Will Aflacs One Day Pay shake up the voluntary industry?
Aflac says it will now pay out certain voluntary benefit claims in one business day, an announcement that industry experts say will likely force competitors to follow suit.
Disability insurance
Benefits Think Intermittent leave: What you need to know about certifications
Commentary: Theres a lot for your clients to consider when carefully managing intermittent leaves. The Standard's Lincoln Dirks goes in-depth on the paperwork that outlines the parameters for an absence certifications and recertifications.
Lincoln Dirks
Standard Insurance Company
Benefits Think Have your clients considered these two little-known ways to help manage intermittent leaves?
Commentary: With the use of intermittent leave, a type of Family and Medical Leave Act job protection, on the rise, The Standard's Lincoln Dirks says this type of leave potentially may become a growing burden for your clients.
Lincoln Dirks
Standard Insurance Company
Benefits Think 3 steps to help clients sort out the reasonable accommodation process
Commentary: Half of HR managers dont know how to help employees return to work from a disability, according to research from The Standard.
Brian Kost
Standard Insurance Company
Legal groups file EEOC pregnancy charge against Walmart
Three legal organizations allege in a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge against Walmart that the retail giant did not go far enough to offer reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers with temporary disabilities. The National Womens Law Center, A Better Balance and Mehri & Skalet, PLLC highlight in a Dec. 17 statement that the charge is on behalf of Candis Riggins, a former Walmart employee, whose job tasks caused her to become ill when she was
The do’s and don’ts of a successful stay-at-work accommodation
Even though each situation is unique, there are a number of best practices for helping employees through reasonable accommodations.
Employers make the business case for benefits through RFPs
With increased CFO involvement in health care and benefit decision-making, benefit managers are under more scrutiny than ever before to ensure they efficiently manage their health and benefits vendor relationships.
3 common disability management questions
Many benefit managers especially those at smaller companies have never had to help an employee with an accommodation at work or help chart their path back to work after a disability leave.
Benefits Think Employers face litigation threat in FMLA cases
The costs of complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act are already large enough, but small employers must be vigilant of huge legal costs associated with inappropriate terminations.
Angie Brown
Becker Professional Education
Benefits Think Using behavioral economics to understand disability insurance purchasing decisions
Employees need disability insurance and most employers are offering a group solution. But what can be done to enhance employees adoption of their available coverage?
Senator calls for Social Security expansions, not cuts
Funding for Social Security Disability Insurance is set to run out by 2016, and if no further action from Congress is taken, SSDI recipients could see a 20% reduction in benefits.
Why employers need ADA-compliant policies
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions vigorous zeal for employer compliance with the Americans with Disability Act is not showing any signs of letting up. As a result, legal advisers in the labor and employment field recommend that employers of all sizes conduct a thorough review of their policies and accommodations.
From war to the workplace: Benefits for hiring vets
An abundance of veterans in the U.S. – and the litany of disabilities experienced by so many of them – makes it especially important to work to utilize their skills and experiences.
Benefits Think The latest reasonable-accommodation trend
Commentary: Why your clients should consider allowing work from home as a part of disability recovery for certain employees.
Benefits Think Employee travel exposes potential workers compensation issues
Workers who travel out of their state or country of hire to perform work on behalf of their employers create liability exposures, due to complex laws, administrative rules and regulations that deal with workplace injuries and diseases across the U.S. and abroad.
Advisers challenged to meet increased market diversity
The life insurance and annuities market continues to grow, but advisers hoping to capitalize on that will first need to meet the challenges of a diversifying U.S. population.
DIYers missing financial, workplace benefit opportunities
The do-it-yourself approach may be all the rage for home renovations but when it comes to benefits, employees still need guidance from their employers.
Engaging the invincible millennial
Advisers and employers can use education to boost the enrollment of millennials in voluntary disability programs
Benefits Think A primer on travel accident insurance
Besides death and dismemberment benefits, policies typically provide medical payments, temporary disability payments, and coverage for costs associated with repatriating employees from foreign soil.
Benefits Think Study reveals importance of personal interactions in return-to-work
Employees who experienced negative interactions with their manager had a decreased sense of connection with their employer and were less motivated to return to work following a disability.