When you recommend Guardian’s Group Short Term Disability (STD) benefits, you can feel confident that your clients will receive efficient claims management that helps drive better outcomes for their business and their employees.
Guardian handles each and every claim professionally and compassionately, which can help get employees back to work sooner and save money. And we offer a range of flexible short term disability insurance products at competitive rates so you can provide your clients with just the solution they need.
A leader in group short term disability benefits
More employers choose Guardian to manage their short term disability claims than any other carrier. We rank #1 in total inforce STD cases.1
What gives us an edge?
For starters, our experience, integrity, and financial stability. For over 155 years, we’ve been committed to doing the right thing for companies and their employees. And we possess the financial stability, as evidenced by our exemplary financial ratings2 to pay claims quickly.
The claims speed and accuracy your clients want
Once STD claims are submitted to Guardian, they’re processed within 7 days or less from the time we receive them, with 99% accuracy. Routine claims, for example, hernia, appendicitis and other procedures that usually result in absences of 6 weeks or less, are handled separately for even quicker resolution.3,4,5
Conveniently, employees can submit claims paper-free, either online or over the phone through our TeleGuard service. Physician outreach will be made within just 2 business days.6
More helpful customer service
At Guardian, we aren’t just more efficient, we have a more human touch, too.
- Employees receive an empathetic claims review and guidance from our tenured team, including nurses and vocational rehabilitation specialists.
- Their questions are answered promptly regarding claims or billing by highly trained representatives.
- Employers get outstanding service, too with one dedicated Claims Case Manager to provide information and answers on all STD claims.
Experience Matters
| AVERAGE TENURE | |
| STD CLAIMS CASE MANAGERS | 12 YEARS |
| NURSE CASE MANAGERS | 12 YEARS |
| VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SPECIALISTS | 18 YEARS |
Trusted guidance during a difficult time
We understand that disabled employees want to lead a productive life, and employers want to improve productivity and reduce absences. Guardian’s team will work closely with employees to fully understand their specific circumstances and needs, make accommodations, and proactively engage external resources as needed. Our specialized team is compassionate about helping employees thrive and get back to work sooner.
Our success stories speak for themselves:
Watch our STD management story
Watch Linsey’s Back to Work Story
Helping prevent STD from becoming LTD
From day one, we evaluate short term disability claims for their potential to become long term disability claims, and work proactively with employees to minimize their absences. If STD does transition into LTD, only one claim submission is needed, and the nurse reviewing the STD case will make recommendations for follow up in LTD, helping to provide continuity in case management.
Integrated intake of STD and FMLA
With our comprehensive Disability and Absence Management solution, your clients can access our extensive absence management services, featuring integrated intake of STD and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims. These services can ease their administrative workload while reducing their risk of liability due to non-compliance with leave laws.
Flexible plan designs with all the support your clients need
Guardian offers a wide variety of customizable STD plan designs, including voluntary plans, so you can help your clients manage risk, control costs, and meet the financial protection needs of their employees. Our contracts use clear and unambiguous language around definitions, eligibility and exclusions, and include built-in features that encourage return to work.
With our Voluntary STD plans, your clients can give their employees choices over different aspects of your plan, including benefit amounts and combined options for benefit duration & elimination period. Each employee is able to select the right level of income replacement coverage for his or her needs and budget. This enables your clients to meet the varied needs of their entire workforce.
We also offer a variety of plan options8 that can help you further maximize and customize coverage, including industry-specific options (Physician, Educational Groups) and an innovative Quarantine option that allows an employee put under a quarantine order by the Center for Disease Control or Department of Health to receive disability benefits.
In addition, we provide all the support your clients need, from employee enrollment to ongoing account management.
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Are your clients planning to self-fund their STD plans?
If they are, our administrative services only (ASO) offering provides a variety of flexible plan, billing and tax reporting options, with funding arrangements (such as direct billing) that allow them to hold on to their cash longer. But we don’t just manage their claims efficiently. We can also drive cost savings by helping their employees get back to work sooner, just like we do for our fully insured customers.
Ready to take the next step?
Learn more about why Guardian is a smart choice for short term disability insurance. We can provide any help you need in determining the coverage that best fits your clients.
