CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 25, 2006) - New research from UnumProvident (NYSE: UNM) shows that customers who integrate family and medical leave management with disability leave management report, on average, savings of nearly $12,000 per 100 disability claimants when compared to customers with disability management services only.
"Today´s employers often face complicated health and productivity challenges," says Kenneth Mitchell, Ph.D, vice president of return to work program development. "Our research clearly demonstrates that the management of family and medical leave with short-term disability can reduce the delay in claims submission and identify individuals with high risk for repeat claims."
This research compared UnumProvident customers with integrated leave management services to customers having only disability management. The claim cost was lower for customers with integrated leave management services. The customers with integrated services reported:
UnumProvident studied lost time data from 2001 to 2004 on 144,460 employees. The study population was analyzed based on their utilization or non-utilization of FML leaves and disability claims.
UnumProvident´s research also begins to recognize the demographic and policy factors that contribute to lost time. For example, employees who are female and older are more likely to experience a family leave event that progresses to disability, and are more likely to report an intermittent leave.
"Human resource managers are looking closely at their employee benefits to better understand the interrelationship and collective impact of these benefitson employee productivity," says Rob Hecker, vice president of leave management. "It is fast becoming a priority to better integrate and coordinate the core benefits of sick leave, healthcare, disability and mandated family leave."
A copy of the report "Health and Productivity Connection: An Employer´s Guide to Managing Lost Time" can be found at http://www.unumprovident.com/newsroom/news/reference.aspx.
About UnumProvident
UnumProvident (UNM) is the largest provider of group and individual disability income protection insurance in the United States and United Kingdom. Through its subsidiaries, UnumProvident Corporation insures more than 21 million people and paid $6 billion in total benefits to customers in 2005. With primary offices in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Portland, Maine, the company employs nearly 12,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.unumprovident.com.