Life, disability and absence management

More than a third of American households said they would have immediate or near-immediate trouble paying expenses without their primary wage earner.1 A valuable addition to any employee benefit package, UnitedHealthcare life, disability and absence management solutions are designed to help employees get through difficult and often unexpected times.

A single-carrier solution for employers, critical support for employees

Wide choice of plans

From basic life and AD&D to short- and long-term disability, employers can choose from a variety of plans to enhance their benefits package and potentially lower their costs with all plans under a single carrier.

Working to improve outcomes and experiences

With linked data across all UnitedHealthcare plans, we can help initiate earlier intervention for high-cost or chronic cases, as well as connect claims, absence and care specialists to help simplify and expedite the claims process for employees.

Simpler administration

Offering UnitedHealthcare life and disability plans alongside a UnitedHealthcare medical plan helps streamline administration for employers with one dedicated account team.

Life and AD&D plans

An enhanced employee benefits package for your employer clients starts with these quality plans.

Life and AD&D plans and highlights overview
Plans Highlights
Basic life plans Employers can set coverage levels based on a flat amount or a multiple of employee salary, with the option for employees to buy coverage for spouses and children. 
  • Employers can choose from an array of funding options, from fully employer funded to voluntary (100% employee paid)
  • An accelerated benefit provision provides an advance payout of benefits for covered employees who are terminally ill2
Supplemental life plans Employees can buy additional coverage for themselves or family members at no additional cost to employers. 
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) plans3
 Included with life plans, AD&D provides coverage for accidental loss of life or injuries incurred on or off the job. AD&D seat belt and air bag benefits are standard (may vary or be limited by business segment) and pay an additional percentage of the benefit if a seat belt was worn and/or an air bag deployed at the time of a car accident. 
24/7 support services for employees and beneficiaries

Included with UnitedHealthcare life plans at no additional cost, personal support services and resources are designed to help employees and their loved ones deal with the complexities that come after a death.

For employees and covered family members:

  • Online will and trust preparation services
  • Travel assistance
  • Access to liveandworkwell.com to find providers, support resources and more

For beneficiaries: 

  • Confidential phone and in-person grief support4
  • Financial and legal consultation support5
  • Access to our Beneficiary Companion program, which provides 24/7 help for things like obtaining death certificate copies, social media shutdown, identity theft prevention and more

Disability and absence management solutions

Keeping up with rapidly evolving laws, accurately tracking and reporting employee leaves of absence and efficiently managing disability benefits are just a few of the complexities HR leaders face today. Our end-to-end disability and absence management solutions and industry expertise help support compliance, streamline administration and simplify the experience for employers and employees alike.

Disability plans

Designed to provide partial income replacement when eligible illnesses or injuries take employees away from work,  short-term disability plans typically provide benefit payments for 13–26 weeks. For complex, long-term disabling conditions, long-term disability plan designs may range from benefit periods of 2, 3, or 5 years or up to age 65.

  • Employers can choose to offer short-term and long-term plans together or on a standalone basis

  • Flexible funding options include voluntary (100% employee paid), contributory (shared premium payments) or non-contributory (100% employer paid)

  • Employers can customize their plan to allow employees to work part time while still collecting a portion of their benefit payment

Leave administration

Certified leave management specialists proactively help employers meet federal, state and local laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act.6 They can provide a wide range of support to help: 

  • Simplify administration of FMLA leaves, state and local leaves, military leaves, jury duty and more

  • Reduce compliance and financial risk

  • Communicate with employees, including a portal for employers and employees to submit and track claims, view correspondence and more 

Paid family and medical leave plans

In addition to traditional disability plans and FMLA administration services, UnitedHealthcare also provides private plans related to Connecticut and Massachusetts state-mandated Paid Family and Medical Leave coverage.

For groups with 100 or more eligible employees and at least 25 or more working in Connecticut or Massachusetts, we can provide private plan coverage on a fully-insured or self-insured basis.

Share with your clients

Flier: Helping employees protect their families
See options for basic and supplemental life and AD&D

Brochure: Disability plans designed to be flexible
Short- and long-term disability plans can be tailored to different employer needs

Flier: Helping employers effectively manage employee absence
Explore services and capabilities designed to help employers manage and track FMLA and other leaves