PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 9 -- CIGNA issued the following news release:

Few laws cause more frustration for employers than the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ever-changing regulatory landscape can make it difficult for employers who do not have compliance and clinical expertise to manage absence programs effectively and efficiently. Cigna has designed two new offerings to address the needs of employers whether they choose to manage these programs in-house or opt for an outsourced solution.

Cigna Leave Solutions(R) can now provide employers the ability to pair the outsourcing of ADA programs with their FML services with its new ADA Administration Services. This new optional service results in a more integrated, holistic view of employee absence management within an organization and provides employees with access to vocational counselors to support them in their accommodation needs.

"The logical pairing of ADA and FML administration will remove some of the compliance burden from employers," said Mark Marsters, senior vice president of operations for Cigna's disability insurance business. "Cigna's clinical focus helps engage employees earlier in health promotion programs while supporting employers in more efficiently managing their workplace accommodation processes."

For employers who manage FML administration in-house, Cigna created Cigna Absence Assistant SM, a program that provides human resource personnel access to the latest compliance resources, administrative best practices, vocational staff and clinical expertise. The online compliance tool, in particular, will help human resource personnel stay current on federal and state FML laws and assist them in making consistent and compliant decisions.

"Employers who keep all their FML and ADA administration in-house still want to reduce compliance burdens, regulatory risks and employee absences," said Marsters. "Cigna Absence Assistant provides the latest resources to help human resource personnel do the very best for their company's employees, while also protecting the company from compliance risks."

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