January leave and claim activity appears to buck national predictions

In January, daily COVID-19 deaths reached record highs, an apparent consequence of holiday travel. On top of that, new, more contagious virus variants were identified, and experts predicted that the winter would see the worst period for the U.S. since the pandemic began.

Accordingly, our Absence Management Center (AMC) was prepared for a heavy influx of Short Term Disability (STD) claims and leave requests related to the pandemic. In early January, we did see volume levels almost as high as in April and May, when the pandemic first spread across the country. However, volumes did not continue to sharply increase, as had been predicted. 

During the first week of January, we recorded the third-highest level of leave requests since we began keeping track of pandemic-related activity. However, this was likely the result of pent-up volume from office closures during the December holiday period. Requests inched down after the first of the year, ending January at roughly the same levels seen before Thanksgiving.

STD claims show a similar story. In the second week of January, we recorded the third-highest volume since we started keeping track. After that, claims fell back down to levels nearly as low as those we saw in mid-November.