A Guide to Claims for Employers

Income Protection

Irish Life Corporate Business

First Class Providers of Income Protection

An income if an employee cannot work as a result of illnessor injury.

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Contents

1 Introduction Page 4

2 Monitoring long-term absences Page 7

3 Submitting a claim Page 9

4 Medical reports Page 12

5 Claim assessement Page 15

6 Paying Benefit Page 17

7 The claim review Page 20

8 Ceased claims Page 22

9 Redundancy/termination of employment Page 24

10 Health Claims Advisors Page 26

11 Returning to work and rehabilitation programmes Page 28

Introduction

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Irish Life’s strength inIncome ProtectionIrish Life is the leading provider of IncomeProtection in Ireland.

We currently provide insurance to over275,000 people covering a wide range ofoccupations.

Irish Life pays income benefits to 2,200people to bridge the gap between socialwelfare entitlements and the incomeclaimants require to maintain a reasonablestandard of living when they are ill or injured.

The annual payout is over €49 million.(Source: Irish Life Corporate Business)

Income Protection is one of the corner stonesof Irish Life’s business. It provides benefits topeople when they really need them. However,Irish Life’s Income Protection benefit goesmuch further than simply ensuring the benefitpayment gets there on time.

After a serious illness or accident, manypeople are unable to adjust to their changedcircumstances without the benefit ofsupportive advice and assistance. Irish Lifebelieve therefore in the formation andmaintenance of long-term relationships withthe income protection claimant. Therelationship spans from managing genuineclaims efficiently to offering rehabilitationand retraining possibilities and also trainedhelp and advice. All of these services areoffered with the objective of restoringphysical, mental, social and occupationalcapability as quickly and as fully as possible.

Irish Life want to build this business byworking together with employers andbrokers and this booklet is a step in that process.

The purpose of your Irish Life IncomeProtection Scheme is to partially replace theincome of employees during long-termabsence from work due to illness or injury.This is a very valuable benefit for anemployer to provide for employees.

Payment begins once a predeterminedperiod ("the deferred period") has passedafter the start of the absence from work. Thedeferred period is usually a continuous 13,26 or 52 weeks, but this may differ accordingto the specific terms of your policy.

Benefits payable under the scheme mayincrease annually by the lesser of an agreedpercentage or the rise in the Consumer PriceIndex (CPI) in the preceding twelve months.

Irish Life is dedicated to providingall its customers with excellent

service - this booklet forms part of thatcommitment. It contains essentialinformation concerning Irish Life'sbenefit application documentation, ourassessment and review processes - infact, all the necessary information yourequire in order that any application forbenefit you may have to make in futureon behalf of an ill or injured employeewill be as straightforward as possible.

Please also check the specificterms of your policy.

The scheme may also provide aproportionate benefit for employees who areunable to return to work fully and eitherresume their normal occupation on a part-time basis, at reduced earnings, or undertakean alternative occupation at reducedearnings. This is a valuable support foremployees who are keen to return to theworkforce but who cannot resume theiroriginal job in a full capacity.

Employees who qualify under the schemewill be paid under the terms of the policyuntil:

• they resume work

• they are fit enough to return to work

• their employment ceases

• the expiry date of payment

• retirement

• death

whichever is the earlier.

The benefit may also cease if an employeetakes up an alternative occupation.

The following pages explain how you shouldgo about submitting a claim and how suchclaims are processed. It is essential that you,as the employer, and Irish Life work togetherin managing any potential or existing claims.

These are typical steps of aclaim process:

Submitting a Claim

Medical Reports

Claim Assessment

Benefit Payment

Claim Review

Rehabilitation and Returningto Work Programmes

Health Claim Advisers and Home Visits

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Monitoring long-termabsences

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All your employees should be made awarethat although Income Protection is a valuablebenefit, it is not a pension. Your scheme isspecifically designed to provide adequatefinancial protection, but not to be sobeneficial to employees that they have nofinancial incentive to return to work oncethey are capable of doing so.

