Some Americans going through so called long Covid, suffering from persistent effects of Covid-19 that can last weeks or months, can now claim disability under the guidance announced by HHS and the DOJ, Forbes has informed.
The Health and Human Services define the ‘long Covid’ – that can now be categorized as a disability under federal law- as a series of symptoms that can last weeks or months after the initial bout with the disease and that get worse with physical or mental activity.
People going through this usually complain of symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, shortness of breath or a rapid heart rate.
According to Acting Director Robinsue Frohboese of HHS’s Office of Civil Rights, the aim of the guidance is to show thatpeople with debilitating long-term impairments due to Covid are entitled to equal opportunities.
The ‘long Covid’, although it is still studied by scientists, qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 1557 of the Obamacare.
Yet, the DOJ and HHS have declared that every patient will have to go through individualized assessment to determine if his or her symptoms qualify for disability status. Those people who qualify are protected from discrimination
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