U.S. long COVID patient struggles accessing disability benefits: media

NEW YORK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Actually accessing the disability benefits for long COVID patients has been as complicated as finding relief from the relatively-new condition, reported ABC57 on Tuesday.

"Doctors can't give me answers. They don't have answers," 63-year-old Brian Yost from Mishawaka, Indiana, complained to the local TV station. "And you can't be mad at them, because this is all brand new to them, they don't know."

The latest hurdle for Yost from the Disability Determination Bureau is a required "mental status exam" with a clinical psychologist, according to ABC57.

Meanwhile, Yost believes the Social Security Administration is delaying payment until he hits 65, when disability automatically reverts to retirement benefits, it added.

Nearly one in five adults diagnosed with COVID-19, or an estimated 24.8 million, still suffer from long COVID, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With symptoms including brain fog, lung issues, and blood clots, the Social Security Administration has declared long COVID a disability that's eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance.