The Hartford

• Group Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Disability Insurance
• Value-Added Employee Services

Group Disability Insurance

The Hartford offers three kinds of group disability insurance that employers can provide to their employees: short-term, long-term, and statutory disability.

With its short-term disability insurance policies, The Hartford helps employers manage the processes associated with disability leave. The Hartford also hires nurses that process the claims.

With its long-term disability policies, The Hartford focuses on helping employees recover and return to work through incentives for returning to work full time, rehabilitation services, and its Ability Assist® program.

For statutory disability, The Hartford ensures that companies are compliant with state laws, especially as they change. Because some of the laws that regulate disability insurance are state-specific, The Hartford also provides current state specific information online.

Voluntary Disability Insurance

Employers also have the option to provide the following voluntary disability benefits to their employees:

• Short-term
• Long-term
• Disability FLEX

The short-term disability insurance replaces income at 50-60 percent, or $500-$2,000 per week. The benefit and elimination periods vary, companies with 10-499 employees have more options than companies with over 500 employees.

Both full-time and part-time employees are eligible to receive coverage.

The long-term disability insurance policies replace income at the same rate as the short-term disability plans (50-60 percent) with a monthly benefit maximum of $3,000-$10,000.

The elimination period is 180 days. The benefit period can last five years or until the Social Security Normal Retirement Age.

The long-term disability insurance also includes a survivor benefit, family care benefit, and a premium waiver.

Both full-time and part-time employees are able to participate.

The Disability FLEX product is highly customizable. Employers can select options to offer their employees. Even the employees can have some say in their Disability FLEX policy.

Like the other voluntary disability insurance products, Disability FLEX provides 50-60 percent of an employee's current income. The elimination period and benefit period is flexible.

Disability FLEX also includes total disability, partial disability, increased benefit for rehab participation, and a survivor benefit.

These plans also cover maternity, mental illness, and substance abuse. They also provide coverage for pre-existing conditions up to four weeks.

Disability FLEX has a work requirement of 30 hours per week. For larger companies, the hours can be set by the employer with a minimum of 20.

Value-Added Employee Services

With its disability insurance products, The Hartford includes the following services:

• Travel Assistance and ID Theft Protection Service (long-term disability insurance only)
• Ability Assist ® Counseling Services
• Health Champion^SM

The Ability Assist ® program provides employees with financial, emotional, and legal counseling. There are three in-person meetings within a year. Employees can also receive assistance over the phone at any point with no restrictions.

The HealthChampion^SM program provides employees with support in understanding benefits and treatment options and help advocating within the health care system.

These services provide excellent support and additional resources to employees as they make health care and financial decisions during disability.

• No Disability Insurance for Independent Buyers
• Limited Customer Reviews

No Disability Insurance for Independent Buyers

The Hartford only offers disability insurance that employers can provide to their employees. Those seeking to purchase their own disability coverage will need to find another insurance company.

Limited Customer Reviews

Best Company has not received many customer reviews for The Hartford. General conclusions about customer satisfaction and the customer experience are not available.