Working with us

As COVID-19 continues to affect us all, our commitment to providing the best service to our Clients is unwavering. We continue to be nimble and adjust our practices as needed to meet your needs and those of your employees. We have:

• Hired new employees to the claims team 
• Added a call-back feature where callers can request a Sun Life Representative call them back rather than waiting on hold
• Enhanced our web experience to make it easier for Clients to submit, view claims, and upload claim-related documents through their Sun Life account

Short-Term Disability is based on an illness or injury and symptoms that result in an individual being unable to work. We do not pay Short-Term Disability benefits for requests due to asymptomatic quarantine, reluctance in returning to work, or a positive test alone. However, there may be situations where an absence or statutory disability claim is supported.

Our Short-Term Disability Case Managers have received specialized COVID-19 training. Additionally, we have a small team consisting of our top technical experts ready to review claims, help to answer questions and ensure benefit decisions are made timely. Our Short-Term Disability team works closely with Sun Life’s Medical Director as well as trained Clinicians to deliver the highest quality of service and claim management.

We have also streamlined guidelines to assist with evaluating COVID-19 disability claims:

Positive COVID-19 Test

If a plan member has tested positive for COVID-19, is experiencing symptoms, and cannot perform the duties of their occupation, we will review the member's claim for Short-Term Disability benefits. Benefits will begin after the member meets the eligibility requirements, elimination period, and applicable contractual provisions. Benefits may be offset by other sources of income. If the employee remains disabled after that time, we will work with them to obtain required medical documentation.

Plan members and plan sponsors still need to complete a Short-Term Disability claim statement as part of the application process. This allows us to validate important information such as health status, last day worked, salary information, and also confirm coverage.

Our Claims and Medical Teams will assist in gathering the information needed. We realize that, given current conditions, employers and healthcare providers are operating and communicating in non-traditional ways.

No Positive COVID-19 Test Result and Displays Symptoms

If a plan member has a flu-like illness but has not been tested or does not have a positive test result for COVID-19:

We will continue to adjudicate each claim based on the definition of total disability and,

We will apply the elimination period

Self-Isolation

We will not pay Short-Term Disability benefits to a plan member who only tests positive for COVID-19, is not ill, and otherwise does not meet the applicable policy’s definition of disability. This applies whether they self-isolate: 

• Voluntarily
• At the direction of their employer, or
• Following any government or public health directive that recommends employees stay home as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 
  

For clarity, if plan members do not have signs of an illness but are placed under quarantine by a doctor or public health official, they will not be eligible for Short-Term Disability benefits.

Employees may qualify for other benefits including, but not limited to, unemployment compensation, and other federal, state, or local statutory benefits or other absence-related benefits.

Please note that the information above is intended to be a summary, and all claims decisions are subject to the terms of your group’s specific insurance policy.

We’ve made our portability notice to employees easier:  you can copy and paste this content into an email, add the requested information, and send to all impacted employees at once. (The word document may appear in the bottom left of your screen.) You may also want to share this flyer with employees to remind them why keeping their benefits is important. Employees can call Sun Life to talk about their options.

Many Sun Life Clients have our EAP through ComPsych and have access to a broad range of resources and services. Because of the special circumstances surrounding COVID-19, Sun Life and ComPsych are offering support resources to clients who have not purchased EAP benefits – at no extra charge.

• Current Clients of Sun Life EAP by Design can sign into their ComPsych GuidanceResources website, www.guidanceresources.com.
• If you do not have an EAP program, you can find support resources in ComPsych’s COVID-19 digital toolkit and at www.guidanceresources.com/crisis.

The following clarifications and changes apply to medical underwriting for Group Life, Disability and Critical Illness plans as appropriate.

• Underwriting New Applicants who have contracted COVID-19: If applicants disclose COVID-19 as a recent illness and there are no other medical conditions of concern, these applications would be accepted as long as the employees are fully recovered and actively at work with no complications (pneumonia, etc.). Any complications for COVID-19 would be considered and underwritten according to our medical underwriting guidelines.
• Pending Applications – Close Out Date Extensions by Request: We currently close out pending applications after 90 days for no response to requests for missing information. Clients disrupted by COVID-19 may call us and request an extension to 120 days.

You and your employees can submit claims, view claims information, report time, and more by visiting www.sunlife.com/account.

As an alternative to submitting standalone STD claims online, DocuSign provides a guided electronic way to complete and sign required claims forms. Employees and employers can call 800-247-6875 to get started.

Both you and your employees can complete and submit EOI applications online. You must be registered on Sun Life Connect for at least 24 hours before employees can use this online service. Visit www.sunlfe.com/account to get started.

We can quickly switch you to electronic bills. Please call Client Services at 800-247-6875, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET or email us at your.bill@sunlife.com. You can also make payments online by visiting www.sunlfe.com/account. You can choose one-time payments or recurring auto payments. If it’s your first time paying your bill online, you’ll first need to set up a payment profile. Here are videos to walk you through the steps of paying a bill online:

• How to set up a payment profile
• How to make a payment online (For list bill Clients only) 
• How to set up autopay (For list bill Clients only)
• How to calculate and pay premium online (For self-admin Clients only)

• Our onboarding experience is powered by smart, digital tools. You can complete your implementation requirements through DocuSign, reducing the shuffle of paper and providing an efficient and smooth digital implementation process.
• In addition, our digital benefits education and administration technology platform, Maxwell Health, allows you to easily manage enrollment and streamline your administrative tasks.