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Employability Assessment in Australian Total and Permanent Disability Insurance Claims: A Survey of Claims Professionals’ Views

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2019

Margaret Black ,
Lynda R. Matthews  and
Michael J. Millington
Margaret Black*
Affiliation:
The University of Sydney, Australia
Lynda R. Matthews
Affiliation:
The University of Sydney, Australia
Michael J. Millington
Affiliation:
The University of Sydney, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Margaret Black, PhD, c/o Faculty of Health Sciences, PO Box 170, Lidcombe NSW 1825, Australia. Email: mbla3044@uni.sydney.edu.au
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Abstract

Employability assessment was developed to help claims professionals decide total and permanent disability insurance claims, yet it has not been empirically evaluated. This descriptive study sought formative knowledge about employability assessment from claims professionals working in the multibillion-dollar Australian life insurance total and permanent disability market. Claims assessors (n = 53) and technical advisors (n = 51) responded to a nationwide online survey. Participants found employability assessment was cost effective and very useful in deciding claims. Having an objective, realistic, and clear picture of a claimant’s employment prospects was important. Highly rated components of employability assessment included transferable skills analysis; summary of education, training and experience; job match rationale; and labour market analysis with employer contact. Face-to-face claimant interviews were favoured by 56% of participants, particularly when there was legal involvement. Standardised provider training and certification were recommended to improve report quality and withstand scrutiny of the courts. Billing time estimates are higher than extant costs for assessment tasks. More than half (56%) the participants considered rehabilitation counsellors were best qualified to conduct employability assessments. The study findings contribute new knowledge to this emergent field and point to further research into quality and cost of employability assessment, and provider accreditation.

Keywords

life insuranceforensicmedicolegalvocational expertvocational rehabilitationlump sum benefit
Type
Article
Information
International Journal of Disability Management , Volume 14 , 2019 , e3
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019 

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