Long COVID-disabled Americans face broken Social Security disability process: CNN

A woman wearing a face mask is seen on a street in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Dec. 16, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Decision wait times for disability insurance can range from months to years.

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Up to 23 million Americans are estimated to be living with post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), the medical name often given to COVID-19 symptoms that last or evolve after an initial infection, reported CNN on Saturday.

The chronic condition can include symptoms from memory loss and extreme fatigue to muscle weakness and musculoskeletal pain. Patients can struggle for months and even years, and many cannot work during that period.

"Pandemic issues and budget cuts at the Social Security Administration, which handles SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) claims, have resulted in the lowest staffing levels in 25 years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That has kept Long COVID cases backlogged," said the report.

Decision wait times for disability insurance can range from months to years, according to data from nonprofit think tank USA Facts, it noted.

"Around 10,000 people die a year waiting for disability. With Long COVID, I only expect it to get worse," Rebecca Cokley, program director for disability Rights at the Ford Foundation, was quoted as saying.