MetLife Total Absence ManagementSM Introduced as Enhanced Solution for Employers

Business Editors/Insurance Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 28, 2009--MetLife, a leading provider of employee benefits, today announced that it has introduced MetLife Total Absence Management SM – a new, enhanced absence management solution, which enables employers to maximize workforce productivity by having a unified approach to tracking and managing both planned and unplanned employee absences. MetLife Total Absence Management SM features increased functionality with regard to types and lengths of absences monitored, improved efficiencies during the claim intake and leave initiation processes to improve employee satisfaction, and advanced reporting and tracking capabilities. Customers with 1,000 or more employees that have MetLife Insured Group Disability are eligible to implement the new Total Absence Management Solution with effective dates of January 1, 2010.

“We are excited to bring this solution to the marketplace at a time when economic pressures are causing employers to look for improved efficiencies and greater cost savings. The enhanced solution is designed to make it easier for employers to maximize their resources in managing their business for success,” said Michael Fradkin, vice president, Disability Product Management, MetLife. “This consultative approach to analyzing absence data and trends and providing recommendations can help employers approach employee absences more strategically.”

Benefits of MetLife Total Absence Management SM include:

Administration of employee absences, such as federal and state Family Medical Leave (FML), company sponsored medical leave, military leave, jury duty/witness leave, bereavement leave and sabbatical/education leave.
Ease of administrative burden when dealing with both federal and multiple state compliance issues.
Enhanced service experience, including: real time eligibility determination when employees call MetLife; a single point of intake for all leaves; and enhanced telephonic FML intermittent reporting services.
Access to real-time information and a wide range of customized reports.

MetLife Total Absence Management SM solution, in addition to leave administration, encompasses a broad range of group disability coverages including: Short Term Disability, Statutory Disability, Salary Continuance, Long Term Disability and Voluntary Disability.

MetLife has been providing employers with quality disability products and services for over 50 years and is the second largest disability carrier in the industry, with over $2.32 billion of premiums and equivalents in force, according to the 2007 U.S. Group Disability Survey, LIMRA International. MetLife Group Disability is focused on helping employers manage costs associated with disability, offers a best-in-class service model and offers financial strength and stability.

MetLife is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), a leading provider of insurance, employee benefits and financial services with operations throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance and retirement & savings products and services to corporations and other institutions. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.