Paco Dennis
SF VIP
- Location
- Mid-Missouri
"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.
“Around 10,000 people die a year waiting for disability,” Cokley said. “With long Covid, I only expect it to get worse.”
Carlton says she has spent the last three months trying to find out the status of her disability application. Everything rides on whether she gets approved, Carlton told CNN. SSDI’s monthly benefits are generally around $800 for individuals and $1,300 for families.
“It’s my family’s future,” she said, “I can’t do much physically. I can’t work. This way, I could at least contribute something. It would allow me to feed my family. But the system is broken.”"
4 minute read
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/long-covid-workforce-issues-disability-claims
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.
“Around 10,000 people die a year waiting for disability,” Cokley said. “With long Covid, I only expect it to get worse.”
Carlton says she has spent the last three months trying to find out the status of her disability application. Everything rides on whether she gets approved, Carlton told CNN. SSDI’s monthly benefits are generally around $800 for individuals and $1,300 for families.
“It’s my family’s future,” she said, “I can’t do much physically. I can’t work. This way, I could at least contribute something. It would allow me to feed my family. But the system is broken.”"
4 minute read
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/long-covid-workforce-issues-disability-claims