The claims experience for the scheme has adirect effect on the premium rate chargedand poor claims experience is therefore badfor both the employer and Irish Life.

Monitor long-termabsences

As a concerned employer you will rightlyexpect genuine claims to be paid. To helpyou plan efficiently for potential claims, werecommend you monitor any absences thatare not of a short duration. If you keep incontact with employees who areincapacitated on a long-term basis you will beable to give them any assistance they needand ensure that a claim is made in good time.

Carry out the following safeguards:

To control your claims experience, it isadvisable as an employer to:

1) Consult your Company Doctor foradvice.

2) Arrange for your Company Doctor toobtain medical reports from theemployee's General Practitioner (GP) andSpecialist.

3) Consider referring the ill/injuredemployee to a specialist or paying for anintervention such as physiotherapy.

4) Arrange for your HR Department orOccupational Health Nurse to visit/meetwith your employee.

5) Maintain contact with Irish Life and/oryour Broker for assistance and advice.

Submitting a claim

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Before you start to make a claim it isimportant you have the correctdocumentation. We require a number ofdocuments to be submitted with the claim:

• Employment Information Form

• Job description

• Employee's Claim Notification Form

• Proof of age (unless age has already beenadmitted for scheme purposes)

• Employment Information Form

The Employment Information Form needsto be completed by the employer andprovides essential details on theemployment status, other claims andsocial welfare entitlements. It can also beused to provide a written job descriptionif a formal document is not available. Adetailed job description is essential inassessing whether or not the employee isfit to resume work. A functional orlayperson’s description will be of morebenefit than a technical job specification.

• Employee's Claim Notification Form

This form must be fully completed by theemployee and provides the consent forIrish Life to arrange for a specialist nursefrom MorganAsh Ltd to telephone theclaimant and interview them about theirhealth in order to complete the claimform. In some cases, a tele-interview maynot be suitable and a full paper claimform may be requested.

• Proof of Age/Birth Certificate

We also need the employee’s original BirthCertificate or an alternative proof of age(Driver’s Licence/Passport) to be submitted.A copy will be taken and we will returnthe original to you as soon as possible.

Do not send short GPCertificatesThroughout the life of the claim, please donot send us routine medical certificatesissued by the employee's GeneralPractitioner, as these are not used whenassessing a claim. They are not sufficient toprove continued inability to work.

Submitting a claim in timeduring the deferred periodIt is very important that your benefitapplication documentation is received wellbefore the end of the deferred period (theinitial period of absence during which nobenefits are paid by us - e.g. the first 26 weeks).

It is very important that alldocumentation is completed

correctly to avoid delays. Please ensurethe Employment Information Form andEmployee's Claim Notification Form aresigned and dated and that all thequestions have been answered in full.Any omissions may cause unnecessarydelay while documents are returned for completion.

Ideally we would like to receive claim formsat least 10 weeks before the end of a 26week deferred period and at least 15 weeksbefore the end of a 52 week deferred period,to help us be in a position to notify you of aformal decision before benefit payments aredue to commence.

If you delay submitting the benefitapplication, you might miss the expiry date ofthe deferred period. The later the claim issubmitted, the more difficult it is for us tocollate medical evidence in retrospect. Wewould stress the importance of notifying us ingood time. Where claim forms are submittedlate i.e. after the expiry of the deferredperiod, Irish Life may only be in a position topay a claim from the date of receipt of theforms. In some cases it may not be possibleto consider a claim at all if there is a lengthydelay involved. Therefore, it is vitallyimportant that claim forms are submitted on time.

All our forms are available to download on our websitehttp://www.irishlife.ie/corporatebusiness/resources-tools/downloads.html

Don't miss out by delaying yourbenefit application.

