March 3, 2026 Newswires

Symetra Partners With Empathy to Offer Bereavement Support to Group Life Insurance Beneficiaries

Business Wire

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Symetra Life Insurance Company today announced a new partnership between its Workforce Benefits division and Empathy, a leading platform helping families navigate the experiences associated with loss. Symetra now offers Group Life Insurance policyholders¹ access to Empathy Loss Support⁽™⁾ for beneficiaries at no additional cost.

Loss affects all aspects of grieving families' lives, impacting their physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Empathy’s 2024 report, The Cost of Dying, illustrates that burden, noting that the average family spends $12,616 on loss-related expenses and takes 15 months to complete associated administrative tasks.²The financial protection offered by a Symetra life insurance policy paired with Empathy’s resource support can help close this gap.

“We understand the challenges that loss brings, including grief, and are dedicated to being there for our customers every step of the way. We’re pleased to offer Empathy’s services as part of Symetra’s commitment to support families during their journey,” said Todd Dzen, vice president, Symetra Workforce Benefits. “Through our Empathy partnership, we can expand needed support to beneficiaries in navigating the myriad aspects of loss in addition to the financial safety net offered by life insurance.”

Empathy goes beyond traditional bereavement or employee assistance program (EAP) offerings by providing comprehensive, proactive and human-centered support. It helps families navigate both the emotional and practical challenges that come after a loss – from assistance with estate administration and probate to coping with grief. Each experience is personalized to the family’s unique needs, ensuring compassionate guidance every step of the way.

The Empathy platform combines emotional and logistical support and grief resources with digital tools to help families navigate the loss of a loved one, including:

Personalized care plans and a dedicated care team member
Grief resources to support emotional well-being
Funeral planning assistance
Identity theft protection
An award-winning, intuitive app

"We are proud to work with Symetra as they expand their Group Life insurance offering to beneficiaries and demonstrate their commitment to care and innovation. By meeting families where they are, beneficiaries receive the essential and meaningful support they need following a loss,” said Ron Gura, co-founder and CEO of Empathy.

To learn more about Symetra’s Group Life and Disability insurance products, visit symetra.com/GroupLAD.

About Symetra

Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.

About Empathy

Empathy is a leading technology company transforming how people plan for and navigate life’s toughest moments. Serving tens of millions of policyholders across North America and the UK, Empathy partners with eight of the top ten U.S. life insurance carriers and handles one in five life insurance claims in the U.S. beyond the payout. Empathy combines technological innovation with compassion to provide unparalleled support for bereavement, estate management, legacy planning, disability and more. Empathy is redefining the standard for modern care. Learn more at empathy.com.

Group benefits are insured by Symetra Life Insurance Company, 777 108th Avenue NE, Suite 1200, Bellevue, WA 98004. Benefits may not be available in all states and are not available in any U.S. territory. Policies may be subject to exclusions, limitations, reductions and termination of benefit provisions.

Loss Support is provided by Empathy. Empathy is not affiliated with Symetra or any of its subsidiaries.

¹ Empathy Loss Support is not yet available to groups in Maryland, New Hampshire, New York or Washington.

² The Cost of Dying (2024, Empathy.com).