Analysts at the National Business Group on Health say the recession may have actually curbed the number of short and long-term disability claims. But while STD costs fell, long-term disability costs jumped 25 percent.

"When the recession began, many employers anticipated their short-term disability claims would increase. When employees experience anxiety regarding impending workforce reductions, their subsequent behavior often causes employers to feel the impact in their benefit plans," said Helen Darling, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, in a statement. "However, this recession appears to have caused a somewhat opposite effect, with decreases in claims in 2009. The collapse of the housing marketing and the unemployment picture may have caused employees to delay taking time off from work, especially for elective medical procedures."

The Employer Measure of Productivity, Absence and Quality (EMPAQ) annual survey found that the incidence for short-term disability (STD) claims declined 17.3 percent from 8.1 claims per 100 covered employees in 2008 to 6.7 claims per 100 covered employees in 2009.