Opportunity:
Increase access to disability benefits and assistance programs for people with Long COVID and their caregivers.
For: Health care providers, support and assistance providers, and insurance providers.
Recommended Ideas:
Wraparound services at Long COVID clinics: Consolidate Long COVID treatment and professional help for navigating and understanding existing financial, state, and federal support services under one roof, for example, at Long COVID clinics and other care centers.
Referral pathways for benefits application assistance: Refer people with Long COVID and their families to community-based organizations and programs that can assist them to apply for benefits, and increase funding for those programs to specifically serve people with Long COVID.
Flexible workplace reentry programs: Develop flexible workplace reentry programs so that people with Long COVID can go on and off disability leave for a period of time without needing to reapply, thereby maintaining a percentage or all of their income during that time.
Reasonable accommodation consults: Advocate for the involvement of occupational therapists, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and other disability support professionals in determinations around reasonable accommodations in workplace and educational settings.
Disability and caregiver credits: Create Social Security credits for people with Long COVID and their caregivers.
Expedited applications: Taking inspiration from the TSA PreCheck® program, create an expedited application program that fast-tracks applications for those who receive a Long COVID diagnosis.
Update disability criteria and processes: Revise Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) standards for newly disabled people with Long COVID to shorten the application time.
Update CMS health plan guidelines: Change CMS health plan guidelines for insurance and provider contract requirements to align coverage with medical treatments that show improved health outcomes for people with Long COVID.