Opportunity Area 4:
Access to Assistance
Insight
Although the impact of Long COVID is undeniable to people with Long COVID and their caregivers, many find it nearly impossible to prove their need for assistance.
- People with Long COVID report that they are regularly denied access to assistance programs intended to help with food, housing, and job placement, because they do not meet current eligibility requirements.
- Many people with Long COVID are denied disability benefits because they are not able to get the documentation needed from the appropriate specialists. Specialists have to provide a diagnosis and a prognosis, the latter of which can be hard to determine for some symptoms, like cognitive dysfunction, or those that fluctuate over time.
- Many Long COVID advocates and legal advisors believe that disability insurance administrators operate based on a presumption of denial; therefore, applicants often have to endure rounds of denials before succeeding.
- Many people with Long COVID report the providers and treatments they have found most helpful are not covered by insurance, such as acupuncture, functional health practitioners, and concussion clinics.
