Group Income Protection: Early Intervention Services

Large numbers of employers provide Group Income Protection (GIP) policies for their employees to ensure an employee continues to receive a regular income if they cannot work for an extended period of time – a great benefit for employees and also a great tool for an employer in terms of recruitment and retention.

However, a lot of employers fail to realise that GIP policies provide far more than just a replacement salary for employees once they have been off for a specified period of time.

During the "deferred period" (the time between an employee going off sick and a claim actually kicking in typically 13 or 26 weeks), insurers are able to offer a wide variety of early intervention services to employers. These services aim to work with both employers and employees to assist an employee in returning to work as quickly as possible.

Support can be available as early as day one of absence depending on the circumstances. Support can also include access to specialist helplines often staffed by registered nurses, absence management support, access to rehabilitation consultants, support around a gradual and structured return to work if appropriate or even arranging for specific medical procedures for an employee.

The key is to involve an insurer as early as possible. If an employer only reports long term absence a few weeks before the end of the deferred period, they lose out on all the added value services from the provider. This often means a claim progressing into payment, which could have been avoided through effective early intervention.

The stats back this up; one leading GIP insurer in 2017 saw 90% of all users of their early intervention support back to work within 6 months, often avoiding claims altogether as a result.

It was also interesting to see that of the 3,551 people helped back to work in 2018, 52.1% had helped to overcome mental illness compared to 17.3% overcoming a musculoskeletal condition. (Figures from GRiD Group Risk Development). With mental wellbeing a large driver in employee benefits programmes at the moment, it is pleasing to see that help is available quickly for affected employees via their GIP insurer at no extra cost to the employer.

Bravo Benefits work with organisations of all shapes and sizes to build appropriate benefits programmes for their employees whether that be new benefits or a review of existing benefits to ensure they are fit for purpose and are being utilised effectively. To find out more about how Bravo Benefits can protect your business, visit https:/bravobenefits.co.uk. You can also call us on 01543 484939 or 0330 333 9100 – get in touch today for a no-obligation chat.

‍