February 1, 2008

HR Executive

The Dangers of Disability

When The Hartford, using data from ComPsych, compared short-term disability durations for employees from companies who used EAP services with those who did not, it found the EAP services tended to have a greater impact on certain diagnostic categories. When it looked closely at the three leading diagnostic categories (psychiatric, musculoskeletal conditions and cancer), it found a strong pattern of lower STD duration for EAP users. For example, in the “psychiatric” category, average claim duration was 72.6 days for non-EAP users and 55.7 for those who used an EAP.

“And it’s not just depression, because the issue is not always as clinical as that,” says David Campbell of ComPsych. “Often, it’s more difficult to diagnose. Bottom line, an EAP can help them sort through a situation where they may not be able to do the same thing they did before and those limitations create psychological issues for them.”

Mass Mutual also offers a program called GuidanceResources, provided by ComPsych. It’s geared more toward helping individuals and families deal with the added stress that disability can bring – through services such as credit counseling, depression counseling and arranging for child or elder care.