So far, so good.
Students across the nation started back to school in the second half of August. And several COVID-19 hotspots cropped up in various states as summer waned, especially around large college campuses.1,2 But our internal data shows that pandemic-related Short Term Disability (STD) claims and leave requests coming into the Unum Absence Management Center continued to slowly decline over the past month.
Pandemic-related claims and leave requests decreased from over 1,384 during the week of August 16 to 981 during the week of September 13. (An apparent uptick in mid-September is the result of lower claims/requests during the week of the Labor Day holiday.)
As a percentage of claims and leave requests, COVID-19-related activity also declined, from 15% the week of August 16 to 11% the week of September 13.
COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19 leave requests and Short Term Disability claims
As we have done since the pandemic first emerged, we are watching these numbers closely and taking action to stay ahead of developments. We continue to adjust our staffing and other resources to ensure that employees receive the prompt, expert service they need at claim time.
“Experts are still warning of a fall surge in COVID-19 cases, so we continue to keep a close watch on this activity,” says Michelle Boucher, Unum SVP of Benefit Operations. “We retain the flexibility to shift resources as needed if claims and leave requests change direction, so we’re always positioned to provide the highest possible level of service to our clients and their employees.”
About the report
The Unum Leave and Claim Trends Report offers a line of sight into leave requests and Short Term Disability claims from our extensive customer base of employers across the United States.
The report, first released in May 2020, shows volumes and the proportion of COVID-19-related claims, helping employers, consultants and brokers understand trends and benchmarks as they navigate the ever-evolving COVID-19 landscape.
View previous Leave and Claim Trend Reports
1 The New York Times, Covid in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count, Sept. 17, 2020.
2 The New York Times, How Colleges Became the New Covid Hot Spots, Sept. 11, 2020.
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Reference material
Figure 2: COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19 leave requests and Short Term Disability claims [Back to figure]
| Non-COVID-19-related | COVID-19-related | |
|---|---|---|
| Week of March 15 | 91% | 9% |
| Week of March 22 | 79% | 21% |
| Week of March 29 | 67% | 33% |
| Week of April 5 | 67% | 33% |
| Week of April 12 | 70% | 30% |
| Week of April 19 | 70% | 30% |
| Week of April 26 | 73% | 27% |
| Week of May 3 | 76% | 24% |
| Week of May 10 | 79% | 21% |
| Week of May 17 | 78% | 22% |
| Week of May 24 | 84% | 16% |
| Week of May 31 | 82% | 18% |
| Week of June 07 | 88% | 12% |
| Week of June 14 | 87% | 13% |
| Week of June 21 | 86% | 14% |
| Week of June 28 | 85% | 15% |
| Week of July 5 | 84% | 16% |
| Week of July 12 | 82% | 18% |
| Week of July 19 | 82% | 18% |
| Week of July 26 | 84% | 16% |
| Week of August 2 | 84% | 16% |
| Week of August 9 | 85% | 15% |
| Week of August 16 | 85% | 15% |
| Week of August 23 | 87% | 13% |
| Week of August 30 | 88% | 12% |
| Week of September 6 | 88% | 12% |
| Week of September 13 | 89% | 11% |
| Week of October 11 | 88% | 12% |
| Week of October 25 | 86% | 14% |