When Josephine Cabrera Taveras was infected with COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, she had not anticipated that the virus would put her out of work for two years and put her family at risk of eviction.
Taveras, mother of two children in Brooklyn, New York, said her battle with the long COVID meant coping with debilitating symptoms, ranging from breathing difficulties to arthritis, which prevented her from returning to her job as a nanny. Unable to work — and without access to Social Security Disability Insurance or other government assistance – Taveras and his family face a looming pile of bills.
“We may be losing our apartment because we’re behind on rent,” Taveras, 32, said. His request for Social Security aid for people with disabilities, presented last fall, was rejected, but it is appealing.
Like many others with long COVID, Taveras fell through the cracks of a system that was time-consuming and difficult to navigate even before the COVID-19 pandemic. People face years-long wait times, insufficient legal support and a lack of clear guidance on how to prove they are disabled – compounded by the challenges of a medical system that does not There is no uniform process for diagnosing long COVID, according to health experts and disability lawyers.
The Biden administration has long promised support for people with COVID, but patient advocates say many are struggling to get help from the government.
The Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention defines long COVID broadly, as a “range of ongoing health conditions” that can last “weeks, months, or longer.” This description includes people, like Taveras, who cannot work, as well as people with less severe symptoms, such as long-term loss of smell.
The Social Security Administration identified approximately 40,000 disability claims that “include an indication of COVID infection at some point”, spokesperson Nicole Tiggemann said. How many people with long-term COVID are among the more than 1 million disability claims awaiting processing by Social Security is unknown.
In recent months, approximately 5% of new disability benefit claims filed by Allsup, a Illinoisbased company that helps people apply Social Securityinvolved people struggling with COVID-19, said TJ Geist, director of the company. Other companies are reporting similar numbers.
Long waits for disability assistance often end in denial, in part because long-time COVID patients lack the substantial medical evidence federal authorities need, Geist said. There is no standard process for diagnosing long COVID. In the same way, Social Security “has not yet provided specific guidance on how to assess COVID applications” for government officials reviewing applications, he said.
A recent report from the Brookings Institution estimates that 2-4 million people are out of work due to long COVID. A study published in September by the National Bureau of Economic Research set the number to 500,000.
Advocates suggest that many people with long-term COVID have not yet recognized their need for government benefits and may start applying soon.
“I didn’t realize I was disabled for four years because my abilities fluctuated so much,” said Alison Sbrana, a patient advocate with the long-running COVID support group Body Politic. She has a chronic illness with symptoms similar to long COVID in many cases and has received Social Security disability benefits for several years.
“If you apply my timeline to people who have had COVID for a long time, even people who got sick in early 2020, we’re not going to know the full extent of their ability to work or not until 2024,” he said. she declared.
In July 2021the Department of Health and Social Services COVID long officially recognized as a disability. By developing recognition, the department and the White House published a report in August 2022 which summarizes the “services and supports” available for people with long-term COVID and others who have experienced long-term impacts of the pandemic.
But accessing support isn’t as simple as White House ads may suggest. First the July 2021 the guidance recognized the long COVID under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but did not extend to Social Security Administrationthat manages benefit programs.
Under the ADAlong COVID patients who can still work can ask their employers for accommodations, such as space to rest or a more flexible schedule, said Juliana Renoa New York benefits lawyer. Social Securityhowever, has stricter standards: To qualify for disability insurance, people must prove that their lengthy COVID symptoms are so debilitating that they cannot work.
“The application process is very demanding, very confusing for patients,” Sbrana said. “It also depends entirely on your ability to have this substantial breadcrumb trail of medical evidence.”
Most requests are denied in the first round, according to Sbrana and other lawyers. Patients usually appeal the decision, which often leads to a second refusal. At this point, they can request a court hearing. The whole process can take a year or more and usually requires legal assistance.
Taveras said she knows many other people struggling with similar issues.
“We’re trying to get support from the government, and we’re not getting it,” she said. Taveras created a GoFundMe page asking for help for his family.
