<
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/long-covid-workforce-issues-disability-claims/>
"Pushing through cognitive impairment, migraines and severe fatigue, Michaelene
Carlton, 49, mustered up the energy last week to dial the Social Security
Administration to speak to her newly appointed Social Security Disability
Insurance case manager. She has left six messages, one every two weeks since
late December, and she still hasn’t heard back.
Carlton, who says she has had long-term Covid-19 symptoms since March 2020, is
one of up to 23 million Americans estimated to be living with post-acute
sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection. PASC is the medical name often given to Covid-19
symptoms that last or evolve after an initial infection. Those estimates are
from the Department of Health and Human Services as of late last year.
The chronic condition can include symptoms from memory loss and extreme fatigue
to muscle weakness and musculoskeletal pain. Patients can struggle for months
and even years, and many cannot work during that period.
A study by The Brookings Institution found that as many as 683,000 workers may
have had to leave the labor force due to long Covid as of October 2022.
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.
Decision wait times for disability insurance can range from months to years,
according to data from nonprofit think tank USA Facts. Rebecca Cokley, program
director for disability Rights at the Ford Foundation, agrees the SSDI process
is arduous and can last years before granting an applicant approval or denial."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: March 2, 2023
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-79446275
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
