Aviva paid £373,949,994 in group protection claims to 7,273 employees and their dependants in 2022 and will be launching its first group protection claims report.
More than half of the claims in 2022 were for group income protection (GIP), where it has expanded its dedicated specialist claims pathways to support more employees with specific conditions.
The total number of employees supported with early intervention and rehabilitation last year increased by more than 50% compared to 2020, with more than four in five (82%) employees staying in or making a successful return to work.
The report, due to be published later this month, will also show that Aviva has paid more than £1.09bn in group protection claims over the last three years.
Alongside the recently announced individual protection claims figures, Aviva paid more than 57,800 claims to protection customers and their loved ones last year, totalling more than £1.4bn.
Group Income Protection
For GIP claims, more than £96.1m was paid in benefit to just over 4,700 claimants, with an average amount of £20,447 paid in the year per claim.
Consistent with previous years, cancer was the most common reason for making a claim accounting for over a quarter (27%) of new claims.
Mental health conditions comprised almost a fifth (18%), with muskuloskeletal at 15% and neurological conditions at 10% of new claims.
In 2022 the average age of a first-time claimant was 49 years old.
The number of employees receiving rehabilitation support last year rose 11% compared to 2021 and by 53% compared to 2020.
A total of 2,508 employees received support across 276 UK employers in 2022, with 1,666 new cases commencing support within the year.
For the first time since before the pandemic, Aviva saw a drop in mental health rehabilitation cases, falling 12.5% compared to 2021, while long covid rehabilitation cases dropped 19% compared to 2021.
Overall, 82% of employees who received support either remained in, or made a successful return to work.
More than nine in 10 (93%) employees with a mental health condition who returned to work did so within the deferred period, while 92% with a musculoskeletal disorder and 76% with long Covid also had the same positive outcome, Aviva said.
Seven in 10 employees receiving support for cancer successfully returned to or remained at work.
Group critical illness
Over the year Aviva paid out more than £35.2m to 490 group critical illness claims, with an average amount of £71,901 paid out.
Two-thirds (66%) of claims were paid to those aged between 40-59, with the average age being 47, but three claims were paid to children who were diagnosed with a covered condition at birth.
The most common reasons for a claim was cancer (62%), followed by heart attack (9%), stroke (6%) and multiple sclerosis (4%.)
For children’s critical illness claims, Aviva paid £311,131 to 27 children, at an average claim amount of £11,523.
Cancer and children’s intensive care benefit accounted for the most common reasons for children’s cover claims.
Group life insurance
Around 2,081 group life insurance claims were paid last year by Aviva totalling more than £242.5m. The average amount paid out was £116,567.
The most common causes of claim were cancer, heart disease, suicide and respiratory conditions, with the average age of claim being at age 54.
Digicare+ Workplace app
By the end of 2022 more than 43,700 UK employees had registered with Aviva’s Digicare+ Workplace app since its launch in the autumn of 2020, including more than 16,500 registering in 2022.
More than 9,400 health check assessments were ordered in 2022 to help employees detect any signs of potential health issues.
Of those who returned a valid sample, 50% of employees had cholesterol levels outside the normal range, while 31% showed liver markers outside the normal range.
More than 3,200 digital GP appointments were booked through the app with 99% of appointments available within 24 hours, while more than 1,800 mental health consultations were booked, all of which were held within 48 hours.
Jason Ellis, group protection sales director at Aviva, said: “The value of having protection cover in place to support employees financially during difficult times is clear from the millions we paid out last year, as is the importance to both employers and employees of having prompt access to early intervention rehabilitation support to manage and prevent absence through illness.
“Our live mental health training by our in-house expert was delivered to more than 8,000 employees over the course of last year and our webinars for SME customers proved invaluable for small businesses with 3,972 employees attending the sessions.
“Reflecting our mental health expertise, we are set to build on the success of these in 2023, offering them to both our SME and large corporate customers in recognition of their different needs.”