Deferred Submit your claimPeriod before the end of

the deferred period

26 weeks 10 weeks

52 weeks 15 weeks

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Medical reports

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Claim Form Completion

On receipt of the Employee ClaimNotification Form, an Income ProtectionClaims Assessor will review the form and ifsuitable, will refer the claim to MorganAshLtd for Claim Form Completion by tele-interview. The claimant will be contactedby a trained nurse to schedule a suitable timefor the tele-interview. Some claims may notbe suitable for tele-interview and for thesecases, the current paper claim form andmedical certificate will be issued to theclaimant for completion. When the claimanthas completed the interview, MorganAsh willissue a paper copy of the interview to theclaimant for review. The reviewed form, withany amendments or additions, should bereturned with the declaration and consentsigned to Income Protection Claims in theprepaid envelope provided.

Obtaining medicalevidence

In order to assess the claim we may need torequest reports from the employee’s GeneralPractitioner.

If the employee is under specialist care of aConsultant, a request will be made to theConsultant to provide us with full detailedinformation from the employee’s case notes.In most cases, a medical examination will alsobe required.

The need for anexamination by aConsultant of our choice

This will be carried out by an appropriateindependent specialist medical examiner ofIrish Life's choice, who has not previouslytreated the employee.

The need for such an examination should notbe interpreted as cause for concern - it issimply another element in the process ofobtaining independent detailed informationto assess the employee's disability.

Arranging a MedicalExamination

Certain aspects must be taken into accountwhen arranging a medical examination:

• The Specialist - the appropriateSpecialist has to be found.

• The location - we want to arrange theexamination as near as possible to wherethe employee lives.

• Obtaining appointments - this can bedifficult and may lead to an examinationsome distance from the employee’shome. However, this should rarely delaythe claim where claim forms have beensubmitted on time.

Minimising delays

Unfortunately, it is after the requests formedical information have been sent thatdelays most often occur. Accordingly, weallow three weeks from despatch of the

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requests before we start ‘chasing’ theinformation and we continue to do so atregular intervals until it is received.

On receipt, the information is immediatelypassed to our Claims Assessors. Usually, atthis stage, there will be sufficient medicalevidence for us to make a decision on theclaim.

However, this is not always the case - theinformation can be very brief and in suchcases further clarification may be requestedfrom the General Practitioner or theConsultant. In some cases, we may request acopy of their full medical records if they arerelevant to the application for benefit.

Payment for SpecialistReports, GP Reports andthe Examination Report

Irish Life will pay for these reports and willalso pay reasonable travel expenses inrespect of attendance for a medicalexamination. By this we mean bus or trainfares or a contribution towards petrolexpenses. We are unable to pay food orovernight accommodation expenses.

Confidentiality

All medical reports are obtained for thebenefit of our Chief Medical Officer and aretreated as strictly private and confidential.

Delays can be considerablyreduced if the employee also

telephones their GP or Consultant. Ofcourse, this is entirely optional. The employee should always contacteither yourself or the broker first tolearn the current position of the claim.

Claim assessment

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Payment for a statedperiod

Sometimes it is clear from the informationreceived that a full recovery and return towork can be anticipated within a shortperiod. In these cases we will notify you thatour liability is accepted for this limited periodonly, after which the benefit payments will cease.

• Should the employee return to workearlier than this, notify us of this datewhen known, so that the payment canbe adjusted accordingly.

• Should the employee not return towork within this period, we wouldrequire notification to enable us tomake further enquiries.

Declined claims

If the claim is declined, the letter will indicatethe reasons behind the decision. Our ChiefMedical Officer may also write to theemployee's General Practitioner, if requestedto do so, explaining, with further detail, thereasons behind the decision. There is anappeals process (see page 23) and anyappeal must be submitted with supportingevidence within 3 months of the decision.

All factors are taken intoaccount

When assessing the claim on behalf of youremployee, the Assessor will look at all themedical evidence received and any HealthClaims Advisor report (please check page 26for more details), as well as considering theemployee's occupation (the occupation theywere following immediately prior todisability) and the policy terms andconditions. Our Chief Medical Officer willalso often be consulted.

