Aflac Announces New Enhancements to its Short-Term Disability Insurance Policy

Additional policy features help employees better protect their finances if they get hurt and can't work

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Jun 20, 2016, 09:11 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite in the United States, today announced enhancements to its Short-Term Disability policy. Designed especially for small-business owners and their employees, Aflac Short-Term Disability offers new features that improve customer experience and reward customer loyalty.

"Unfortunately, accidents and illnesses may result in unpaid time off of work. For so many Americans, this can mean the loss of a paycheck and unplanned out-of-pocket expenses that can have an enormous impact on employees' financial stability and lifestyle," said Keith Pellerin, vice president of Product Management and Innovation at Aflac. "With Aflac Short-Term Disability insurance, if a policyholder is unable to work, they'll have the cash needed to pay living expenses, giving them the ability to focus on recovery and not financial worry."

The Social Security Administration estimates that 1 in 4 20-year-olds in the workforce today will suffer a disability before they retire, and a LIMRA study found that 6 in 10 Generation X and Y employees said an income loss due to illness or injury would have a significant financial impact on their households.¹ Understanding that the loss of even one paycheck can be financially troubling for many Americans, Aflac developed two new features for its Short-Term Disability policies – guaranteed-issue conversion and the Aflac Value Rider.

Aflac Value Rider: This enhancement uses the unique concept of paying a cash benefit to Aflac Short-Term Disability policyholders who have the Aflac Value Rider on their policy. Under the Rider's terms, an Aflac Short-Term Disability policyholder with the Aflac Value Rider on his or her policy would be paid up to $1,000, less any claims paid for every consecutive five-year term that a claim is not filed on the policy. Once this time frame has passed and the policyholder is paid, the five-year process repeats itself for up to five consecutive terms.

Guaranteed-issue conversion: For some time, Aflac has offered the convenience of guaranteed issue to new applicants of Aflac Short-Term Disability insurance. However, underwriting was still required for those who wished to upgrade or add units of coverage to their Aflac Short-Term Disability policy. The new guaranteed-issue conversion enhancement will make this process easier for policyholders.

To learn more about the Aflac Short-Term Disability product, visit aflac.com/disability.

About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite. Through its trailblazing One Day Pay^SM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac individual and group insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 10 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2016, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 18th consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 15th time, ranking the company No. 1 in innovation for the insurance, life and health category for the second consecutive year. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were recognized by J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day Pay^SM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.

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Media contact – Kristen Fraser, 706.243.5543 or [email protected]

Analyst and investor contact – Robin Y. Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330, or [email protected]

¹ LIMRA, "Facts: 2015 Disability Insurance Awareness Month," accessed on March 23, 2016 - http://www.limra.com/uploadedFiles/limra.com/LIMRA_Root/Posts/PR/_Media/PDFs/2015%20DIAM%20FINAL.pdf

SOURCE Aflac