If you’re a benefits plan administrator in Saskatchewan, there’s a good chance you’ve had to deal with a long- or short-term disability claim at some point in time. Disability leave will surely come up at some point, but did you know that some benefits plans offer a disability management program to address these types of claims?
Disability management focuses on both preventative healthcare and measures that can improve an employee’s health while they are on disability leave. The purpose of disability management is to improve the experience of an employee on disability leave by providing support to get them well again and make sure their return to work accommodates any special needs. It also emphasizes taking proactive action to prevent someone from going on disability leave in the first place.
Read on to understand how a disability management program can provide extra support in your employee benefits plan.
1. Disability Management Programs Enhance Your Benefits Plan
A disability management program often includes additional coverage and protection related to disability leave that goes above and beyond a standard insurance plan in Saskatchewan. In this way, a disability management program can serve to enhance your employee benefits plan by adding an extra layer of support and protection for employees. It is more proactive and less reactive.
One of the best features of a disability management program is that it includes a specialist who specializes in matters related to disability leave. They are experts on the topic and know how to proactively handle every stage of a disability claim. By comparison, a plan administrator may not know exactly what to do with a disability claim. Moreover, employers do not have the resources to help a claimant in the same way as these specialists.
2. Putting the Claimant’s Best Interests First
Because specialists in a disability management program have a much better understanding of how to handle disability claims, the claimant benefits at every step of the process. It can sometimes take months for an insurer to approve a disability claim in a benefits plan. However, in a disability management program, as soon as an employee is absent for five days, the plan administrator can call in the program and they’ll start to work with the claimant right away.
This approach to disability management gives the claimant better line of sight on what’s happening with their claim. The overall process is much smoother, and the disability specialist is there to make sure the claimant really understands what’s going on. They are also better equipped to remind a claimant about resources that could help with their recovery.
3. A Reduced Impact on Benefits Insurance Premiums in Saskatchewan
Disability management programs have a better understanding of what’s required to get well and back on track when someone is on disability leave in Saskatchewan. As a result, this can reduce the length of long- and short-term disability claims, so there is no increase to premiums. Even better, these programs focus a great deal on early prevention which aims to avoid a claim from happening altogether.
Disability specialists are well acquainted with resources like EAP or other services the claimant can access in an effort to focus on early intervention. Because specialists are very familiar with local community resources, they offer a wealth of information that a plan administrator might not know about. This focus on early prevention has proved to shorten claims.
Conclusion
Insurance companies focus on providing insurance and aren’t necessarily helpful when it comes to providing support to a disability claimant. By comparison, disability management programs exist in the best interests of a claimant and prioritize early prevention, ultimately reducing premiums.
Are you a Saskatchewan- based employer curious to learn more about disability management programs available to you? Contact us to discuss your options.
