From CNN:
... Pandemic issues and budget cuts at the Social Security Administration, which handles SSDI claims, have resulted in the lowest staffing levels in 25 years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That has kept long Covid cases backlogged. ...
People with long Covid “were less likely to be employed full time and more likely to be unemployed” due to the “presence of cognitive symptoms,” according to a recent study in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
A January study from the New York State Insurance Fund found that 18% of long Covid patients in that state have not been able to return to work for more than one year. ...
The Department of Health and Human Services estimates $50 billion in annual salaries in the US is lost annually due to long Covid. A Brookings analysis puts that total at an even higher number: a staggering $170 billion lost by workers. ...
[F]or many long Covid patients, [applying for Social Security disability benefitl] remains an ordeal on many levels, including the mental anguish of simply trying to cut through a notoriously bureaucratic federal disability application process.
“I feel like we’re being erased,” said Sarah Steinberg, 40, a Covid “long-hauler” and self-employed architectural designer. Disabled by long Covid since March 2020, she lives with her spouse and their 7-year-old son in Portland, Ore.
Unlike workers whose jobs offer benefits packages, some freelancers like Steinberg say they find themselves locked out of benefits like health, dental, life, and short- and long-term disability insurance. ...
[N]early three years into the pandemic, long Covid still isn’t included on SSA’s listing of qualifying disabilities. ...
“Trying to apply for SSDI makes doing your taxes look like a kindergarten watercolor painting,” [a disability expert] said. “It’s well known that you usually have to apply multiple times. It can take years.” ...
In fairness, SSA has made an effort to instruct its staff on how to handle long covid by an EM. https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/reference.nsf/links/09302021025535PM
ReplyDeleteSo many definitions of "Long Covid" and no two match.
ReplyDeleteOne has to wonder how much of this, fatigue, shortness of breath (that doesnt show up FEV1, brain fog, are just brought on by stories of Long Covid with the long list of vague symptoms.
There are some people that have had long lasting effects for sure, usually with a comorbidity, but I dont think they remotely rise to the numbers in this article.
I am always fascinated by how many people think whether or not a condition is in the Listings is a critical factor. As in, "My condition is listed but Social Security turned me down" or the opposite as reflected in this article, "My condition isn't in the Listings so that is why I was turned down".
ReplyDeleteBoo, bad article. Cites to no data. One person's anecdote is not proof. Our HO has allowed many long-COVID claims. But they're still only a miniscule fraction of the docket.
ReplyDeleteI’ve not seen a long Covid claim so far.
ReplyDeleteI've seen 2 Covid cases in 2 years. Could be why there is no data in the article.
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