President Biden Announced That Americans With Long Term COVID May Qualify For Disability Benefits. Here's What We Know.

I can tell you from experience, it is a PROCESS to try and get Disability Pay when you have any kind of medical reason.

But, there is a new class of people that may now automatically qualify for Disability Pay.

President Biden made this announcement while at an event that celebrates the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Department of Justice teamed up with the Department of Health and Human Services to come up with new guidance that made “long COVID” an official disability — people with “long COVID” can’t be discriminated against as long as “it substantially limits one or more major life activities.”

Now, there have been more than 35 million cases of COVID just in the U.S., and while most people recover after just a few weeks, there are some people that continue to have symptoms from this nasty virus for months.

People with this condition are sometimes called “long-haulers.” This condition is known as “long COVID.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Anyone who has had the virus may become one of these “long haulers,” even if their symptoms were initially on the mild side.

Not only can you not discriminate against “long COVID” individuals, they may be eligible to receive all the benefits that a disability might bring — that includes financial benefits.

These conditions can sometimes rise to the level of a disability. So, we’re bringing agencies together to make sure Americans with long COVID, who have a disability, have access to the rights and resources that are due under the Disability Act.
President Biden

So, what are some of the symptoms that may qualify a person as a “long hauler?”

Some typical examples of common symptoms of long COVID include:

Tiredness or fatigue
Difficulty thinking or concentrating
Shortness of breath
difficulty breathing
Headache
Dizziness on standing
Fast-beating or pounding heart (heart palpitations)
Chest pain

Cough
Joint or muscle pain
Depression or anxiety
Fever
Loss of taste or smell
Organ damage (including the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, and brain)
Neurological problems
Persistent emotional illness and other mental health conditions
Damage to the circulatory system

[Long COVID can limit daily activities and might] include a wide range of activities, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, sitting, reaching, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, writing, communicating, interacting with others, and working. The term also includes the operation of a major bodily function, such as the functions of the immune system, cardiovascular system, neurological system, circulatory system, or the operation of an organ.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

It is important to note that “long COVID” is not ALWAYS considered a disability.