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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- New and expectant mothers who file maternity leave claims with Unum (NYSE: UNM) are receiving something they may not have expected from their benefits provider: a card offering congratulations, a magazine subscription and access to Unum's dedicated website for new parents.

"In the business of employee benefits, we really don't get many chances to congratulate a claimant, to make a connection with them at a happy time in their lives," said Laura Beckmann, vice president of Short Term Disability benefits for Unum. "This program is a unique and positive way to support and reach out to claimants who have something wonderful to celebrate."

Since Unum launched the program in November 2008, more than 7,200 cards have gone to new and expectant mothers who have notified the company that they are on maternity leave or soon will be.

The Parenting Group is partnering with Unum by offering Unum maternity claimants free subscriptions to Babytalk magazine and providing content from the award-winning Parenting.com for Unum's dedicated website for new parents.

"Working with a benefits provider gives us a unique opportunity to connect with moms when they need our content the most," said Walter Rosenthal, Consumer Marketing Director, The Parenting Group. "We're thrilled to offer resources from Parenting and Babytalk magazines to the new moms participating in the Unum program, and look forward to continuing a relationship with them as their families grow."

Unum, the leading provider of group disability coverage in the United States, processed more than 360,000 new disability claims in 2008. Maternity leave was Unum's leading reason for short term disability claims in 2008, making up more than 22 percent of those claims.

"Building this connection with the thousands of mothers who count on Unum for maternity benefits has brought us a lot of positive feedback from both our customers and the Unum employees who serve them," Beckmann said. "This is an innovative approach to fulfilling Unum's vision of building meaningful connections between employers, their employees and the benefits we provide."

Visit Unum's dedicated website for new parents.

About Unum

Unum (www.unum.com) is one of the leading providers of employee benefits products and services in the United States and the United Kingdom. Through its subsidiaries, Unum Group provided nearly $6 billion in total benefits to customers in 2008.

    Source: Unum