At its core, claims is about people — both the professionals doing the work and the families they serve. The best claim solutions come from those who have experienced the realities of claims firsthand.
In our Behind the Claims series, we highlight those voices. Missy Cleary, Business Analyst at Benekiva, brings decades of experience across life insurance, from policy servicing to systems to claims, and a deeply analytical mindset paired with a passion for doing right by people when it matters most.
I actually started when I was 19. I was looking for a part-time job that would work around my schedule, and I ended up working with a carrier who offered flexible hours.
It was one of those situations where I wasn’t even sure I wanted the job at first. But once I got in, I just kept learning and taking on more responsibility. Before I knew it, I had built a career there.
Over time, I realized how much there is to learn in insurance. I worked across many areas, servicing, conservation, illustrations, and I really enjoyed understanding how everything fit together.
“I’m very analytical. I like to see how things come apart so I can understand how they go back together.”
That curiosity kept me engaged. There was always something new to figure out.
Claims was the one area I hadn’t worked in for most of my career. I got pulled into it later when I was helping with system testing and requirements. At first, I was just trying to learn enough to do my job. But as I got deeper into it, I started to see how complicated the process could be.
“I would see claims that weren’t just days or weeks old. They were months old.”
And it wasn’t because people didn’t care. There were just so many steps, so many handoffs, and so many opportunities for things to slow down.
Once I really understood the process end-to-end, it changed how I saw the industry.
“You can issue a policy in a day, but it can take months to pay a claim. That doesn’t make sense.”
That gap really stuck with me. Because at the end of the day, the claim is the moment that matters most to the customer.
Because it’s the promise. People don’t buy insurance for the policy itself. They buy it for what happens later.
“You’re there at someone’s best moment when they buy the policy. But the real test is how you show up at their worst.”
That’s what claims is. And it should be treated that way.
I worked with claims systems before, and I’d seen how challenging they could be, especially when teams had to work across multiple systems or duplicate effort.
When I saw Benekiva, it was different. It was clear that it was built with both the examiner and the claimant in mind.
For me, it comes down to simplicity and clarity. From a claimant perspective, I think the biggest impact is being able to do things digitally.
“I like anything where I can submit something online, check the status, and not have to call and get different answers every time.”
That transparency matters, especially during a difficult time. From an examiner perspective, it’s about having everything in one place.
“You’re not going into multiple systems trying to figure out what you have and what you’re missing. It’s all right there.”
That makes a huge difference in both speed and accuracy.
From the examiner's side, I’m a big fan of the checklist. It keeps everything organized in one place: requirements, documentation, status.
“You don’t have to go to 15 different places to figure out what you need. It’s all there, and you know when you’re ready to move forward.”
From the claimant side, I’d say the portal experience overall. Anything that makes the process clearer and easier is a win. I also love what we call the pizza tracker, where claimants can see exactly where their claim is in the process.
It’s the people and the shared purpose.
“I really believe everyone here cares. We’re all trying to move in the same direction and make things better.”
And after spending so many years in the industry, it’s meaningful to be part of something that’s actively improving the experience.
