When a disability is not visible or detectable, there is a tendency to diminish the severity of that disability and the significant impact it has on an individual’s ability to function.
It is easier for insurance companies to deny or terminate claims where the level of severity of impairment cannot be measured on standardized testing or where a definitive diagnosis cannot be provided.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the most commonly reported long-term symptoms of COVID include fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, joint pain and chest pain. Other reported long-term symptoms include difficulty with thinking and concentration (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”), depression, muscle pain, headaches, intermittent fever, heart palpitations, post exertional fatigue and malaise. Other long-term complications that have been reported include inflammation of the heart muscle, lung-function abnormalities, smell and taste problems, sleep issues, difficulty with concentration, memory problems , depression, anxiety and changes in mood.
COVID long-haulers who have been in the ICU may have developed post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) with issues related to the use of ventilators or other treatments. Symptoms of PICS can include muscle weakness, fatigue or mental health issues including nightmares, disturbing memories, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many long-COVID claims are being denied because claimants cannot prove that they had a COVID infection. However, even having a diagnosis is not a guarantee that a disability claim will be approved largely because disability is not based solely on a diagnosis but on an assessment of functionality.
Whether you have received a diagnosis or not, it is important to continue with any ongoing treatment since it will help provide evidence that you are suffering from symptoms that are functionally disabling. The required frequency of treatment will often depend on the nature of the medical complications you are suffering from due to COVID. If you are not going for treatment, you will not have the medical evidence required to support your disability claim.
This is particularly important with “invisible disabilities”- conditions that cannot be detected on diagnostic imaging or with a blood test and the severity of which cannot be “objectively” verified with testing. Long-haul COVID claims may fall into that category especially if the main complaints include chronic fatigue or psychological and cognitive impairment.
If your long haul COVID/long COVID claim has been declined due to your inability to prove that you contracted COVID or due to insufficient medical evidence or “objective” evidence, please call our office.