Functional disability

The Assessors will use the informationgathered to determine the extent to whichthe employee is unable to perform thematerial and substantial duties of theiroccupation - in other words, the extent offunctional disability. It is important to notethat diagnosis of a condition does not in itselfnecessarily always denote functionaldisability.

The claim decision

At this stage a decision is made either toadmit or decline the claim. The decision isimmediately notified to you or yourconsultant/broker in writing.

If the claim is admitted, we have acceptedliability and will pay the claim. Our letter ofacceptance will contain details of the benefit payable.

Paying benefit

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The first benefit payment

Benefit is always paid monthly in arrears.

Sometimes, due to various factors, such asdelays in receiving medical evidence, thedecision to admit the claim may not be madeuntil after the payment was due to commence.

Subsequent payments

Subsequently, payment will be made on themonthly due date.

For how long will thebenefit be paid?

Benefit will continue to be paid under theterms of the policy as long as the medicalevidence and any other relevant evidence inour opinion continues to support the claim.

Return to Work - SuccessRatesWe have been hugely successful in assistingincreasing numbers of employees to returnto work over the years. This is the bestpossible outcome for employees, employersand the insurer and has led to significantpremium reductions for those employerswith good claims experience.

Tax/PRSI/Universal SocialCharge

The benefit may consist of two parts:

• The employee’s benefit

• The Premium Protection

The employee’s benefit should be paid to theclaimant through your normal payroll system.It is treated as salary for income tax purposes and therefore, comes under thePAYE system.

PRSI should be deducted from theemployee’s benefit, subject to the normalPRSI thresholds and exemptions. Theclaimant’s PRSI class may change and it isimportant that you are notified by theclaimant if this happens. You should contactthe Department of Social Protection if youhave any queries regarding the operation ofPRSI. You should also keep in regular contactwith your employee to ensure that theappropriate PRSI contributions (if any) arebeing made by you on their behalf.

The Universal Social Charge should also bededucted from the employee’s benefit,subject to the individual thresholds andexemptions that apply in the case of eachemployee. The Revenue will advise you ofthe appropriate thresholds and exemptionsfor the employee at the same time that theyadvise you of the employees’ tax credits andcut-off point. You should contact theRevenue Commissioners if you have anyqueries regarding the operation of theUniversal Social Charge.

The Premium Protection element should beretained by you as the employer and used tocontribute to the continuing cost of theclaimant’s pension and life assurance benefits.

Keep the employee on thepayroll. It is important to note the

claimant should always remain anemployee throughout the claim process tobe an insured member under your policy.

If you hold a Defined Contribution PensionScheme with Irish Life, the PremiumProtection Benefit will not be paid to you.Instead it will be transferred internally on amonthly basis directly to the pension fund.

Maximum Benefit

The benefit payable, including amounts fromother sources, cannot exceed a proportion ofthe employee’s salary, typically 2/3 of thesalary. The amounts from other sourcescould include any other salary or income,Social Welfare payments, other similarinsurance benefits (including disabilitymortgage protection insurance) and anyannualised lump sum awards or settlementsmade in respect of the disablement.

Accepted Residences

We are generally unable to assess claims oroffer claims management services outside ofIreland or the UK. Employees will thereforeonly be entitled to benefit if they areordinarily resident within Ireland or theUnited Kingdom. The benefit will not bepayable for more than 6 calendar months intotal while employees are outside thesecountries.

Relapse after returning towork - linked claim

Sometimes people return to work, but theiroriginal condition subsequently worsens tosuch an extent they are no longer able tocontinue working. If an employee returns to

work for less than six months before thishappens we will consider 'linking' the claim.

This means another deferred period will notapply and payment of benefit will resumeimmediately, at the same level as whenbenefit ceased, providing the objectivemedical evidence supports the claim.

