PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Employees who have both disability and medical coverage from CIGNA (NYSE: CI), and who also suffer a short-term disabling illness or injury, return to work more often and spend less time away from work on leave than those without the integrated program. This is the conclusion of a new study* by CIGNA¹ comparing integrated and non-integrated disability and medical plans.

In any economy, employers pay attention to labor costs. Chief among the cost drivers is lost productivity due to disabling illness and injuries. In fact, according to research by Mercer, on average, approximately nine percent of payroll goes to cover the direct and indirect cost of unscheduled absence.² CIGNA's disability management model is strong on its own, with short-term disability durations that are eight percent — or five days — shorter than industry average.³ By combining CIGNA's award-winning clinical health and wellness programs with its leading disability management and return-to-work services, CIGNA's Disability & HealthCare Connect^(R) does even more to help workers reduce the risk and impact of disabling illness and injury, recover faster, and get back to work sooner. In turn, this helps the companies they work for improve productivity, lower absence costs, and strengthen their bottom line.

"Reining in costs associated with employee absence is an imperative for employers," said Mark Marsters, senior vice president, Group Operations for CIGNA. "CIGNA's integrated disability and medical programs provide more opportunities to encourage and engage employees to improve their health and reduce disability absence, which benefits the employees as well as their employers."