Jul 17, 2025 - COVID-19 by Seltzer & Associates
Society has moved on. COVID is old news for many people. But for many professionals, the effects of COVID-19 continue to cause serious problems that interfere with the ability to work. Insurance companies are skeptical, and this is leading them to deny claims and discontinue benefits for doctors, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and other professionals suffering the effects of what has come to be known as “long COVID” or “post-COVID-19 syndrome.” While all is quiet on the media front, new variants of COVID-19 are still emerging and still triggering life-changing illness.
When the effects of any version of COVID-19 cause disabilities that prevent you from working, your disability insurance company should honor claims made under your disability insurance policy. But operating under the mistaken belief that the problem is “over,” insurers are rejecting claims and denying benefits. At Seltzer & Associates, we focus our practice solely on helping professionals gain the benefits they deserve from their disability insurance policies, so we’ve been helping those affected by COVID-19 for years. Here are some of the issues to be aware of five years after the initial outbreak in the U.S.
The End of the Pandemic Doesn’t Mean the Illness is Gone
In March of 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared coronavirus disease 2019, i.e., COVID-19, to have reached pandemic proportions. A little over three years later, in May of 2023, the organization announced that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency. The pandemic was over. However, the organization warned that the virus remained dangerous. “It is still killing, and it’s still changing,” observed Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths.”
More than two years after that prediction, the Centers for Disease Control reports growing numbers of COVID-19 infections in 27 states. Yet many people operate under the assumption that problems from the virus are a thing of the past. This impression, and COVID fatigue in general, make it very difficult for those impacted by new variants or suffering due to the effects of the illness contracted years ago. Victims of COVID-19 struggling in 2025 have their symptoms downplayed and their prognosis ignored.
What is Post-COVID-19 Syndrome?
Different people have given it various labels: Long COVID, Post-COVID-19 Syndrome, Long-Haul COVID, and Post-COVID Conditions, just to name a few. Officially, many health professionals refer to it as “post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2(PASC). These terms refer to a broad range of conditions and symptoms that patients have experienced (and continue to experience) months or years after their initial infection with the COVID-19 virus. These effects can be divided into three categories:
- Persistent conditions that developed during the initial illness and never went away
- Recurrent conditions that went away after the initial acute infection but then returned one or more times afterward
- New conditions that were not present during the initial acute infection but that developed later
While these Long COVID conditions have been mild for some patients, other patients experience severe symptoms that prevent them from working and performing regular tasks that used to be part of their daily lives.
Who is Affected by Long COVID?
In many cases, those suffering the lingering and recurring effects of Post-COVID-19 Syndrome are individuals who endured a severe illness after the initial infection. A considerable number of patients who are dealing with Long COVID now were critically ill and hospitalized for extensive periods earlier.
However, it is pretty common for those who had only a mild case of COVID-19 initially to suffer the effects of Post-COVID-19 Syndrome. Records of their initial illness are generally brief, and there may be no records at all if the patient took a COVID test at home and was told to stay home and rest without treatment. When these individuals later suffer complications, they often have more difficulty in convincing healthcare providers and insurance companies to take their cases seriously.
But even those patients with extensive records showing that the COVID-19 virus caused severe illness initially are finding it hard to get people to believe that the effects they are suffering currently are connected. Many healthcare providers and insurers are not viewing COVID-19 as a chronic condition. Yet studies indicate that Long COVID could affect as many as 30% of the people who have had COVID-19.
Diagnosis Can Be Challenging
Doctors can test to determine whether you are currently infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but there is no laboratory test that shows that a patient is suffering from Long COVID. To determine whether a patient’s symptoms stem from COVID-19, physicians consider a number of factors such as patients’ health history, their current condition as revealed through test results and an examination, and their history of exposure to or diagnosis of COVID-19.
In other words, a diagnosis of Post-COVID-19 Syndrome is subjective. Patients who know or suspect that they are suffering from Long-COVID should visit the doctor regularly, discuss symptoms, follow recommendations, and maintain records that can be used to build a case history that shows how the condition affects their health and ability to function.
Why Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Effects Some Patients and Not Others
Physicians are not in agreement about the cause or causes leading to Post COVID-19 Syndrome, and the extent of the effects are not fully understood. One theory holds that remnants of the virus remain in parts of the bodies of affected patients, and those remnants continue to trigger immune responses. Those responses can lead to damaged tissue and chronic inflammation.
Another theory suggests that the COVID-19 virus was not eliminated from the body but remains in a dormant state. When the virus reactivates, it causes symptoms.
A third theory holds that Long COVID is an autoimmune response where the patients’ bodies are producing antibodies that attack their own tissues. And a fourth theory is based on the concept that it is the organ damage and other effects of the initial infection that cause patients to experience problems months or years after the initial infection.
The Effects of Long COVID
Patients plagued by Post COVID-19 Syndrome experience a wide range of symptoms and conditions. Some may be barely noticeable, while others are so severe and so persistent that they interfere with the patient’s ability to function at even a basic level.
Some common symptoms include:
- Weakness
- Difficulty concentrating or sleeping
- Fever, sweats, and chills
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Pain in the back or other muscles and joints
- Heart palpitations
- Tremors
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal and bladder problems
- Hearing loss and other ear problems
- Cough and shortness of breath
- Chest pain or pressure
- Depression and anxiety
- Blurry vision and light sensitivity
Many patients report that their symptoms consistently flare up or worsen after they have engaged in any physical or mental activity. The detrimental effects make it difficult for some patients to accomplish even simple tasks such as standing, walking, or reading.
Patients who are unable to work due to the symptoms of Long-COVID often find it challenging to file a claim for benefits under their disability insurance policies because the effects of Post-COVID-19 Syndrome are not universally understood and accepted.
When Long COVID or Any Other Condition Prevents You from Working, Seltzer & Associates Works to Get the Disability Benefits You Need
The companies that provide disability insurance for professionals often seek any excuse to avoid paying benefits when a policyholder files a claim. At Seltzer & Associates, we focus our practice on disability insurance claims, so we’ve been recovering benefits for professionals since the COVID-19 virus first struck our shores. We know the objections raised by insurers, and we understand the most effective techniques for overcoming the challenges to get the benefits our clients deserve.
If you need to file a claim for disability insurance benefits or your claim has been denied, we invite you to schedule a free consultation to discuss the ways our team can assist.