NU Online News Service, Feb. 18, 6:53 p.m. – UnumProvident Corp., Chattanooga, Tenn., is adding new options to its group disability insurance products, the company says.

Many of the new features are designed to reward disabled workers who make a serious effort to return to work.

  • The Recovery Income Protection feature helps employees who earn less than they did before they were disabled even though they return to work full-time. When an employee has the benefit, UnumProvident continues to pay benefits for a set period of time, or until the employee reaches the original income level.
  • The Extended Recurrent feature provides up to 12 months of extended coverage for workers who return to full-time work with a second employer, then find their old disabilities force them to give up their new jobs.
  • The 110% Total Benefit Cap helps workers with severe or long-lasting disabilities who participate in rehabilitation and return-to-work programs in spite of their disabilities.
  • The Accelerated Survivor Benefit feature enables claimants who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses to ask for lump-sum payments before they die.

Other new features include a 24-hour-a-day employee assistance program and financial counseling for beneficiaries of group life policyholders who die.