Another deferred period will not apply only ifthe reason for the second absence is directlyrelated to the original disability.

Partial Benefit

If, immediately following a period ofdisablement when the employee wasreceiving full benefit, the employee is unableto carry out their normal occupation but, withour approval, returns to their own or anyoccupation at a reduced rate of earnings, the benefit may continue to be paid but at areduced rate. A benefit formula is used toensure that the employee is better offfinancially as a result or any such partialreturn to work.

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The claim review

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The claim reviewprocedureClaims are always reviewed on a regularbasis. Where a recovery is indicated, we willreview the claim as warranted by the medicalinformation.

A Certificate of Continued Disablement maybe requested. This is made up of two parts.

• One for completion by the claimant and

• the second part to be completed by theattending doctor/specialist.

The completed form should then bereturned to us. Irish Life cannot beresponsible for the doctor’s fee for thisCertificate.

We may also obtain up-to-date informationfrom the Specialist on the current extent ofthe employee's functional disability. Like theGP's report, this will normally be providedbased on the employee's case notes.Occasionally however, the Specialist maywish to re-examine the employee beforesubmitting a report. An independent medicalexamination by a selected Specialist may alsobe requested or we may arrange for ourHealth Claims Advisor to meet the claimantto discuss the various aspects of the claim.

While the vast majority of claims areabsolutely genuine, some are not. We havea duty to ensure that we only pay claims thatsatisfy the policy terms and conditions. Forthese reasons, we use the services of PrivateInvestigators on occasion as one of our toolsto help us determine whether claims arevalid. The Private Investigation companiesused are large professional companies whichmust be accredited or be members of an

appropriate trade body. They are bound by aconfidentiality agreement and by the termsof the Data Protection Acts. This means thatinformation given to them by us as part oftheir instructions, and gathered by them onour behalf, will not be disclosed to any otherparty. On completion of an investigation, thePrivate Investigation Company must deliverall the data collected in relation to theinvestigation to us and delete all informationfrom their own records. Private Investigatorsmust also comply with and operate within aCode of Practice prepared by us.

Payment for claim reviewinformation

We pay the General Practitioner's and theSpecialist's fees for any informationrequested directly by us. However, we donot pay for any incidental expenses theemployee may incur in connection with theclaim review apart from reasonable travelexpenses in respect of any examinationarranged by us as mentioned previously.

When might benefitscease?

If the medical evidence and any otherrelevant evidence received at the review inour opinion supports the claim, then benefitwill continue to be paid. However, if theevidence does not confirm the employeecontinues to be functionally disabled underthe terms of the policy, then we will beobliged to cease payment and we will adviseyou accordingly.

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Ceased claims

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If the decision to cease the benefit is made,you or your broker/consultant will benotified in writing, in advance, to allow timefor an appeal if necessary. As with the initialclaim assessment, the letter will indicate the reasons behind our decision to cease benefit.

Appeals

Appeals are dealt with by separate ClaimsAssessors within Irish Life to enable a freshreview of the claim.

Further up-to-date specialist medicalevidence would be required in order tosupport an appeal. The information needs tobe provided by the claimant. The decisionmay then be upheld, the benefit paymentcould be reinstated or, as happens in themajority of appeals, a further independentspecialist medical examination may berequired.

If an appeal is successful, benefits will bereinstated from the month they were ceased, provided that medical evidencesupports this.

Please note that not all appeals aresuccessful and the reasons for the rejection

of an appeal will be given in writing. The Financial Services Ombudsman maysubsequently have a role in resolving anydisputes once our internal dispute resolutionprocedures have been exhausted.

The Financial Services Ombudsman can becontacted at:

Financial Services Ombudsman’s Bureau,3rd Floor,Lincoln House,Lincoln Place,Dublin 2.Tel: 1890 8820 90

Return to work

To ensure accurate benefits are paid, it isvery important we are notified immediatelywhen an employee returns to work.

