With Guardian’s Group Short Term Disability (STD) Insurance, you can count on efficient claims management that helps drive better outcomes for both you and your employees.
Guardian handles each and every claim professionally and compassionately, which can help get your employees back to work sooner and save you money. And we offer a range of flexible short term disability insurance products at competitive rates to provide just the solution you need.
What is short term disability insurance?
When employees are unable to work due to an illness or injury, short term disability insurance will pay a portion of their salary temporarily, which can help cover everyday expenses and ease the financial strain. Some plans, like Guardian’s, provide extensive services to help employees return to their jobs.
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 you 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, your employees will be able to 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 experts.
- Their questions are answered promptly regarding claims or billing by highly trained representatives.
- You’ll 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 | 14 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 you want to improve productivity and reduce absences. Guardian’s team will work closely with your 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, you’ll have access to our extensive absence management services, featuring integrated intake of STD and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims. These services can ease your administrative workload while reducing your risk of liability due to non-compliance with leave laws.
Flexible plan designs with all the support you need
Guardian offers a wide variety of customizable STD plan designs, including voluntary plans, to help you manage risk, control costs, and meet the financial protection needs of your employees.
With our Voluntary STD plans, as an employer you can give your 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 which enables you to meet the varied needs of your entire workforce.
Our contracts use clear and unambiguous language around definitions, eligibility, and exclusions, and include built-in features that encourage return to work.
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 you need, from employee enrollment to ongoing account management.
Are you planning to self-fund your STD plan?
If you 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 you to hold on to your cash longer. But we don’t just manage your claims efficiently. We can also drive cost savings by helping your employees get back to work sooner, just like we do for our fully insured customers.
Contact your broker today
Learn more about why Guardian is a smart choice for short term disability insurance. We’ll be glad to work with you and your broker to determine the best coverage for your company’s needs.
