About Group Benefits

Founded in 1810, The Hartford¹ is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial services organizations. We’re proud to be one of the nation’s largest life insurance groups with more than 50 years of group benefits expertise. When you choose The Hartford for group benefits, you enjoy all the qualities of an experienced carrier you can trust.

Market Leadership
The Hartford is a recognized leader in the group benefits market:

• Second largest seller of group disability²
• Fourth largest seller of group life³
• A leading provider of integrated group disability and workers’ compensation (WC)

At the core of The Hartford’s leadership position is our Ability philosophy: We passionately believe people want to live active, productive, independent lives.

That philosophy drives our ability-focused approach to disability management, which we believe is the best in the industry. And it’s why The Hartford is a founding partner of the U.S. Paralympics, an organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the lives of people with physical disabilities through sports.

The Hartford’s employees bring the Ability philosophy to life every day through our knowledge, caring, and a proven ability to meet the unique needs of our customers. In every customer interaction, we strive for consistent, responsive, solution-oriented service – because we know you depend on that.

An Extensive Portfolio of Products and Services

The Hartford’s extensive group benefits portfolio includes these core offerings:

Long-Term Disability (LTD)

• Contract provisions that provide return-to-work incentives
• Functional approach to claim management that focuses on an employee’s abilities, not limitations
• Independent physician review model to help ensure more fair, objective claim decisions
• No self-reported condition limitations or prudent person language in our contract
• Easy integration with our short-term disability, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Administration and WC programs
• Flexible benefit features, including Family Care Expense Credit, Workplace Modification Benefit and Extended Earnings Protection Benefit
• Core buy-up plans available
• Ability Assist^{® 4}provides support to insured employees ⁵, claimants and their family members - included at no extra cost through ComPsych^®

Short-Term Disability (STD)

• Contract provisions that provide return-to-work incentives
• Fully telephonic claims process available
• Easy integration with our LTD, FMLA Administration and WC programs
• Self-funded options, including Complex Claim Advice, Advice to Pay, and full-service Administrative Services Only (ASO)
• 1st Day Hospital Coverage available

Life and Accident Insurance

• Basic, Supplemental and Voluntary Life programs
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment (either packaged with Life or customized on a stand-alone basis)
• Safe Haven^® interest-bearing draft book (checking) account for benefit payments of $10,000 or more
• Disability provisions with numerous options and waiver of dependent premium available
• Portability and Conversion options (for Basic and Supplemental insurance)
• Financial Planning Services for beneficiaries through FinancialPoint^SM, an affiliate of Com Psych^®
• A Living Benefit Option that’s one of the most generous in the industry (allows acceleration of 80% to a maximum of $500,000, with a choice of 6-, 12- or 24-month terminal illness definitions)
• Continuity of Coverage provisions for employees – standard and enhanced versions
• Beneficiary Assist^® provides grief, legal and financial counseling - included at no extra cost through ComPsych

Small Business Solutions

• Affordable standardized programs for Group Life, STD and LTD with employer-paid or voluntary options (100% employee-paid)
• Employer chooses maximum benefit amounts, and options such as elimination, waiting, and benefit periods
• Ability Assist and Beneficiary Assist employee assistance programs at no additional charge
• Less up-front paperwork to fill out, easy implementation and administration
• Access to additional services and business discounts

Voluntary Benefit Solutions

• Affordable employee-paid Life, STD and LTD group benefits
• Multiple enrollment options from personalized enrollment forms to on-line enrollment
• Dedicated Enrollment Services Unit coordinates the entire enrollment process, making it hassle-free for our customers
• A variety of options for guaranteed issue, minimum participation and pricing
• Straight-forward marketing materials (payroll stuffers, CDs, personalized enrollment kits, posters, articles and advertisements for employer websites and newsletters)

The Hartford offers a host of other products and services, such as FMLA Administration, Travel
Assistance (through Worldwide Assistance Services, Inc.), GuidanceResources^® (an enhanced employee assistance and work/life program), and specialized insurance products for physicians. Group Retiree Health and Medical Stop Loss are available to you, as well, through Hartford representatives dedicated to those coverage lines.

We also offer comprehensive reporting capabilities to help you manage your benefits programs, plus Employer View^® and Producer View^® websites that provide 24/7access to information customized for your business requirements. In addition, The Hartford’s enrollment assistance and personalized enrollment forms are designed to help maximize employee participation in voluntary plans.

¹The Hartford® is The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including issuing companies Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, Hartford Life Insurance Company and CNA Group LIfe Assurance Company (pending approval of name change to "Hartford Life Group Insurance Company").
^2,3LIMRA International, Inc., 2002 year-end sales survey.
⁴Services available for new business sold after 4/05/04.
⁵There is no additional charge for insured employee coverage up to 1,000 lives. For cases over 1,000 lives, an additional charge will apply.

Click on the image to download and print Group Benefits from The Hartford (PDF format, 143KB). You'll find information about GBD and its history, market leadership and financial strength, including industry analyst ratings. It also details GBD's portfolio of products and services, including long-term disability, short-term disability, life and accident insurance, and other products and services.

Click on the image to download and print Disability Management Solutions (PDF format, 561KB). You'll find an overview of GBD's ability-focused approach to disability management and how it helps employers maximize employee productivity and reduce the costs of disability-related absences. It also describes GBD's Integrated Disability and FMLA Administration offering and new U.S. Paralympics program.

Click on the image to download and print GBD's Bill of Rights (PDF format, 173KB). It emphasizes GBD's commitment to customer service excellence. It details service delivery metrics, such as case installation and claim payment, and GBD's delivery goals and actual performance.

Click on the image to download and print The Hartford - Leader in Group Benefits (PDF format, 985 KB). It focuses on employer "pain points" and details The Hartford's solutions and differentiators. The brochure highlights GBD's Ability Philosophy, its financial strength, and its approach to claims management and service delivery.