Legal & General paid 2,614 group protection claims in 2017.

The claims were worth a total of £284m and representing almost 18% of the industry total.

In total, over two million employees across all its group protection products.

L&G paid almost 100% of group life claims in 2017. A total of £206m was paid to all claimants, with the average claim payment worth over £123,000.

The insurer paid over £9m in group critical illness claims in 2017, with an average claim payment of almost £62,000.

In addition, Legal & General paid almost £51m of new group income protection claims in 2017, with a total of over £68m of claims being paid to all claimants and an average claim payment of £23,380.

Mental health issues accounted for 29% of new claims in 2017 and have been the top cause of claims on Legal & General’s group income protection policies since 1999.

Its Early Intervention Programme and rehabilitation services are focused on supporting and benefitting the employee throughout their time off work, with trained clinicians assessing the best course of action to help them cope with their issues.

In 2017, Legal & General referred claimants suffering from mental health concerns to psychological healthcare provider, CBT Clinics, resulting in almost 3,500 treatment sessions. In the same period, Ascenti, a physiotherapy and rehab independent provider conducted 480 physiotherapy appointments for claimants referred by Legal & General.

Vanessa Sallows, benefits and governance director at Legal & General’s group protection, said: “These new figures clearly show the vital role that Legal & General plays within the group protection industry. Paying a total of £284m in 2017 highlights the valuable financial support these policies can provide to our customers and their employees when they need it most.

“Being unable to work due to illness or injury can be a frightening prospect for many employees. We strive to provide support for these individuals by giving them access to trained experts who are 100% focussed on giving them the right treatment and, where possible, help them get back to work more quickly.

“We know that receiving treatment early-on increases the chances of a faster and successful return to work, so it’s fantastic to see so many people taking advantage of our flexible service, with almost 4,000 treatment sessions being fulfilled through our partners.”