NEWSLETTER

Top Ten Reasons for Disability Claims
October 2007

One of the quickly increasing areas of claims for group plans is disability claims, both short and long term.  The average increase per year has been approximately 9.5%.

What are the leading areas of disability claims submitted?  Here is a top 10 list from one of the insurance carriers for you with a brief description of each:
  1. Depression: Depression is marked by general emotional dejection and withdrawal.  Depressed employees exhibit greater and more prolonged degrees of sadness than is normally warranted by objective reasons.  It is estimated that at least 1 in 4 Canadians will experience depression in their lifetimes.
  2. Musculoskeletal: Injuries to the muscles and skeleton comprise a large percentage of disability claims.  Things such as back strain, torn ligaments and bone fractures fall into this category.
  3. Digestive: People can experience problems with food digestion.  Usually the person will have difficulties converting food into substances that can be assimilated and absorbed into the body.
  4. Infections: This is the invasion and multiplication of microorganisms into the body, resulting in an infectious disease.  Some infections can be easily treated with antibiotics, while others require much more active treatments.
  5. Respiratory: Respiratory issues such as asthma, which include laboured breathing, chest constriction and severe coughing are in this item.
  6. Arthritis: Arthritis involves inflammation of one or more of the joints, accompanied by pain and discomfort.  Some arthritis can be caused by injury, infection or crystal deposits (such as gout).  Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the rougher forms of the disease to deal with.
  7. Other psychiatric disorders: This category would include all of the other disorders, except for depression.  Things such as schizophrenia and paranoia would be examples of these types of conditions.
  8. Cancer: Cancers are malignant and invasive growths and tumours that spread from one spot or area in the body to others.  Environments that have high carcinogenic compounds lead to greater frequency and harsher types of cancer.
  9. Neurological disorders: The brain, spinal cord, nerves, ganglia and related areas are the ones that can be affected.  Brain injuries and strokes are some of the issues associated with neurology.
  10. Cardiovascular: The heart and blood vessels are the affected areas.  Things such as heart attacks and disease and various blood flow problems can be included here.

A general observation is that the types of disability have changed over the years.  There is a move from physical injuries to more disabilities associated with stress and emotional conditions.

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