Vitality has today introduced several changes to widen access to its income protection cover, including lengthening retirement age and shortening deferral periods for some occupations.
The provider has lengthened the maximum retirement age to age 70 for 22 occupations, including teachers, nurses and care workers who are increasingly working beyond the age of 65.
This has been changed to reflect the different ways people are working, many retiring much later in life.
Vitality has also expanded its range of deferral periods for a further 280 occupations, including manual occupations and skilled trades such as plumbers, mechanics and warehouse workers.
The change will see even more individuals become eligible for shorter one and two-month deferred periods.
Alongside these changes, Vitality has moved 349 manual roles and skilled trade occupations to an ‘own occupation’ definition of incapacity, replacing their ‘special definition’ that was previously used.
This change means these occupations will now be assessed on an ‘own occupation’ basis for the entirety of their claim.
Justin Taurog, (pictured) managing director of Vitality Life, said: “Income protection provides people with support during an incredibly difficult time, and we are pleased to be able to update our product in this way, and expand access to our cover.
“Vitality has a core purpose to make people healthier and to enhance and protect lives.
“Today’s announcement is the latest in the evolution of our income protection product, and when combined with our unique access to our UK-wide network of physiotherapists and mental health support that help people get back to work as part of their cover, and the Vitality Programme, we can both protect our members and support them to live a healthier life for even longer.”
