Dec 30, 2022 - COVID-19, Disability Insurance by Seltzer & Associates
Long Covid continues to plague our country, with little known on how to address treatment, especially for the lingering symptoms of long Covid. It has only been recently that long Covid has been recognized as an ongoing problem, as long haulers have been experiencing severe and debilitating side effects of their initial Covid infection for over a year. Despite studies on the progression of long Covid revealing more of the complexities of this disease and how people are responding to treatments, Covid long haulers are being kept out of the workplace by their mounting Covid ailments.
With the availability of vaccines for Covid and attention to other disease outbreaks, Covid and long Covid have taken a back seat in some regards, but the threat to the medical workforce remains in place. New Covid variants and outbreaks are still occurring, and these cases can develop into new long Covid cases.
While there has been success in reducing severe symptoms of Covid with medication, there may even be more good news; studies and trials are hoping to reduce long Covid impacts with the same medication. Results are still pending but this could drastically improve the prognosis for Covid long haulers.
If you are a doctor and are suffering from long Covid, you should work with a long-term disability lawyer to help with your claim for disability insurance benefits. Seltzer & Associates has experience working with Covid disability cases, including Covid long haul sufferers needing long-term disability benefits for Covid. Especially since insurance companies are still getting accustomed to Covid claims for disability insurance benefits, you need to have a disability insurance attorney in your corner fighting for your disability insurance rights.
Ongoing Challenges of Long Covid and Treatments
Long Covid severity and symptoms range greatly from person to person. Some symptoms fluctuate over time, while others are a slow progression of improvement such as regaining stamina to do even simple tasks like walking or sitting at a desk for a period of time. Brain fog due to Covid is still a serious symptom experienced by many Covid long haulers and adversely impacts medical professionals and their careers.
Covid treatments have come along in the last several months, but not everyone has responded to recommended treatments successfully. Additionally, there is no uniform approach to Covid symptom treatment. Typically the treatment prescribed relates more to alleviating a set of symptoms which varies from patient to patient and will change over time, therefore specific remedies vary from patient to patient.
Even as Covid long haulers make some progress on their recovery with therapies, there are still many unknowns that present challenges to treating physicians. Sometimes a patient can recover in some aspects while continuing to decline in others, such as regaining physical skills but regressing in concentration and focus. Cognitive impairments from long Covid prevent doctors and medical providers from resuming their medical practices, diminishing their financial well-being while they are out of work. Long-term disability benefits help physicians suffering from long Covid focus on their recovery rather than face additional stress due to the absence of regular income, but disability insurance companies often deny physician claims.
Just like other intensive treatments for disabling conditions, participation in Covid trials can take significant time and effort and prevent medicinal professionals from maintaining the rigorous schedules demanded of them. The treatments administered in Covid trial programs can also have side effects that can prolong recovery, keeping doctors from practicing medicine. As we continue to learn more about long Covid, including developing treatments, disability insurance companies should become more accepting of the reality of long Covid causing disabling conditions and approving disability insurance benefits.
Residual Disability Benefits For Long Covid
It has been established that the symptoms of long Covid can be disabling and prevent doctors from practicing medicine. Often, doctors are completely disabled from Covid at least for a period of time. As long-haul Covid patients work through a variety of therapies to treat their symptoms, they should be aware that they may qualify for partial or residual disability benefits if they are unable to return to work at full capacity. Residual disability insurance policies provide disability insurance benefits when the claimant is able to perform some of the duties of their job or can perform their job functions but only for a limited amount of time. With the way long Covid symptoms fluctuate, residual disability insurance benefits allow physicians to return to their practices even in a limited capacity, which can help alleviate individual financial stress as well as prevent physicians from overworking themselves during recovery and causing additional setbacks in their health.
The Future of Long Covid and Disability Insurance Benefits
It is difficult to determine how treatments and therapies for Covid will impact the future of Covid and disability insurance benefits. Perhaps as successful treatments for Covid emerge, the prognosis of debilitating Covid will move from a long-term disease affecting sufferers for months or years to a more manageable treatment plan that would allow a return to work in a matter of weeks. Hopefully, as the medical community continues to invest in Covid research, this will help insurance companies realize that Covid and its symptoms are serious, disabling conditions and that those suffering from Covid do deserve disability insurance benefits when their condition prevents them from working, especially medical professionals. Seltzer & Associates will continue to advocate for our clients’ disability insurance benefits, especially in emerging areas of disease and disability including Covid.
Seltzer & Associates has a strong record of working with numerous disability insurance companies and third-party administrators of disability insurance contracts. Our goal is to help our clients find financial security through the disability insurance benefits they are entitled to when disabling conditions keep them from working and find our success in our clients’ success.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
If you are suffering from long Covid and unable to maintain your medical career, you need to reach out to a long-term disability insurance attorney. Contact Seltzer & Associates by completing our online contact form or calling 888-699-4222 to schedule your free consultation.