Co-operators AVP disability claims Jen Robertson argues that how a disability claim is handled in its first 30 days determines engagement, recovery momentum, and duration, and that mental health claims, rising complexity, and stretched teams are forcing carriers to move beyond speed-based metrics. This feature draws on Robertson's nearly three decades in insurance to examine decision quality, psychological safety, and what a people-first approach actually requires in practice.
The first 30 days of a disability claim set the trajectory for everything that follows. Jen Robertson, AVP disability claims at Co-operators, says the initial interaction carries more weight than the industry has traditionally acknowledged. "How a claim is handled in the first 30 days will strongly influence the claimant's engagement, their recovery momentum, and, of course, the duration of the claim," she says. Carriers that get this phase right tend to see shorter durations, better engagement, and fewer files that drift without a recovery pathway.
A decade ago, complex files were routed around a standardised core. That model no longer holds. Robertson puts it plainly: "Complexity isn't the exception, it's the baseline." Mental health claims are rising, psychosocial factors are extending durations, and regulatory scrutiny is sharper. Any operating model built on the assumption that difficult files are outliers is already misaligned with the current caseload facing most claims teams.
Mental health claims do not follow the linear trajectory the industry's legacy models were built around. Recovery is non-linear, and workplace dynamics, access to care, fear of relapse, and treatment engagement all sit inside the file in ways a checklist struggles to capture. Robertson notes that "two people with the same diagnosis can have really different functional impacts," depending on their role, support systems, and treatment engagement. "Psychological safety affects engagement of mental health claimants," she adds. Carriers like Co-operators are responding by investing in clinical literacy and stronger early-phase interactions.
When automation and standardisation displace human judgment too early, duration rises. Robertson is direct about the economics: "A disengaged claimant is rarely a short-term duration claimant." She warns that "if a disability claim becomes overly transactional, we'll see unintended consequences," including worsening outcomes as claimants feel misunderstood and disengage from treatment. Her preferred shift in measurement is moving away from processing speed toward how well the first phase of a claim was actually managed.
People-first is not a softer standard, it is a more structured one. Decisions need to be anchored to diagnosis, function, and treatment, with expectations set early and communication that preserves dignity in emotionally difficult claims. Robertson is clear about the distinction: "People first is not about softer adjudication," but rather "more proactive adjudication that will stay anchored in recovery." It also means preventing drift, files that continue to be paid without a credible recovery pathway in place.
Engagement is the variable that moves the numbers. "When a claimant feels respected and understood, they're more likely to share important information, participate in treatment, and collaborate on a sustainable return-to-work plan," Robertson says. The inverse is equally measurable: disengagement shows up as longer duration, repeated delays, and higher escalation risk. Robertson also notes the operational cost of understaffed teams: "When claims teams are overwhelmed, what we see is that decisions become very reactive, and that risk of drift really rises."
Duration will remain a metric, but the industry is shifting toward measures that predict durable outcomes, including engagement rates, decision consistency, and sustainable return-to-work. Robertson argues that optimising only for speed risks recurrence and premature closures that do not hold. Plan sponsors are already raising their expectations: "Strong claims adjudication is table stakes," she says, and sponsors are now "looking for a partner who can improve outcomes and provide guidance to both their employee and also to the employer." Carriers who measure the quality of the journey, not just the speed of closure, are positioned to pull ahead.
Jen Robertson: AVP, disability claims, Co-operators; nearly three decades of experience in the Canadian insurance industry.