Aviva paid out a total of almost £374m on group protection claims in 2022. These payouts were made to a total of 7,272 employees and their dependents, with more than half being group income protection claims.
This is an increase on the £362m paid out the year before.
In total Aviva says it has paid more than £1.09bn in group protection claims over the last three years.
Aviva says that increased investment in early intervention and rehabilitation has seen the number of employees supported by these services increase by 50 per cent, when compared to 2020, with more than four out of five employees now staying in, or returning to, work.
Group income protection
In total £96.1m was paid out on GIP claims to just over 4,700 claimants, with the average payout being £20,447 per claim in 2022.
Consistent with previous years, cancer was the most common reason for making a claim, accounting for over a quarter (27 per cent) of new claims.
Mental health conditions made up almost a fifth (18 per cent) of GIP claims, with muskuloskeletal at 15 per cent and neurological conditions at 10 per cent of new claims. In 2022 the average age of a first-time claimant was 49 years old.
Last year Aviva launched new support and treatment pathways for employees with neurodiverse, neurological and cardiac conditions. These operated alongside its established claims pathways for cancer, Covid-19, mental health, and musculoskeletal conditions and have helped boost the support available.
In total the number of employees receiving rehabilitation support last year increased by 11 per cent compared to 2021 and by 53 per cent compared to 2020. A total of 2,508 employees received support across 276 employers in 2022, with 1,666 new cases commencing support within the year.
Aviva said that for the first time since before the pandemic it saw a drop in mental health rehabilitation cases, falling 12.5 per cent compared to 2021, whilst long covid rehabilitation cases dropped 19 per cent compared to 2021.
Overall, 82 per cent of employees who received support either remained in, or made a successful return to work.
A total of 93 per cent of employees with a mental health condition who returned to work with our support did so within the deferred period, whilst 92 per cent with a musculoskeletal disorder and 76 per cent with long covid also had the same positive outcome. A total 70 per cent of all employees receiving support for cancer successfully returned to or remained at work.
Group critical illness
In 2022 Aviva paid out more than £35.2 million to 490 group critical illness claims, with an average amount of £71,901 paid out.Some two-thirds (66 per cent) of claims were paid to those aged between 40-59, with the average age being 47.
The most common reasons for a claim was cancer (62 per cent), followed by heart attack (9 per cent), stroke (6 per cent) and multiple sclerosis (4 per cent.)
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 were the most common reasons for children’s cover claims.
Group life insurance
A total of 2,081 group life insurance claims were paid last year totalling more than £242.5 million. 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 App
By the end of 2022 more than 43,700 UK employees had registered with Aviva’s Digicare+ Workplace app, launched in the autumn of 2020. A total of 16,500 people registered to the app last year.
Through this app 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 per cent of employees had cholesterol levels outside the normal range, while 31 per cent showed liver markers outside the normal range.
More than 3,200 digital GP appointments were booked through the app with 99 per cent of appointments available within 24 hours, while more than 1,800 mental health consultations were booked, all of which were held within 48 hours.
Aviva group protection sales director Jason Ellis says: “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.”
He adds: “The Aviva Digicare+ Workplace app is fast becoming a highly valued service to help employees manage their physical and mental wellbeing and we hope to engage more employees this year, following the launch of the app to group life insurance customers.”
He adds that Aviva continues to invest heavily in supporting employers to manage workplace mental health.“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.”
