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R&R Insurance Blog

Top 10 Causes of Employee Disability

Posted by Donald Levings

Injured LegFor the past 12 years, Unum reports the leading cause of its long-term disability claims is cancer. “Most people who have been diagnosed with cancer are very motivated to get back to work,” says Kristin Tugman, senior director of health and productivity at Unum. “It helps create a sense of normalcy and control at a time when people often feel understandably overwhelmed.” Cancer is also Unum’s No. 6 cause of short-term disability. Here are the top five LTD and STD causes according to 2012 claims data from Unum.

Top 5 Long Term Disability (LTD) Causes

  • #1 LTD cause: Cancer
    Cancer accounts for 16% of LTD claims. Dramatic trends in recovery and return-to-work have improved this number over the past few decades.
  • # 2 LTD cause: Back Disorders
    Back problems account for 15.1% of LTD claims. Watch for them to show up again in STD claims. The lesson here: workers need to watch their back.
  • #3 LTD cause: Injuries
    Accounting for 9.8% of LTD claims, injuries are among the most difficult to prevent of any health claims. The more unexpected a health risk, the more important to have secure insurance safety nets in place.
  • # 4 LTD cause: Behavioral Health Issues
    Essentially a tie with injuries at 9.8% of LTD claims, behavioral health is often not covered under a traditional health plan. So when a disability arises from it, coverage becomes all the more important.
  • # 5 LTD cause: Circulatory System Disorders
    We all know we should take better care of our hearts, but are employees? Circulatory disorders come in 9% of LTD claims

Top 5 Short Term Disability (STD) Causes

  • # 1 STD cause: Maternity
    Normal, healthy pregnancies make up 18.9% of Unum’s short-term claims.
  • # 2 STD cause: Injuries
    Non-back-related injuries make up more than one-in-10 short-term disability claims, or nearly one-in-seven of all STD claims not related to maternity.
  • # 3 STD cause: Complications From Pregnancy
    Pregnancy complications account for 8.4% of STD claims.
  • # 4 STD cause: Digestive Disorders
    These represent 8% of STD claims, according to Unum's data.
  • # 5 STD cause: Back Disorders
    In addition to 15.1% of LTD claims, back problems make up 7.1% of STD claims

With 65% of workers living paycheck to paycheck, employers offering voluntary disability products provide their employees with a financial safety net in case any unforeseen circumstances occur. Wisconsin companies, for more in formation on offering disability insurance to your employees or purchasing disability insurance products for yourself, your professional team or your family, contact knowledgebroker Donald Levings. More information about disability products can be found on our website.

Topics: Employee Benefits, Voluntary Benefits, Disability Insurance, ltd, std, disability, don levings, short term disability, Unum, Long term disability