deadlines / SOLState insurance codesHigh — verify current law with a licensed attorney
Settlement benchmarksNAIC data, industry publicationsDirectional — ranges, not guarantees
Coverage gap estimatesPolicy + benchmarksInformational — not a legal valuation

Known limitations

  • PDF parsing: Poorly scanned or non-standard policy PDFs may not parse correctly. Always review the extracted text for accuracy before using the report.
  • Policy interpretation: Policy language is sometimes ambiguous. Shielded flags ambiguity — it does not resolve legal disputes about policy interpretation. An attorney does that.
  • State law changes: Statutes are reviewed periodically but may not reflect very recent legislative changes. Always verify current law with a licensed professional.
  • Benchmark data: Settlement benchmarks represent published ranges, not guaranteed outcomes. Individual claims vary significantly based on documentation, jurisdiction, and insurer.
  • Endorsements: Custom policy endorsements that modify standard forms may not be fully captured. Review all endorsements separately.

5. If an insurer disputes a finding

✓ Every finding is traceable to public record

Because every Shielded finding cites either your own policy text, a state statute, or a published benchmark — an insurer cannot call it "false" without disputing their own policy language or public law. That is your strongest defense.

If the insurer says the report is inaccurate:

  1. Ask them to identify the specific finding they dispute. A vague "this report is inaccurate" is not a substantive response.
  2. Point to the source citation in the report. "Shielded cites §4.2 of your own policy for this finding. Which part of §4.2 do you believe is being misread?"
  3. Request their denial in writing with the specific policy exclusion or legal basis for denying each disputed item.
  4. File a complaint with your state insurance commissioner if the insurer cannot substantiate their denial with policy language.
  5. Consult a licensed insurance attorney who can formally dispute the denial using the report as supporting documentation.

What Shielded cannot do in a dispute:

Shielded is not a party to your claim and cannot represent you, file on your behalf, or appear in any proceeding. The report is a knowledge tool — what you do with it is your decision, ideally in consultation with a licensed professional.