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MetLife Introduces Worksite Short-Term Disability Designed to Optimize Enrollment at the Workplace

MET | February 18, 2016

A majority of employees, 70%, agree that having enough money to pay their bills if someone in their household is no longer able to work is important, according to MetLife’s 13^th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study¹ (EBTS). When employees are unable to work, they may face unexpected financial strains—short-term disability can help replace a portion of their income to cover essential living expenses. In order to provide the income protection employees need for the unexpected, today MetLife announced the availability of a short-term disability plan designed exclusively for worksite enrollment opportunities.

The MetLife Worksite Short-Term Disability Plan, designed for groups that use best-in-class enrollment strategies, provides a simple income protection solution that is easy to understand, enroll in, and use. The plan is 100% employee-paid and its features include guaranteed issue coverage, the ability for employees to pay for coverage via payroll deduction, and auto-portability, so the employee does not need to fill out any forms to keep the coverage if he/she changes jobs. With the MetLife Worksite Short-Term Disability Plan, employees can choose the benefit amounts based on their own budget and protection needs, making this coverage more affordable.

“This offering fills a need in the market for a simple, affordable short-term disability solution,” said Meredith Ryan-Reid, senior vice president, Group Voluntary and Worksite Benefits, MetLife. “We created this product in response to our research that showed that guided enrollment and educational tools help employees make more informed benefits decisions about their personal income protection needs. In fact, according to the EBTS, 65% of brokers agree that working with an enrollment firm increases employee understanding of benefit offerings.”

With the MetLife Worksite Short-Term Disability Plan, employers can select attained or issue age rates, with no age maximum for issue age. Employers can also choose a variety of elimination and benefit periods. This new product rounds out MetLife’s diverse portfolio of worksite solutions.

“The MetLife Worksite Short Term Disability Plan can be easily added alongside other products, such as accident insurance, critical illness or hospital indemnity,” added Ryan-Reid. “MetLife is committed to using our expertise in the disability market to provide exceptional service—delivering the right resources and end-to-end solutions.”

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

¹ MetLife’s 13th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study, 2015