As many experts predicted,1 COVID-19 cases increased significantly from summertime levels in many states as fall began. Pandemic-related Short Term Disability (STD) claims and leave requests coming into the Unum Absence Management Center mirrored this unfortunate trend.
Internal data shows that, after a decline in late August and mid-September, pandemic-related claims and leave requests spiked, growing 40% from the week of September 20 to the week of October 25.
As a percentage of claims and leave requests, COVID-19-related activity also trended upward, from 10% the week of September 20 to 14% at the end of October — the highest since the third week of August.
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.
1 Johns Hopkins Medicine, First and Second Waves of Coronavirus, Aug. 14, 2020.
COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19 leave requests and Short Term Disability claims [Back to graph]
| 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 September 27 | 90% | 10% |
| Week of October 11 | 88% | 12% |
| Week of October 25 | 86% | 14% |
