Aviva paid more than £413m in group protection claims in 2023.
The insurer revealed it paid more than £1.1m every day for employees and their families through group protection policies and had paid £1.15bn in group protection claims over the past three years.
It also ensured 83% of employees helped by Aviva’s rehabilitation services remained in or made a successful return to work.
Overall, Aviva paid £413,783,489 in group protection claims for 8,077 employees and their dependants in 2023.
Combining its individual protection claims, Aviva paid more than £1.59bn claims to protection customers and their loved one’s last year, totalling more than 58,600 claims.
Group income protection
Over the year, more than £116m was paid in group income protection benefit for new and existing claims to 5,361 claimants, with an average amount of £21,820 paid in the year per claim.
Cancer continued as the most common reason for making a claim, accounting for nearly a quarter (24%) of new claims.
Mental health conditions made up almost a fifth (19%) of new claims, followed by orthopaedic (16%) and neurological conditions (12%).
For new claims over the year, the average age of an insured member was 48 years old. The youngest was 19 years old and the oldest was aged 69 years.
Rehabilitation support
But the data also revealed the number of employees receiving rehabilitation support last year increased by 11% compared to 2022.
A total of 2,782 employees received support across 286 UK employers in 2023. Over 900 employees with more complex conditions were referred to Aviva’s rehabilitation partner network for private treatment and specialist support.
Over four fifths (83%) of employees who received rehabilitation support either remained in or made a successful return to work.
Half of the cases requiring early intervention support were for mental health, up slightly from 47% in 2022.
Almost nine in 10 (87%) employees completing mental health rehabilitation in 2023 successfully returned to – or remained at work and, of these, 96% returned to work within the scheme deferred period, meaning that their employer did not need to make a claim on their group income protection policy, up from 93% in 2022.
Musculoskeletal conditions comprised (15%) of total referrals for rehabilitation support in 2023. Over nine in 10 (95%) employees returned to work and 96% of these returned to work within the deferred period, up by 4% compared to 2022.
Just under one in 10 (9%) of new rehabilitation cases were to support people living with cancer and 70% of cancer survivors were supported returned to work or remained at work.
While neurological conditions only accounted for 5% of all referrals for rehabilitation support, the year saw a 35% increase in the number of cases for conditions like stroke, brain injury and multiple sclerosis being referred for specialist support from the Aviva neurological pathway.
While still a concern for employers, the proportion of cases relating to long Covid decreased in 2023, making up just 5% of referrals.
The insurer said while this may be a result of improved prognosis related to new cases of the condition, the long-term impact of Covid-19 continues to be monitored by group protection providers.
Neurodiversity accounted for 3% of all referrals for rehabilitation in 2023. Nearly eight in 10 (79%) employees seeking help through the neurodiversity pathway returned to work and 100% of these did so within the deferred period.
With employers increasingly turning to their group risk benefit providers to offer wellbeing support, Aviva also saw increased engagement with many of the added value services available with its group protection policies.
Group critical illness
In 2023 Aviva paid out more than £41m on 572 group critical illness claims, with an average amount of £71,746 paid out.
Almost two-thirds (64%) of claims were paid for those aged between 40-59, with the average age being 48 and the youngest being children who were diagnosed with a covered condition at birth.
Seven in 10 (70%) claims were related to cancer, making it by far the most common reason for claim. This was followed by heart attack (7%), stroke (6%), multiple sclerosis and benign brain tumour (both 3%).
For children’s critical illness claims, Aviva paid £375,928 for 30 children, at an average claim amount of £12,531.
Through ‘Project Teddy’ Aviva’s claims team took the time to support each family and learn about the child and their siblings to send appropriate toys and gifts.
Group life insurance
Aviva paid 2,144 group life Insurance claims last year totalling more than £255.7m in 2023.
The average amount paid out was £117,663.
Cancer made up over a third of group life claims (38%), followed by heart disease (16%), stroke (3%), suicide (3%), and respiratory conditions (3%).
More than half (54%) of claims were made for insured members aged between 40-59 years.
When it came to new claims made in 2023, the youngest insured member was 16 years old and the oldest aged 74 years (lump sum). The average age of insured members was 54 years.
Focus on helping employees stay in work
Jason Ellis, group protection sales director at Aviva, (pictured) said: “We’re pleased to share the second edition of Aviva’s Group Protection and Wellbeing Insight Report, and proud of the value that we continue to deliver for employers and their employees through our group protection support.
“The insight clearly demonstrates how we’re supporting employees and their loved ones through difficult times, not only financially, but also through specialist wellbeing services and rehabilitation expertise.
“Through our group income protection, we remain focused on helping employees stay at work, or return to work as soon as possible.
“Last year four in five employees referred for rehabilitation support had this positive outcome.
“This success was enabled through the dedication and commitment of our claims and rehabilitation experts, and through pathways introduced to support more complex conditions such as cancer, neurological conditions, mental health, and neurodiversity.
“For group life, our focus continues to be on making it as quick and easy as possible to access financial support.
“On average, it took just over three days to settle our group life claims, helping to make life slightly easier at a challenging time.
“Through services such as Red Apple Law, available to help with life planning and estate administration tools, we’ve extended this support further.
“Through our group critical illness, Project Teddy enables our claims teams to go one step further, by hand-picking gifts for customers to help bring some light to a difficult time.
“Our 2023 report clearly shows the continued need for group protection and the value it offers to employers and their workforce.
“As growth continues to be strong in the market, it’s reassuring that more employers are recognising the benefits of looking after the physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of their workforce, both to manage business risk and to retain and attract talent.”