Disability Insurance Available to Employers Previously Excluded

September 12, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Assurant Employee Benefit's Serious Disability Benefit product is now being offered as an employer-paid benefit.

According to an Assurant press release, the Serious Disability Benefit product was offered as a voluntary version in January and now is available as a benefit option by employers in all industries, including those who were previously unable to purchase group disability protection for their employees.   The employer-paid version offers the same benefits as the voluntary version, including a disability definition that employs impairment ratings developed and published by the American Medical Association, according to the news release.

Under the Serious Disability Benefit, short-term benefits are offered initially for six months to claimants who are hospitalized for 72 hours or longer at the onset of their injury or illness, the release said.   After six months, the coverage converts to the impairment-rating definition of disability.  According to the news release, benefits can continue up to age 65, as long as the claimant’s impairment rating meets or exceeds 51%. 

Assurant Employee Benefits specializes in quality employee benefits and services, including long-term and short-term disability, life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, dental coverage, and disability reinsurance management services. Assurant Employee Benefits also offers voluntary (employee-paid) disability, life and dental plans.

The Assurant Web site is www.assurant.com .

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