How BrightRock’s group risk product is bringing much-needed change

How BrightRock’s group risk product is bringing much-needed change

If there is one thing the past year has taught us, it is that change happens – this is a notion BrightRock has always embraced. We started our change loving company almost a decade ago with a dream to change our industry for good. When we launched our individual life product in 2012, we hoped that our unique needs matched solutions would provide clients with cover that precisely matches their needs – and we did just that, as proven by the impact we have made in this sector.

In 2018, we brought this needs-matched thinking to the group risk market. We set out to deliver change for good to employee benefits by using technology never applied in group risk products to date. We have been able to provide more efficient, more flexible products while also improving certainty for group risk clients at claim-stage. Through some of our standard features, we pay claims that other product providers would not be able to pay, helping members navigate change during challenging times, and where schemes opted to protect their member's future income, the majority of members would enjoy substantially more cover.

Client qualifies for a permanent expense needs pay-out after failing the Job Fitness Test

Claims for permanent expenses are one of the leading causes of Ombud disputes. One of the reasons for this is that products do not behave in the way that members expect them to at claim-stage. Industry jargon, terms and conditions that are difficult to understand, and subjective occupational criteria all play a part in creating uncertainty at claim-stage.

At BrightRock, we have set out to change the industry for good by providing members with a list of clearly defined clinical definitions upfront. This includes our transparent, points-based occupational assessment, the Job Fitness Test.

In 2020, our client, aged 61, submitted a claim for permanent expenses. He complained of severe back and neck pain, which rendered him unable to maintain the mine’s underground conveyor system, something he had done for the past 12 years.

The first step in the claim process was to assess his condition against the 67 listed clinical conditions to see if he qualified for a claim. As back and neck pain is not listed as a clinical condition, we automatically reverted to the Job Fitness Test to assess whether he could do his own or a similar occupation. An independent occupational therapist measured his capacity to handle weight as well as his static posturing, which includes the ability to do elevated work, forward bending and crouching, amongst others.

He failed the test, scoring the required 10 points that declared him permanently disabled to do his own or a similar occupation. This test provided the client with improved certainty when he needed it most.

At BrightRock, we use objective medical criteria based on clinical best practice guidelines as one of the ways that we assess claims. This is always supported by the Job Fitness Test, which ensures that clients can get the benefit, where appropriate, of a pay-out based on their inability to work, should their illness or injury not meet the medical criteria. With us, clients have greater choice and flexibility – and above all, greater certainty that we will pay their valid claims.

ENDS