Long Haulers COVID patients need more help than just functional medicine. For some, they need help with long term care insurance benefits or disability benefits as they cannot go back to work. Our goals are always to return our post viral syndrome patients back to a healthier more abundant life, but that often requires some time. While the present epidemic of post COVID patients may have only faced 4-12 weeks of disabling symptoms, many of our other patients have experienced years of such symptoms. Both the Long Haulers and our other more chronic patients may need to access long term insurance benefits until they achieve recovery with us.
In looking to help our patients in this area, we do what we can as far as our expertise allows, but as always, we know our limits. The legalities of insurance, whether it’s health or long term care insurance, require a specialist in that arena. At the very least, long haulers want to access a resource like the online guide by Kantor and Kantor https://www.kantorlaw.net/resources/covid-19-insurance-denial-guidebook/ . This guide is free for your reading and addressed long term disability policies that may come into play when long haulers are working through recovery.
With a disclaimer that I have not used the services of Kantor and Kantor’s law firm, and as far as I know, none of my patients have done so either, I believe their guide is a reasonable resource after reading it online. In their 27 page guide there are multiple tips which I will only mention as a paraphrase does not do them justice:
- The basics of long term disability insurance legalities.
- What qualifies as a disability.
- Overview of laws applying to this type of insurance.
- How to submit a claim.
- Tips to success.
- Pitfalls to avoid.
- Like don’t post on social media the one day in the month that you felt good as this will be used against you in the case.
- Responding to claims denials.
- Finding an attorney to help.
For those patients with Long Hauler COVID, you should not need to access these disability benefits as a quick response with functional medicine modalities addressing the immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation should cut short your symptoms. However, if you are not able to get functional medicine help or experienced more severe acute COVID 19 symptoms like strokes or lung scarring, this resource could be beneficial. Restoring any long term post viral sufferer to a healthier more abundant life requires a wholistic approach that even encompasses financial resources like insurance and disability.
Legal Resources for Post COVID Long Haulers and Disability Insurance:
Kantor and Kantor Guide referenced above. Accessed 7/24/2021.
https://www.kantorlaw.net/resources/covid-19-insurance-denial-guidebook/
Health Rising
10 Tips for COVID-19 Long-Haulers Seeking Disability Benefits. By Caroline Christian. 11/14/2020 Original in MSN. Reposted December 16, 2020 to Health Rising by Amber Ella. Accessed 7/24/2021.
10 Tips for COVID-19 Long-Haulers Seeking Disability Benefits
WorkWell Foundation
“A Fiscally Sponsored Program of United Charitable a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization Providing Disability Evaluations for Individuals with Fatigue-Related Illnesses”
Numerous resources for medical documentation of Post Viral syndromes including COVID 19 Long Hauler.
Including:
Providing Disability Evaluations for Individuals with Fatigue-Related Illnesseshttps://workwellfoundation.org/
Webinar for Long Term Disability: https://zoom.us/rec/play/6Zd8dOr9qG83S9HGsASDAPV5W47uLfqs1XQZ__oEyEayV3MHMAKkZeAaN-Kcj0UFain2auvrTyNT8ixu
Tennessee Support Resources through AARP
“Tennessee Resources for Coronavirus Support”. Accessed 7/24/2021.
https://states.aarp.org/tennessee/tennessee-resources-for-coronavirus-support
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