Death

Regrettably, some employees die whilst inreceipt of benefit. If this happens it is veryimportant we are notified as soon aspossible. Any overpayment of benefit inrespect of a period after the date of deathwill have to be refunded to Irish Life.

At any time during the review ofa claim, the current position can be

checked by telephoning Irish Life on 01 704 1802.

Make sure we are notified if theposition changes. It is worth

remembering that we can only make adecision on the medical evidence onfile. If, after the decision to cease theclaim, the employee has to haveunexpected further treatment, wecannot act unless we are aware of thecurrent situation.

Redundancy/termination ofemployment

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Let us know ifredundancy is beingconsidered. If you wish to terminate a claimant'semployment after the end of the deferredperiod, you should notify us in writing beforethe decision has been finalised or any action taken.

In special circumstances we may be able towaive this condition and continue to pay thebenefit directly to the claimant. This wouldbe solely at Irish Life's discretion and hasimplications which would have to beconsidered individually.

This is important because, in

accordance with the policy terms

and conditions, once an employee's

employment is terminated he or she is

no longer a member of the Income

Protection Scheme and no benefit

is payable.

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Health Claims Advisors

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Trained assistance andadvice in a time of needOur Income Protection goes much furtherthan simply ensuring the benefit paymentgets there on time.

As part of our claims managementphilosophy, we try to get to know each of ourclaimants as an individual and to tailor ourservices to their requirements andcircumstances, where appropriate.

In our experience, when a claimant hassuffered a serious illness or accident thatprevents them from working, there arequestions which people sometimes finddifficult to get answered. The aim of ourhome visit service is to help with some ofthese aspects and also to provide supportiveadvice and assistance.

Health Claims Advisors can provide adviceabout:

• The claims assessment processes

• Possible rehabilitation supports available from Irish Life

• The role of outside agencies and the supports they can provide

• Planning the transition back into theworkforce

• Financial safety nets which offer help inattempting a return to work

All visits will be arranged by appointment.

Returning to work andrehabilitation programmes

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RehabilitationIrish Life provide access to a number ofrehabilitation services including:

• Mental Health Rehabilitation Programme

• Cancer Rehabilitation Service

• Springback Programme

• Career Change Programmes

Although the employee might not be able toresume their original occupation on a full-timebasis, they may recover sufficiently to be ableto work part-time, or to take an alternative jobat a reduced salary. Irish Life should benotified in advance and a proportionatebenefit may be payable so they do not sufferfinancially as they take this first step towardsrehabilitation. It is very important when abenefit is being paid on this basis that we arenotified of any salary increases so benefit canbe adjusted before incorrect payments occur.

Mental HealthRehabilitationProgrammeThis Programme is suitable for anyone whohas experienced mental health difficultiesthat have resulted in a period of absencefrom work and who is experiencingdifficulties in returning to paid employment.

It is based around 4 major themes that areaddressed in a variety of ways. Work under

each theme involves a combination ofindividual consultations with both theRehabilitation Co-ordinator and relevantprofessionals.

It also includes home exercises that aredesigned to encourage exploration andincrease awareness.

Elements of the Programme:

Exploring mental health

This initial phase is designed to help theparticipant consider the meaning of theterms mental health and mental ill healthand the impact that their own difficultieshave had on their life.

Optimising functioning

This strand aims to maximise functionboth physically and socially and to raiseawareness of how attitudes andbehaviour can impact on the ability toreturn to work.

Regaining and retaining mental health

The aim of the work carried out underthis section is to build psychologicalresilience to prevent or tackle mentalhealth difficulties such as depressionand anxiety and to equip participantswith the skills to tackle their ownemotional difficulties.

Returning to work

Work carried out under this theme aimsto facilitate a return to work and toexplore the impact of the participant’sown mental health difficulties on work.

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These approved programmes arefully funded by Irish Life and have

been hugely successful in helpingclaimants to return to work.

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Cancer RehabilitationServiceOur Cancer Rehabilitation Programme wasdesigned in association with the BeaconClinic. It is natural for people who havecompleted cancer treatment to be worriedabout a recurrence and what the future mighthold for them. Returning to the workplacecan evoke other concerns including a fear ofnot being able to cope, a fear of isolation anda fear of not being accommodated if theperson has specific requirements to enablethem to complete their job. The programmeis designed to assist people who havesuffered from cancer during this transitionphase back into the workplace.

Elements of the Programme:

Suitability assessement

This initial phase will involve aconsultation with the OccupationalHealth Physician who will thoroughlyevaluate the participant’s health andassess their suitability to participate inthe programme. This phase alsoincludes the gathering of informationfrom their medical doctors in order tobuild up a full medical history.

Rehabilitation treatments

During this intensive 6 weekprogramme, participants will haveregular meetings with their CaseManager who will consult with all theparties providing rehabilitation on theprogramme. During the programme,they will receive treatment from anOccupational Health Physician,

a Psychotherapist and a LifestyleConsultant. Where required, referralswill also be made to other medicalspecialists, and this may includephysiotherapy.

Completion of the programme offers assistancein returning to work, and getting closer to thelife participants had before they had cancer. Theprogramme is directed by an Oncologist anddelivered by a very experiencedmultidisciplinary team. The aim is that thisprogramme will be the final milestone for peoplein their recovery from cancer.

The SpringbackProgrammeThe Springback Programme was developed inassociation with the Blackrock Clinic. It isdesigned to help people suffering from backpain to return to work at the earliest possibleopportunity. The programme is availablecountrywide.

The aim of the programme is to:

• Enable people to become more activeand to encourage them to self-managetheir current symptoms and any potentialrelapses.

• Provide participants with an independentexercise programme that can be pursuedindefinitely.

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The programme is designed to beflexible and can be organised

around medical appointments, or aphased return to work which may havealready started.

Essentially, the focus of the entire programmeis to achieve pre-set goals including improvedfunctional capacity and the ability to return to work.

Elements of the Programme:

Initial Assessment

Following an assessment by Irish Life,participants are referred to theBlackrock Clinic PhysiotherapyDepartment where objective measuresare taken. These provide the baseline.

Rehabilitation

Participants are either treated at theBlackrock Clinic or referred to a localchartered physiotherapist forrehabilitation. The SpringbackProgramme generally consists of 10one-hour rehabilitation sessionsfollowed by a reassessment at theBlackrock Clinic.

Final Assessment

Following completion of rehabilitation,a final assessment at the BlackrockClinic is organised. The assessmentinvolves repeating all physicalmeasures and all self-assessmentquestionnaires. At this time, thepersonal goals and the return to workstatus are reviewed.

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Career ChangeProgrammesSome employees who have suffered seriousillness will not have the ability to return totheir normal occupation. However, they maybe capable of taking up alternativeemployment or careers. We therefore fundand provide access to a Career ChangeConsultant. This ensures individually tailoredassessment and follow-on sessions with theConsultant. The main items covered by theprogramme are:

• Assessing personal strengths, abilitiesand experience.

• Examining career options.

• Retraining options.

• CV and personal profile preparation.

• Researching and targeting companies.

• Job searching.

• Interview preparation.

• Job placement.

• Starting a new business or being self-employed.

Irish Life has been very successful inassisting employees in finding new jobs,changing careers or starting new businesses.

Since its development, theSpringback Programme has been

very successful. Significantly, it hasachieved its primary objective ofassisting many people to return to work.

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Contact us

phone: 01 704 2000fax: 01 704 1905e-mail: code@irishlife.iewebsite: www.irishlife.ie/corporatebusiness/write to: Irish Life Corporate Business, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1

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PEFC/17-33-022

Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

In the interest of customer service we may record and monitor calls. Irish Life Assurance plc, Registered in Ireland number 152576, Vat number 9F55923G.